Just because we’re all hunkered down doesn’t mean we can’t keep helping the planet. In fact, we’ve seen that just staying home has a massive impact on our greenhouse gas emissions. But if you’re interested in something more, here are 12 ways to help save the planet from the comfort of your home:
1. Love Your Leftovers
Did you know that Americans waste 30–40% of the food we produce? FORTY PERCENT. That’s insane. And that’s not just a waste of resources, that’s a waste of your hard-earned money. One of the reasons we throw away so much is we’re terrible at remembering to eat perishables, serve ourselves more than we can eat, and, erm, struggle with the whole leftovers thing.
Since we’re all cooking at home a lot more, and the appeal of long-lasting foods has gone way up, this is a good time to love some leftovers. You can look up which foods freeze best, and how to store foods for the long term.
Sometimes leftovers only last a few days, sometimes they can last for months. On that note, learn how to reheat those leftovers, too. Leftovers that come out a chewy disgusting mess when microwaved can be a dream if baked in an oven or reheated in a pan. Heck, you can even toast some stuff.
If you’re in a pinch for time just Google ‘Food X + leftovers’ or ‘how to freeze X’ or ‘how long does X last?’ and you’ll be rewarded with the internet’s great knowledge. I do suggest reading a few links, as sometimes the pages are….questionable.
2. Cook Some Vegan Food
Whether we want to admit it or not, our obsession with meat and dairy, especially beef, is playing a pretty big role in destroying our planet. Sorry bacon lovers.
We have to shift to a plant-based diet. It’s better for us. Better for the planet. And mother nature will force our hand if we don’t get on it soon.
Take advantage of the long shelf life of grains, beans, and other canned plants you’ve stocked up on and learn to cook some vegan food (don’t worry, I’m not saying you have to go vegan. Just dip your toes in.)
The internet has plenty of vegan recipes and blogs. Personally, I find the best vegan foods are the dishes that aren’t trying to be something else. For example, instead of mashing up mushrooms and soy and God knows what else into a ‘meatloaf’ use chickpeas in a delicious curry or soup or use them to top a flatbread.
3. Visit a Zoo Online
Sometimes we all need a laugh, or some inspiration, or a little reminder of all that we are fighting to save on this beautiful blue sphere. Closed to visitors, zoos and aquariums are still very much open online. The animal care staff are absolutely dedicated to the wellbeing of their animals. And zoos and aquariums have made sure we get to join in the fun.
Some are letting their animals tour the facility, some are letting the animals meet each other, and make some new friends. Still others are hosting live streams of the cutest animals where you can type in your questions for the animal care team in real-time. Also, it’s spring, which means that #zoobaby season is upon us. Get ready for some cute overload. Check out the links at the end to get started.
And while you’re online enjoying the beauty of these animals, please consider donating a few dollars to your favorite zoo. Most AZA accredited zoos and aquariums are non-profits, and they get most of their income from ticket sales. It’s expensive to keep animals fed and cared for, especially the big ones. It doesn’t have to be a lot, every dollar counts!
4. Make Some Produce Bags
You know, the ones to replace the plastic monstrosities you feel guilty using every time you’re at the store. Thankfully produce bags are really easy to make- and Pinterest has plenty of tutorials for you. Break out the sewing machine or the scissors or the thread or knitting needles or the glue (you have to have at least one of those) and get ready for some hardcore DIY.
Just be aware of the materials you choose. For foods that charge by the pound, you’ll most likely end up paying for the bag as well, as most supermarkets haven’t figured out the concept of ‘tare weight’. This is no big deal if you’re buying something like apples or potatoes, but if you’re buying produce that’s upwards of $6/lb, a heavy bag could cost you an extra 20–50 cents. Not huge, but not great, either.
Cotton and canvas are natural and biodegradable but heavy materials. Hemp and linen are both natural and lightweight, but not many people have too much of either around the house. Super lightweight fabrics tend to be made of plastic, which isn’t ideal, but using a reusable plastic fabric bag hundreds of times instead of a single-use bag is still a massive improvement.
5. Resist (Excessive) Online Shopping
You’re stuck inside. You’re bored. And all your favorite stores are bombarding you with emails about their special ‘work from home sale’. But buying new things isn’t great for the planet, and shipping them isn’t the best either.
If you know of a local business, or a startup, or a responsible company that you love and want to support, by all means go ahead and buy a few things to stimulate their business. Just don’t buy excessively, don’t buy what you don’t need, and definitely don’t buy what you don’t want.
