What I desire more than anything is that my grandchildren’s children get to witness the beauty we get to see on this earth — the 3-D sunsets and sunrises you can almost get lost in, the white sandy beaches, the evergreen forest of high alpine mountains, the breathtaking beauty of nature all around us, as well as the connection with the animals that roam the planet. Nature is far too beautiful to sum up into words but it is my everything. It’s the medicine we all need and most of us are lacking.

No matter where you live or whats going on in your world, Mama Earth is speaking to us and she wants us to listen up.

Personally I try to tread as lightly as I can and strive to leave her in the best shape I can for future generations, but at this rate, that may not happen unless we make some key changes now. And it all starts with YOU in your very own home. What you do inside your abode matters most and sets the tone for ALL that you do. Start there!

Let’s dissect this.

My intention is to live a zero-waste life so that I can protect our earth as much as I possibly can. I’ll admit I am definitely not 100% perfect. But ‘perfection’ is not what it’s about. It’s about progress over perfection. It’s about voting with your dollar to either help or hurt the planet. It’s the intention behind everything you do, and simply trying to master each day the best I can is what matters most to me.

So today, I want to share with you loads of things you can do to live a zero-waste life and how you can tread a little more gently on this beautiful earth.

For The Kitchen

1. Stop buying water in plastic bottles. Stop buying cleaning products! Start making your own beauty + home products!! This is MY ONE STOP GADGET that replaces SO much of my past plastic consumption. Get yourself a Kangen Water® machine! This nectar of life helps restore your body to a more alkaline state, which optimizes your health. With adjustable pH settings you are able to custom make your own beauty products, cleaning products and hydrogen-rich drinking water. No more buying plastic water, expensive/ineffective water filters, and so much more.. there are OVER 68 uses for this incredible machine. I personally use mine every day and it definitely has been worth every penny.

2. Stop using plastic altogether. Glass and stainless-steel containers of all shapes and sizes can be cleaned and reused over and over again, and easily transported. Not to mention plastic wreaks havoc on your hormones.

3. Stop buying supplements in plastic containers!! If you are looking for high-quality nutrition + supplements reach out! This company I partnered with has the highest quality WHOLE superfoods, grown through regenerative farming and packaged in biodegradable packaging!! I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THIS. My health + the planet thank me. I have a 25% off code for you, click the link!! WHOLE SUPERFOOD PLANT MEDICINE

4. Take your own bags to the farmers market or store so you don’t have to resort to getting plastic shopping bags.

5. Instead of recycle…make your new motto REFUSE. Just say no to plastic. Buy in bulk + come prepared.

6. Start composting. There are loads of easy compost bins you can keep under your sink no matter if you live in the city or country. Most areas offer compost pick-up or make friends with a farmer and off-load your compost!

7. ORGANIZE. Sort your bins out. I have 3 bins in my kitchen. One is for compost, one is for recycling, and one is for general waste that goes into landfill — our intention for this last one is for it to have nothing in it, I am still working on it.

8. I personally never leave home with my reusable bamboo cutlery. It’s one of my most cherished belongings! This allows me to say no to plastic straws as well because it comes with straw + cleaner!

9. Take your own mug to get your coffee in the morning. Not only is drinking boiling hot coffee or tea out of a plastic or styrofoam cup extremely toxic for your hormones, but that cup you’re clutching is headed straight for landfill. So please take your own reusable cup with you for your coffee or quit the habit altogether. It’s not good for you.

10. Reduce your animal product consumption. Going from meat-eater to vegan for a whole day saves as much CO2 as a gallon of gas! Whether it’s meatless Monday or a vegetarian/vegan month, the easiest and quickest way to reduce carbon emissions is by changing your diet.

11. Buy biodegradable bin liners or stop buying them altogether. We don’t have any bin bags or liners. We simply wash our bins out and spray some high-quality essential oils in there after we empty them. Simple!

12. Vote with your dollar. Spend your money at local or online stores that make the effort to introduce eco-friendly packaging, fair-trade items , and support small businesses that care.

13. Eliminate disposable paper products. Rather than paper towels and napkins, choose reusable cloth versions. You’ll quickly save money over costly disposables.

