Celebrate Earth Month! 10 Simple 'Green' Actions to Take Even If You're Busy

​One of the biggest challenges most people face when making a change is the time an energy to do it. With easy swaps, and a little creativity, you can incorporate them into what you are already doing everyday and make a difference for our planet. We pulled together 10 actions that don't require lots of time or planning that you can take this month leading up to Earth Day.

We even added some BUSY PERSON HACKS for anyone who feels short on time and energy.
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10 Easy Actions for Earth Month 2022
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Staying connected to the natural world has benefits for the Earth and for you. ​Wherever you are with a daily dose of nature, take the next step toward spending a little more time with her.

BUSY PERSON HACK: Step outside in the morning. It could be on your way to work or to drop kids off, but stop if even for 60 seconds while everyone settles into the car (or do it together).
Take three, slow, deep breaths. With each inhale, notice one thing in the natural world - it could include a flower, a squirrel, the wind, or vibrant clouds. Focusing on each, breathe out slowly and let some of your stress and worry lead out at the same time. 
You just fed the trees with your carbon dioxide and they gave you some oxygen in return.

If you want other fun ideas, here are 10 Ideas for Celebrating Earth Day that you could do any time. 
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2) Swap out paper

The next time you reach for a paper towel, grab for washable fabric instead. Cut it into your ideal size (or not).  When it gets dirty, you can pre-clean in seconds if you have a spray-nozzle. Squeeze and hang it over the side of a laundry basket, or hanger by dirty clothes, or make a little hanger in your kitchen on the back of a cabinet. Save them to do a little extra load each week or month.

BUSY PERSON HACK: The next time you are in your drawer or closet, grab an old T-shirt or hand towel that is stained, has holes, etc and set it near your paper towels to be at hand when you need it. You'll be reusing the t-shirt and reducing paper consumption at the same time.
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3) ​Empty your car

Each extra pound you take out of your car improves fuel efficiency, (and saves you $!) Also, reducing clutter reduces stress - and this is especially true wherever you spend a lot of time.

BUSY PERSON HACK: Simply take one or two things out of the car with you each time you get out until it's cleaned out.

Make a place - a simple box will do - where you can neatly set things so they don't end up sprawling in your home. Near the door is a good natural place where where it you have a chance to look at the items with fresh eyes consider if it is time to donate, give, repurpose, upcycle, fix, or recycle them.
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4) Let Go of Your Stuff

You may not think about keeping things in storage as bad for the environment. There are three important reasons why it is.

1) It increases likelihood of ending up in the trash.
The risk of your stuff ending up in the trash heap increases greatly with the number of items stored, and the longer they are there. There is a vicious cycle of things being forgotten the longer they go unused, and the more forgotten they are, the longer they stay in storage. And then it becomes overwhelming to deal with it all, and doing a little bit doesn't feel like it makes a dent. What most often happens, is that the items are all processed at once, usually in an urgent way - with a financial crisis, move, illness, or death. When items have to be dealt with quickly, they often end up in a landfill.

That means that once things go to storage, they often don't make it out in good shape. 10% of American households rent storage space. If at all possible, try to avoid storing things you don't need badly enough to keep in arm's reach.

2) Things degrade, often much more quickly than you think.
Sitting in a basement, attic, or garage is not an ideal environment. Things get dusty, dirty, infested, moldy, stained, broken, and deteriorate, not to mention they become obsolete. Something that could have been used, becomes unusable and is more likely to end up in the trash. Before stashing something away, quickly ask 'am I going to use this again regularly and/or soon?'. If not, don't feel bad parting ways - Find a good home for it quickly where someone else can put it to use.

3) It saves on emissions from newly produced goods. 
When there is an item in good shape that is made available in the community somewhere, it means that someone else won't have to buy new. That saves all of the emissions that it would take to make a new item, from gathering raw materials, to manufacturing, packaging, storage, and transportation. This goes for anything you buy or obtain previously-owned. You are not only probably saving money, you are saving a lot of emissions and lowering your carbon footprint.