6. Repair Your Stuff
Remember how I said buying new stuff isn’t great for the planet? One way to avoid that is to take care of and fix up what we’ve already got. In a strange sort of cultural shift (driven entirely by greed and capitalism), we’ve completely thrown out the idea of buying things for life and repairing them. This isn’t the consumer’s fault, either. Manufacturers design their products nowadays to become technically obsolete overnight, and functionally obsolete in a matter of years. Gone are the days when you expect everything you buy to last a lifetime.
You’ve probably got a shirt stuffed in your dresser that needs a button sewn on, or a vacuum that needs a part replaced (and of course you bought that part months ago but you just haven’t gotten around to it for some reason…). Now is the perfect time to break out the mini sewing kit or the screwdriver and fix that thing you’ve been putting off for months. Once again, the internet is there to help you if you’re lost, and you’ve got plenty of time to mess up and start over again. Just be careful.
7. Try Not to Be Tempted by Takeout
Hot take here, I know. It’s so tempting just to order in after an exhausting day stuck inside. But take-out is pretty terrible for the environment. All that wasted plastic is just ugh. Takeout may as well be labeled ‘single-use plastic party’.
But maybe you want to support your local businesses, like that mom and pop pizza shop that’s been around for 50 years. And that’s a good thing, to be sure. But even if you’re supporting local businesses, try to find places that use compostable packaging (or at the very least recyclable plastics) and request that your food be delivered sans condiments, cutlery, napkins, and bags, if possible.
8. Don’t Recycle That!
Wait, don’t recycle? Isn’t this an article about helping the planet? Why yes, yes it is. And recycling is almost always done with good intent. But unfortunately, we’re terrible at it, and it’s turned our whole recycling system into a big mess.
Learn what you can and can’t recycle. You’ve probably got that flyer from your city stuck on your fridge or stuffed into a drawer somewhere. If not, it’s probably online. Yes, everyone who even tries to recycle is trying to help the planet, but sometimes we’re doing more harm than good. Check out this article for some tips on how to recycle the right way.
9. Support Conservation
Just because we’re in a humanitarian crisis doesn’t mean the rest of our concerns are slowing down. The climate is still struggling. The rainforest still needs us. Coral reefs are still bleaching. Maybe I’m biased because conservation has always been my focus, but I firmly believe we can’t ignore it no matter what else is going on.
No, you don’t have to sign every petition or donate to every conservation organization, that’s exhausting on a normal day, and this is a stressful time for us all. Just once or twice a month take five or ten dollars and give a little to a conservation cause you believe in. If there’s no possible way to donate ( if you ordered takeout this month you aren’t allowed to claim this category) then sign and share a few petitions online. Nonprofits are still fighting on the front lines of our climate crisis.
10. Get Creative Reusing Things
You’re stuck inside your house with all of your stuff anyway. And there’s only so much Netflix you can watch before you get bored. So channel your inner DIY spirit and figure out how to reuse some of the stuff you have. Maybe you can repurpose old (clean!) food containers into a kid’s art project, or maybe you want to take on something bigger with the power tools and piles of scrap wood you have sitting around in your garage.
DIY is a great way to spend your time doing something with your hands, get creative, and take your mind off all the stress of the world for a while. And we all deserve a little of that.
11. Buy Recycled Toilet Paper
Since toilet paper is all over the news lately, I figured I’d throw this one in. Most toilet paper is made from virgin wood, which means we are literally chopping down forests to wipe our bums. It blows my mind. Thankfully, recycled toilet paper is more accessible than ever, and no, it’s not just the sad scratchy one-ply stuff anymore.
So the next time you need to buy some toilet paper (not stock up like a maniac, please) pick out the recycled stuff. If you want to level up, Seedling by Grove makes recycled TP and every roll purchased helps plant trees. And Who Gives A Crap makes recycled TP (and luxury bamboo TP) and donates 50% of its profits to building toilets around the world.
Note: at the time of writing, both of these are out of stock, but they’ll be back soon!
12. Learn
Binge-watch Blue Planet. Read some Nat Geo Articles. Find some Ted Talks on Youtube. In between the funny and cute cat videos we all sort of need right now, you have the opportunity to learn more about this incredible planet we live on.
Unashamedly deep dive into a random topic you find interesting, whether that’s bees or dolphins, parrotfish or Kauri trees, let yourself get lost in learning new things. It’s an awesome distraction, and a great way to get inspired. As the poet and environmentalist Baba Dioum once said:
“In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.”
Have a great week, stay safe and healthy, and have a fantastic time saving the planet from the comfort of your living room.
P.S. Check out the cuteness at zoos and aquariums:
(There are many more, these are just the ones I’ve been following so far!)
