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.
Make Your Food Last Longer
A struggle I face on a weekly basis is trying to prevent tossing out my fruits and veggies that have either wilted or gotten moldy too soon. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be costly, especially if you’re buying organic – so I’ve started making a real effort to not just toss at first glance. Instead, I’ve been making a conscious effort to use wilted veggies like celery, spinach, and kale. But in order to prevent real waste I also needed to figure out a way to [Read more…]
5 Easy Ways to Reduce Food Waste
In my house, the #1 way most food is wasted is from my picky 2-year-old throwing food on floor when he doesn’t like it. A challenge I face daily is finding the balance between offering new foods and foods I know he’ll eat. All in effort to reduce food waste.
The second most common way household food is wasted is [Read more…]
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 Recycling Center
I always do my best to recycle or reuse as much as possible, in hopes that maybe I can make a difference in the way that our society consumes and discards resources, materials, and objects. I’m a firm believer that waste doesn’t always have to be wasted. Recycling and reusing the products we consume not only helps the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also helps save money, energy, and natural resources.
My favorite things to save and reuse are [Read more…]
3 Step DIY Distressed Picture Frame
Lately, I have been all about DIY – I’m planning my wedding and it seems like there’s always something to DIY. This week, it’s a picture frame that’s part of a larger project (more info to come later). But you don’t have to be planning a wedding to appreciate this DIY.
You can easily buy a distressed picture frame from TJMAXX or Ross but where’s the fun in that? This simple DIY takes any old wooden frame and gives it a rustic, coastal feel.
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.
9 Ways to Reduce Household Plastic Waste
We here at From Under a Palm Tree always strive to be more eco-friendly in our personal and professional lives. We have made it our mission to decrease our footprint by living more sustainable lives, reducing waste, and conserving resources.
In efforts to improve the quality of our Earth, I have signed the Plastic Free July Challenge and committed myself to Reduce Household Plastic Waste. Single-use plastic bags and bottles can take up to 500 years to decompose in landfills, however, most don’t even reach them. A large number of throw-away plastics end up in our oceans, leaving behind chemicals and toxic particles, destroying marine life all over the world. [Read more…]
Taking the Plastic Free July Challenge
Meagan, Christina, and I decided to take the Plastic Free July Challenge. The goal of the Plastic Free July Challenge is to encourage people to stop single-use plastic product consumption and reduce plastic packaging (at least for the month of July). It’s also to help people become more aware of issues surrounding plastic use in our lives and to encourage new consumption habits moving forward.