Be Cutting-Edge Eco-Friendly. Enter Our#SheSpeaksWasteNot Giveaway

    by   SheSpeaksTeam   

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Aug 08, 2018
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You may have heard about the current effort to eliminate plastic straws, with companies like Starbucks, Royal Caribbean and Hilton pledging to find an alternative, and cities like Portland and New York City considering a ban on the plastic utensil.

This got us thinking... Are there things we can do to reduce our waste - to really make a difference about the junk we throw away - without drastically changing the way we live our lives?

Check out the ideas we learned about, and enter to win a package (valued at approx. $75) of cutting-edge, environmentally-safe items you'll actually love to use!

Beauty & Hygiene

You can easily find recipes for homemade deodorant or soap online. While we are impressed with the women who do this, we know that realistically, we barely have time to make dinner, let alone body wash. But we are intrigued by the package-free shampoo and conditioners that are trending right now. They come in bar form so there's no single-use plastic packaging and by all accounts, they work great - some say they are even better than the old stuff. Read on to see how you can win one below!

Another easy eco-friendly switch: items like bamboo toothbrushes, cloth make-up removers and metal razors. They're just as effective as the disposables. Plus, the toothbrushes can be composted, the makeup removers can be machine-washed and the razor blades can be recycled. Try if for yourself: Win a 4-pack of bamboo toothbrushes at the bottom of this post!

Drinks

Making coffee at home? Don't forget to use a refillable K-Cup coffee filter. According to The Atlantic, 9 billion K-cups were sold in 2014, and most of them ended up in landfills. Reusable coffee filters are much less expensive than K-cups. Plus, you can use whatever coffee you want in them and they are quick to clean. 

Getting coffee on-the-go? Instead of a disposable paper cup, bring your own reusable tumbler. Most coffee shops, including Starbucks, will put your drink in your own tumbler and some may even give you a discount. These cups keep drinks colder and hotter much longer than a paper cup. Right now, we're loving the BEAST cup because when we get home at the end of the day, we can just toss it in the dishwasher. Easy peasy. Even better? You can enter to win one below!

Food

We would never tell you not to order take-out (we'd never get through the week without it!) but last time we ordered, we realized how much single-use items we threw away. So we've decided to try ordering one less time per week. Making dinner just one extra time saves us money, helps us eat healthier, and reduces waste, especially if we are mindful about the items we are purchasing.

One way to reduce plastic at the grocery store is to stop buying individually-packaged items. For example, next time you go to buy snack-sized nuts, chips, yogurt or squeezable applesauce, look at how much more expensive those are than bigger containers. Plus, look at how much more plastic is used to wrap those portioned servings. Why not reserve travel-sized foods for only when you are out and about, and not when you are home? For snacks and lunch at work or school, it's quick to package snacks in smaller sizes, such as reusable silicone storage bags, or reusable storage containers like the Rubbermaid Brilliance. They are healthy to use, eliminate plastic baggies that can't be recycled and are dishwasher-safe. Plus, they are part of the package you can win below!

There are also lots of ways to save food waste. Throw veggie scraps into a bag in the freezer and turn them into stock for soup. Or turn food waste into rich dirt and fertilizer by composting. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S dumps about 133 billion pounds of food per year into landfills, which is about one third of the amount of food produced annually. Find out how easy it is to compost here.

And more...

The eco-friendly solutions available today are endless. From reusable wrapping paper and shopping bags to rechargeable batteries and solar-powered appliances, it really is easy to eliminate waste. And when shopping, think about what you order online and try to bundle it so less delivery boxes are used.

The key is not to overwhelm yourself. It's not all or nothing. Start off with a few small changes, and then incorporate better living strategies over time. You'll most likely save money, and you'll also feel better about the choices you are making.

What eco-friendly items do you love? Tell us for the chance to win a gift basket of awesome products, including: the shampoo bar & bamboo toothbrushes, BEAST tumbler and Rubbermaid Brilliance storage containers.

There are three ways to enter:

  1. Comment below by telling us the eco-friendly items you use, or would like to try.
  2. Click here to tweet: "I'm wasting less, becoming more eco-friendly, & entering to win the  #SheSpeaksWasteNot giveaway, thx to @SheSpeaksUp bit.ly/2OSSDJB"
  3. Post a picture on Instagram (worth 5 entries) of your favorite eco-friendly solutions. Use the hashtags #SheSpeaksWasteNot, #SheSpeaks and #entry.