BUSY PERSON HACK: Think of one thing that you aren't actively or regularly using that you have in storage. Put it by your door and find a home for it using DonateGoodStuff.org, a neighborhood connection app, or asking a friend or family member who you think could use it.
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5) Reuse

Why is reusing so much better than recycling? When you reuse something, it saves 1) energy for collection 2) energy for breaking down 3) energy for remanufacturing 4) re-packaging and distribution. 

Reusing something is nearly zero-waste. ​It is one of the most impactful things we can do with our stuff.

Take something you would normally throw out or recycle, and find a new use for it, or a new home for it. Make sure it doesn't turn something recyclable into trash (painting a recyclable material, etc). Some glass food jars make great storage, or to refill in bulk. 

There are lots of ways to reuse items from hair accessories to old t-shirts. Think about renovating your wardrobe instead of buying new. And check out these really creative ideas for reusing random household items from Family Handy Man - They are fun to look through for ideas.

Donate what you can't use. If you have things that are in good condition but you no longer need, let someone else use it. Search Donate Good Stuff to find a new home with an organization near you that needs exactly what you have.
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6) Plant Something

Plants are good for the environment in so many ways. They store carbon, release oxygen, provide habitat for creatures of all sizes, and manage and clean water. Planting a whole garden can be a daunting task, so focus on what is doable for you. That might be a naturalized yard, a tree, or a single plant in a pot.

BUSY PERSON HACK
Start with one plant. Use a cleaned out food container you already have and ask a friend for a cutting and if you are busy, select a low-maintenance houseplant like these ideas from Eco Warrior Princess including pothos, peace lily, spider plant, and cactus, among others. You can plant free food from vegetables and herbs you already get from the grocery store.

If you can, Plant a tree. If you have a yard, or community area where you can plant a tree, they are the most effective types of plants for carbon capture. If every one of America’s 85 million gardening households planted just one young shade tree in their backyard or community, those trees would absorb more than 2 million tons of CO2 each year. Shade trees also reduce energy needed for cooling.

If you are a gardener, here are some tips adapted from Gardening for Climate Change that will help you garden greener:

• Use manual tools. Using human-powered tools such as push mowers, hand clippers, and rakes. You can find these at a local tool library, borrow or buy used. Using a gasoline-powered mower for an hour pollutes 10 to 12 times more than the average car.
• Plant native. Native plants help to maintain important pollinator connections and ensure food sources for wildlife; plus they minimize the threat of invasive species.
• Reduce water consumption. Mulch to keep moisture in and provide natural fertilizer, collect rain in a barrel or even a 5 gallon bucket, or use ollas to collect free water (this works great in rasied gardens, too). If you must water, do it in the morning so water can soak in and use drip irrigation to prevent evaporation. Here are more water-saving tips from The Micro Gardener.
• Compost kitchen waste. Compost provides nutrients for your plants and more importantly, reduces carbon pollution, especially methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas. You can even use cooking water you used for boiling or steaming vegetables. Cool it to feed and water your plants at the same time.

7) Drink 'Green'

There are a lot of "Rs" Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Regift, Repurpose, Recycle, Rot... and they are all important pieces of living more sustainably. Focusing on just one thing, like coffee (or whatever your drink of choice is) to apply them to can help keep them in mind for many things.

Here are some excerpts from How to apply the R's of Sustainability to Your Morning Coffee

Refuse: Ditch single-use cups, overpackaged convenience, and plastic packaging. Keep the refillable cub handy, buy in bulk, find sustainable growers and stores, grow or make your own. 

Reduce: Do you throw out the last bit? Order a smaller size. 

Repair: ​Repair your carafe or other piece of your machine, or replace just that piece. Get it second hand on Nextdoor or FB Marketplace or at a thrift.

Reuse: Refillable cups, filter-less coffee, cloth napkins, reusable straws....all help. If you no longer use your coffee machine, mug, or anything else, donate it at Donate Good Stuff, give it, or sell it so someone else doesn't have to buy new.

8) Use Less Light 

​Change your lightbulbs: When it comes time to change a lightbulb, it will take you no additional time to switch to energy efficient LEDs. Although there are other efficient options like CFL (compact fluorescent), LEDs lead the pack.