14. Minimize food waste. Meal prep or package appropriately to save for leftovers.

15. Try canning to preserve food.

16. Keep a stocked pantry to avoid take-out package waste.

17. Swap sponges in lieu of compostable scrubs or brushes.

18. Join a community garden or help a friend who has one! Most likely you will score much to harvest!

19. Swap tea bags for loose leaf tea in a reusable strainer. Preferably from your local apothecary or herbal shop!

For The Bathroom

1. Use essential oils + this water machine to make all your own skin and beauty products. Not only is it way better for the environment (think of all those plastic bottles your products come in), but for your health too, because whatever we put on our skin gets absorbed straight into our bloodstream.

2. For the ladies; all your monthly sanitary items are going straight into landfill so get yourself a Moon Cup and Thinx underwear. Just say No Tampons and other sanitary products because they are literally as toxic as cigarette butts, trust me you don’t want that anywhere near your sacred zones.

3. Swap your plastic toothbrush (once it’s no longer usable) for a bamboo toothbrush.

4. Make your own shampoo + conditioner bars. I love this recipe for shampoo bars + this blog for all other holistic beauty care!

5. Try organic cloth diapers + you can make reusable wipes out of old clothes or blankets.. trust me if I can do it you can too ;)

6. Check out tree-free toilet paper. (It’ll be available again someday :) haha) or look into a wand hose for post-bathroom cleansing.

7. Shower with your plants. They’ll love it.

DAY to DAY living earth-centrically

1. Before buying, ask yourself, “Do I really need this, or could I make-do or borrow or rent this from a friend, or get it from a second-hand store?” “Is this essential?”

2. Online purchases. Reach out to the seller and request minimal packaging. Most will oblige.

3. Buy zero-waste alternative. Make sure you do this only when you already sero-waste stuff is all gone or beyond use!

4. Find creative + artful uses for your rubbish.

5. Find a way to reuse an old item whenever you can. Donate items, or gift them to friends. The goal of zero waste living is to keep matter out of landfills. And for everything else, look for a TerraCycle program. They’ve found a way to recycle just about anything.

6. Ditch tissues for homemade ones. You can make them out of any old hanky or blanket or shirt.

7. Always say ‘no thank you’ to free promotional items and samples. Even flyers or freebies.

9. Have a clothing swap with your friends to freshen up your wardrobe + pass along your beloved items.

10. Launder only your dirty clothes. Go by the smell or stain test.

11. Instead of retail therapy do something that’s actually positive for your headspace, like getting into nature, meditating, taking a yoga class, or meeting up with a friend.

12. Change light bulbs to LEDs.

13. Purchase some houseplants at a local nursery to purify your air, and don't forget to return the little plastic pots or reuse them for your own garden!

14. Get rid of pests naturally + and NEVER purchase round-up. It leeches toxic Glyphosate into literally everything which is a harmful carcinogen. My nutrition company sells this product which can help you eliminate it out of your precious body Biomedic. (click link for $25 off!) Literally the ONLY product out there that addresses the MAJOR health problem we (unknowingly) are all facing.

15. Unplug electronics when not in use.

16. If you are a super active person and athleisure is your style. Make sure you wash your cloths inside these bags so you don’t leech micro-plastics into the waterways.

17. Learn how to freeze your food without plastic so it doesn't go to waste.

18. Air dry your wash.

19. Always run a full dishwasher or load of clothes.

20. Bike or walk if you can!!

21. Vote with your dollars for a sustainable future.

22. Look into rechargeable batteries instead of disposables.

23. Learn how to repair a button or hem to extend the life of your clothing.

24. Don’t buy wrapping paper and when someone gifts you a present keep the wrapping paper and re-use it. Or use newspaper :)

25. Instead of gifts, give experiences.

26. Wash your clothes in cold water when you can.

27. Homemade gifts and cards are the best. I know my mom likes them :)

28. Go paperless for all your bills and bank statements.

29. Commit to picking up any rubbish you see on adventures or outings.

30. Say no to receipts.

Little things daily win the game. Try not to get overwhelmed and simply try one thing this week and then another next week. Get your whole family involved and make it a fun game (kids love games).

Remember PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION.

Now it’s your turn. I would LOVE to hear from you. Have I missed anything? Do you have any tips to add to this epic list? Please pop them below I want to learn more!! This is simply what I do, yet I know there is so much more.

Thanks for taking time out of your day to connect with me + Mother Earth. I hope this list can inspire you to take action and live life to the fullest with the proper steward protocol. Mama Earth needs us more than ever, so thank you for stepping up and being the catalyst for change.

Let’s do our part.

Love,

Rachel

What we can do right now for Mama Earth