 

*One lucky commenter, Tweeter or Instagrammer will be chosen at random to receive the four items listed above. Giveaway is open through August 26th, 2018 to U.S. residents at least 18 years of age. Entrants must be a member of SheSpeaks. If you are not a member, click here to join. Winner will be notified by email.

Update: Thanks to all who entered. Congrats to our winner, SheSpeaks member VickiCoffey!

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Comments
by DaughterOfZues | Jacksonville, FL
Aug 18, 2018

I am all about reusable tumblers. Its great to have more disposable biodegradable products being used at food, and beverage retailors to cut back on the environmental waste factors. I would also like to use the bamboo brushes as opposed the plastic.

by mhindal | Jacksonville, FL
Aug 18, 2018

I would like to try the bamboo toothbrushes

by MomOnTheEdge | Marblehead, OH
Aug 18, 2018

Love the rubbermaid containers!

by amethystmoon | Winslow, ME
Aug 18, 2018

Paper straws, and beeswax paper

by CourtneySands | FACTORYVILLE, PA
Aug 18, 2018

My husband is a recycling warrior and I mean that on every level! He made a heater for the house out of beer cans and it works great! I also try to find ways to recycle old things around the house. We like our entire family including our pets to be healthy. For us that means all natural products without all the harsh chemicals and recycled paper/plastic goods. We try to compost as much as we can and we never throw anything that is biodegradable or recyclable away! We are our best hope for our future generations, we need to keep our planet healthy and happy!!

by Brittany8977 | Glens falls, NY
Aug 17, 2018

love how the bamboo toothbrushes are compostable

by onwildwings | Dupont, WA
Aug 17, 2018

Stasher reusable Silicone Pouches, smaller ones are great for leftover or sandwiches and the larger ones are perfect for Sous Vide.

by Rahne92 | SAVANNAH, GA
Aug 17, 2018

I have reusable snack bags, two reusable water bottles for myself and one each for my husband and daughter, potted plants on my back porch, and try to five away as many old but still usable things as possible without just tossing them!

by empusagirl | LANSING, MI
Aug 17, 2018

We recycle as much as we possibly can from plastics to electronics, batteries, print cartridges and so on. We reuse glass jars that sauces and such come in and we reuse containers from products like butter for food storage. We have a compost pile that we put our food waste in and we use the compost on our veggie garden every year. Next we want to get a rain barrel.

by dreas07 | West Jordan, UT
Aug 16, 2018

I don't go anywhere without my reusable water bottle. You never know when you might be thirsty.

by Katieglaine | Arlington , WA
Aug 16, 2018

I make my own soap. I would love to try these products.

by gennaShapiro | CANTON, MA
Aug 16, 2018

-ive been using eco-friendly items for Years & Years now! (WeLL before the whoLe "green"/"organic" movement began)! -i believe its important that we ALL at Least TRY to be more eco-friendly, especially for our children & all the future generations! It's important to Lead by ExampLe! I use the re-fillable K-cups for my Keurig coffee maker. I also have been using shopping bags/ shopping totes (instead of the plastic bags they use at supermarkets)! -there are little things every single person can do to try and become more eco-friendly & I really hope that someone reading my comment(who isnt reall eco-friendly themselves!)will understand the importance of trying to become a better eco-friendly person, for themselves & the future generations! #SheSpeaksWasteNotGiveaway - entered on Twitter aLso!(im DEF keeping my #FingersCroSSed 4this 1)! Thank you!! 🧡🤞🏼🧡

by Kitcat18 | GREENSBORO, NC
Aug 16, 2018

My recycling bin is always full . I don't understand why my waste company picks it up every two weeks. I love to help the earth and up cycle things as well!

by EricaTiff | VICTORIA, TX
Aug 16, 2018

hang dry clothes to save electricity. Do not use grocery bags.

by kellyw | HEPHZIBAH, GA
Aug 16, 2018

I been trying to use my tote bags for groceries instead of the plastic ones. I also have been trying to recycle as well.

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