When I first imagined my wedding I had dreams of buying vintage china and using recyclable paper for my eco-friendly wedding. In reality, there are some things that are just not always feasible. I definitely had the environment in mind when planning my wedding but I also had my budget in mind. But being frugal and eco-friendly aren’t mutually exclusive – they can work together. And it can be easy! You just can’t be afraid to break the mold a little bit. Once you get past the traditional or more commonplace wedding “essentials” you can move into the creative and eco-friendly zone.
3 Simple Vitamin E Face Mists
Face mists are a great way to hydrate your skin all year but are especially refreshing during dry weather season. Not only do they soothe and calm irritated skin, but with their pleasant scents, they’re also a great mood and spirit booster. I love the way mists relieve my dry skin and make me feel refreshed. After inadvertently spending $17 on a face mist for oily skin, I decided to start making my own mists. I’m so glad I did – they’re more cost effective and I can tailor them to my own skin and the scents I love.
Try one of these 3 Simple Vitamin E Face Mists for a quick pick-me-up:
6 Eco-Friendly Holiday Wrapping Tips
Every year I try to incorporate as many eco-friendly practices as I can into my gift wrapping routine. This time of year is already a stressful time but that doesn’t mean we put our eco-friendly practices on hold. It just means that we get a little more creative with our holiday wrapping.
So here are some eco-friendly holiday wrapping techniques!
DIY Christmas Tree Wrapping Paper
This year Christmas kind of snuck up on me. If you haven’t been following our social media, you may have missed that I just got married. For the past year, wedding planning has just consumed my life. Now I’m finally ready to get into the Christmas spirit, and I wanted to do something a little different this year.
Instead of buying more (expensive) wrapping paper from all over, I wanted to make my own. And what better way than to use some materials I already have at home. First of all, a roll of kraft paper from the Dollar Tree or Walmart is perfect and will go a long way! It’s so much cheaper than a roll of traditional wrapping paper that won’t last the season. Secondly, it’s just a little more heartfelt to make your own paper. You can do all kinds of variations of this design but I thought Christmas trees were a good place to start.
Eco-Friendly Gifts
The holidays can be a crazy time of year. There’s so much going on – decorating, holiday parties, buying gifts, trying not to buy gifts for ourselves… it’s just a lot all at once. But it’s important to remember the bigger picture this holiday season. We are always trying to be our best selves especially with our sustainability practices and that shouldn’t take a back seat during the holidays.
So I have compiled a short list, that doesn’t end here, of eco-friendly brands and potential gifts for this holiday season!
9 Things to Always Buy at a Thrift Store
Thrifting is one of my all time favorite pastimes. I love shopping – probably more than most people. Even if I’m just looking around, I’m enjoying myself. But thrift shopping takes that enjoyment to a whole other level.
I love when I can go to a thrift store and just see what different or interesting pieces I can pick up. Whether it’s a cool vintage item or something that can be repurposed, I love it.
Buying anything used and reusing it is also another way to keep from contributing to more waste in the world. When you reuse something it’s one less thing in a land fill. It doesn’t seem like much but it adds up.
10 Ways to Reuse Newspaper
Plastic-free July is coming to an end, and I’m happy to report that I did pretty well at eliminating single-use plastic products from my life. I slipped a few times by using plastic shopping bags, and a couple of times I didn’t use my reusable cup when I went for coffee.
7 Reasons to Scoop the Poop
Attention dog-parents everywhere: this is why you must pick up after your pooch!
I have to admit, I have been guilty of not picking up after my two beagles on occasion. And by pick up after, I mean scoop their poop. It’s not pretty, maybe we don’t like to talk about it, but it’s a reality for any dog owner. Dogs go #2 and it’s up to us to clean up after them.
This year on Earth Day, we here at From Under a Palm Tree had an exciting outing at the Tampa Bay Eco-Fest. We were able to speak to all kinds of organizations and vendors with the intent to live more sustainable lives. That’s always our goal here at From Under a Palm Tree. [Read more…]
Eco-Friendly Shopping Tips
In honor of spring and Earth Day, now is a time to reflect on the patterns we’ve created in our lives and how they affect our environmental footprint.
This week I’m taking a closer look at shopping, something we all do. Whether you’re school shopping, clothes shopping, or just grocery shopping – at some point you will find yourself in a store.
For those times, look to these eco-friendly shopping tips below:
5 Eco-Friendly Travel Tips
In honor of Spring, it’s time to start planning your next travel adventure! Whether it’s spring break or summer break, or just a weekender trip – travel plans are exciting!
That being said, traveling is also usually costly – not just for you – but for the environment too. Usually when traveling people like to indulge and splurge. But in doing so, it causes more waste, more energy, and more emissions than would have been extended before.
Some of the best ways to travel eco-friendly are to travel as though you never left home. You’ll see what I mean below.