Eco-Friendly in the Mornings

Good morning, everyone! Right now it is 9:03 A.M. and I'm sitting at my husband's computer with a big cup of coffee. 2 raw sugars and some French Vanilla creamer from Kroger. Since I'm the only one who does dishes in our house, obviously I didn't stir my coffee with a spoon. No, I stirred it with a wooden dowel. No, no, no, there's not a giant wooden dowel in my cup. I'm talking about these.

They're plain, tiny, wooden dowels from Walmart and they cost 94 cents for fifty of them. They DO come in a plastic bag, but it's much less plastic than you'll get when you purchase a box of plastic stirrers. You know the ones. They're black, they're almost split in the middle, they're plastic... Ring any bells?

The ones we used to buy are a bit different, but they're the same thing. Tiny bits of plastic that you swirl in a hot beverage and then toss away after one use. If you're not a big coffee drinker, I'm sure it doesn't seem like a big deal. But you're also reading this post, so you seem to be wanting some sort of ideas on how to ditch plastic with your morning coffee.

One simple solution, obviously, is just using a metal spoon. However, if you're like me, you're the only person in a house of four adults who does dishes. In a pathetic attempt to lessen my load, I'd rather have something besides another utensil. So I perused the craft aisles of the Walmart on Parker (apparently this is the rich Walmart in town??) and I found these bad boys (or girls).

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Wood-Dowels-Small-50-pk-by-Horizon-Group-USA/658354132 

It's not a promotional thing, I swear. Who promotes tiny wooden dowels, anyway? I do believe it's an in-store only purchase. Thankfully we live only ten minutes from two different Walmarts, so it's not an issue when we run out. 

          

         

  On to the Eggs!

           Who doesn't like eggs? Well, besides me, unless it's egg drop soup (best thing ever, I swear). Anyway, what do eggs come in when you purchase them? Styrofoam, exactly. Most Walmarts do sell eggs in a cardboard/easily biodegradable carton, but they're usually $1.50 more per dozen. If you're like me, you'll have a husband who will NOT pay more for eggs and buys the 97 cent styrofoam carton. If you're still like me, your husband also won't let you have a pet hen who could lay free eggs, Bryan! 

Still. There ARE ways to reuse those styrofoam cartons that your husbands/wives/styrofoam loving people in your lives refuse to stop purchasing. 

Candle Molds! Maybe you're not a candle maker, and that's fine. But if you are, it's easy to cut out the egg holder part of the carton, pour in melted wax, and add a wick. I already have stuff like this lying around, so it's a simple and fast fix for me. 

If you have kids or are around them a lot doing crafts, use them as paint pallets! It'll keep the paint separated easier for little hands, and hopefully will keep the area cleaner. 

You can check out this website --> http://mollymoocrafts.com/easter-round-up-egg-carton-crafts/ <-- for egg carton crafts with kids, as well.

Scrub a Dub Dub

          Pump soap or bar soap? Environmentally speaking, bar soap. There's less plastic (none at all, depending on the brand) and that alone makes it a better alternative. Pump soap typically comes in a plastic bottle. If you've read my other posts, you'll know why plastic can't really be recycled. So your better option is to use a bar soap for your morning routine. Face washing, your hands, any time really. Personally, I like Kirk's Castile soap bars sold at Walmart. They're only a few dollars and have zero plastic. They're wrapped in paper inside more paper. Since I make my own seed paper, the paper around the soap doesn't go to waste!

TP

         Your TP... You pick it up in probably the largest, well-priced package you can find, right? It's wrapped in plastic and inside the package the rolls are usually wrapped in another package of plastic in pairs or sets. Change that up by getting the rolls of toilet paper that are individually wrapped in paper! It's all paper. Toilet paper, wrapping paper, cardboard tube! I've seen individual rolls sold in a few different stores (not Walmart, though), and it's always been well under a dollar for a single roll. Which I know, I know. It definitely doesn't seem worth it, since your family probably uses a lot of TP *cough*Bryan*cough*, but it really IS worth it. Hopefully it will also get your family to use less TP which saves money in the long run anyway!

          Your toothbrush is something that you get to keep. For nowww... Muahahaha.. Kidding, kidding. Well, sort of. As it currently stands, there are no 100% biodegradable toothbrushes on the market. For me, I use a child sized Monster High battery powered toothbrush. I know, I know. Shame on you, Raven. But with no biodegradable options, I use the option that works best for me. I believe you can acquire pig bristle toothbrushes, though that's not quite something I'm recommending. This website ---> http://environmentaltoothbrush.com.au/?page_id=2 <--- sells biodegradable (the handle, at least) toothbrushes, and claims to be the best on the market as far as being environmentally friendly. They claim that you can push the handle into the ground and they'll fully compost, and that you need to remove and place the bristles in the garbage bin. Baby steps, baby steps. 

https://www.brushwithbamboo.com/proper-care-disposal/ is another place that claims to have 100% organic toothbrushes, with the claim that the bristles are made of 95% plant matter. They still can't be recycled, though. The handle, however, is said to be able to be pushed into the ground and will safely decompose within six months. 

Now, beauty sponges. Obvious solution here is to just wash them, rinse them well, and let them completely dry. Don't toss them out after a few uses. No, I'm not talking about the egg shaped beauty blenders, so don't bite my head off. I'm referring to the round sponge pads that come in pressed face powder, and the angled ones you buy at Walgreens or Walmart. They're still good after being used once, and can be washed, rinsed, and thoroughly dried. 

I do hope that some of this was helpful. Of course, now that I've finally finished this is it much later than the morning and almost 11 am. Maybe I'll have a post for staying green during lunch. ;P