Maia earth friendly edition - #3 🌎
I’ve been traveling in Charleston this week and was reminded some cities are really great at promoting sustainability. Des Moines currently doesn’t have a huge focus on sustainability, however, I believe in us to grow and be part of the solution! A commitment will need to be made and as I will forever keep saying, small changes mean big impact. Throughout this month I’ve been even more hyper-aware of the ways I’m contributing (or not) and was reminded the more we talk about our goals the more likely we are to accomplish them. While on my trip, I’ve said no to straws, bags, and tissue paper-wrapped new clothing purchases. If we gathered up a huge pile of all of the items I said no to on this trip, it would be a fairly significant pile of waste. Here’s what I am working towards, reminding myself small choices throughout my day are nearly no impact on me but have a huge impact on our beautiful earth’s longevity. This week I’m sharing some of my favorite “on the go” sustainability swaps we’ve made in our family.
kids waterbottle
Our family loves these so much we have two for each of the boys. (And yet, somehow we sometimes still can’t find one - could someone please explain this to me?) In our home, Brig and Cal are on a color system to keep things organized. Brig is navy blue and Cal is teal. This Yeti comes in both and has a pop-up straw so we keep things together easily for little hands.
My tumbler of choice is the Corkcicle line. Perfect for on-the-go and stylish for any occasion. I love the pastels they have right now and always have a few in the cupboard so I am not forced to be a human who successfully washes things every day. That’s entirely too much pressure.
reusable straws
This leads me to my next favorite on-the-go sustainability item. Reusable straws are truly the best. I know in my friend group the paper straws some restaurants now offer are highly controversial due to the reduced sipping experience it provides and straw flakes in your cocktails. However, these silicon straws promise not to leave any flakes in your drinks and just let you enjoy. You can also use these for traveling or carrying in your purse to use at a restaurant and reduce even more waste!
foldable to go containers
One thing I was overly aware of during the pandemic, trying to support local restaurants by getting carryout, was the extreme waste carryout containers create. While I can’t solve the problem (yet?) of getting carryout and the containers they come in, now that I’m back in restaurants dining in, I can bring my own container for any leftover food I may want to take home and not use a disposable restaurant to-go box. I love these containers because they fold flat and are easy to toss into your bag.