According to Eco Watch, upgrading the planet’s light sources to 100% LED could save the planet nearly $5 trillion over equipment lifetime and prevent nearly 18 gigatons of CO2 emissions between 2020 and 2050. 

Light Bulbs Unlimited notes LEDs last longer, are more efficient, and cost less to use. They can operate 50,000 to 100,000 hours (roughly five to 10 years) and are definitely more efficient than the 1,000 hours for incandescent.  

Reduce lighting use: This is as easy as it is free - just remember good energy saving habits.

• Turn off lights when you are not in the room.
• Use natural light. Open windows, and make use of naturally lit spaces.
• Follow the daylight. If you can, get up with and go to bed with the light as close as possible. You won't need to turn on the lights as often. It can also regulate circadian rhythm, helping people with sleep issues.
• Read a book. When you turn off your device and read a book, you don't need Borrow books from the library, a friend, or a Little Free Library.

9) Use Cold & DIY Soap for Washing

Cold water is a super easy swap and it takes zero time. Using cold instead of hot uses 75-90% less energy. Plus, laundry done in hot water especially causes synthetic fabrics like polyester & nylon to break down and these microfibers contribute to plastic pollution in waterways and oceans, according to Ocean Clean Wash, a campaign initiated by the Plastic Soup Foundation.

There are plenty of self-serving (and $ saving) reasons to use cold, too:

• It's cheaper to wash in cold.
• Warm or hot water actually set stains like blood and sweat.
• Clothes are less likely to shrink and fade in cold.
• Dark, colorful, and delicate fabrics do much better in cold.

What about detergent? You can even save money, reduce plastic, and reduce toxic chemicals in laundry detergents by crafting your own. It's super quick and easy, and yes, they can even work better than store-bought brands. Many contain ingredients that you may already have on hand like baking/washing soda, borax, bar soaps, and Castile soap. Use just drops of essential oils for natural and healthy, and customizable scents.

In really cold water (especially if you live in a colder climate) liquid detergents can perform better. Here are some:

• Proven detergent for $20/year from The House and Homestead

BUSY PERSON HACK: Dr Bronner's also has recipes for DIY laundry soap, but you can just use a squirt of the soap alone. This is about the easiest method. Plus, you can refill it at your local co-op and save on plastic.

Here are some others you can try:

• HE & regular machine-safe recipe from The Spruce 
• HE & front load washer recipe from The Home and Homestead 
• 10 minute DIY Natural recipe, safer than commercial powder recipes
• Whiten, brighten, and deodorize with this recipe from Andrea Dekker

Find 21 recipes at Kids Activity Blog and see which you like best. 
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10) Hang Dry

Speaking of laundry, hanging to dry can make a big difference by spending zero fossil fuel energy, helping clothes last longer, and even deodorizing and sanitizing (using the sun).

BUSY PERSON HACK - Put a few key items to dry over hangers. You don't need fancy drying racks, or to have a back yard clothing line. You can use the backs of doors, hooks, or dresser drawers in the bedrooms so when they are dry, just slip them away. It even gives the room a clean fresh scent.
If you have a few extra minutes, set up a clever indoor clothesline like this one from Don't Waste the Crumbs. You can wind back up so it disappears when you are done.

If you absolutely cannot hang dry, dry less. Most people over-heat and over-dry laundry. remember to dry for the minimum required. Experiment with your machine rather than automatically using a setting.  You should never dry clothes completely - it wears them out quickly and uses a lot of energy.
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Author Jennifer Victor-Larsen

Founder and Executive Director of Donate Good Stuff
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Donate Good Stuff exists to help you find the best home for your donation items and we recognize it's just part of the challenge of having too much stuff. How do you declutter what you have, reduce the amount of stuff you bring into your home, and continue to move toward sustainable and environmentally kind living? We can help with that, too. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or subscribe to our newsletter for regular tips and creative ideas for managing your stuff, reducing waste, sustainable living, and being part of a connected community.
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If you enjoyed this article and appreciate Donate Good Stuff's interactive search, we appreciate any size contribution. We exist because of generous donors like you. Donate Here

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​Go zero waste. Not throwing anything away seems unimaginable but it is possible. Find out more about going zero waste on the Zero Waste week website.