Wait. Is that MY footprint??
In a world gone mad, I try to pick my battles.
I know I can’t control all the terrible things hurtling at me like so many—pew pew pew—laser guns, but I can control my response. Unfortunately, many days my response is to find a hidey-hole under my bed and live out the rest of my days there.
But that’s not as proactive as I’d like.
One of the major problems that worries me is the irreparable harm we’re doing to our planet. I can’t fix that, but I can try to take care of my little corner of it.
So I’m on the quest for leaving a smaller footprint than I have in the past.
The amount of plastic I throw away has begun to alarm me. It’s easy to overlook the occasional plastic container I toss out, but there was this harmonic convergence one weekend when I emptied a big liquid laundry detergent bottle, shampoo, conditioner, liquid body wash, AND dish soap!
It was a spectacularly horrifying pile of trash.
That’s when my quest began.
I now use a shampoo bar. This fits in the palm of my hand. Only two swirls on top of my head gives me plenty of suds. It’s kind of magic, I think.
Bar soap at the sinks. One is cranberry and makes the whole downstairs smell fruity and delightful. The other one looks and smells exactly like pumpkin bread. I cut it in half for each of our his-and-her sinks upstairs. As soon as I use up the rest of my liquid body wash, I think I’ll go for bar soap in the shower too.
Laundry strips. You can see, I think, that the sheet is perforated. For a regular load, you tear it at the perforation and toss the rectangle into the washer. If you have a particularly large or terrible load, just toss in the entire square. Our clothes come out clean without that heavy perfume scent.
And in our quest to eat less meat, I found some plant-based substitute for tacos, which I crave more than seems rational. It has a long shelf life so you can stock up when there’s a sale, making it cost-effective too. It’s easy to cook, just add it and a bit of your favorite oil to boiling water for ten minutes or so. I add more taco seasoning of my own, to make it even more taco-licious.
I really like all of these products and get nothing in return for saying so, but if you want to reduce your footprint too, I’d encourage you to find some products you can advocate for.
Craft fairs and consignment markets have tons of artisans creating soaps and shampoo bars. Go find some local ones. Plus, you’ll want to stick your nose in the soaps … they’re mostly delicious and I’m sure you’ll find some aromas you love. Added bonus … no chemicals!
My next quest is for dish and dishwasher detergent. Got any other ideas for me?
What do you do to save the planet?
