5 Sustainable Ways to Be Kind to the Earth

 Our main goal at Kindness Gems is to spread acts of kindness to make the world a more compassionate place, one person at a time. However, we've been making strides to eliminate our use of plastic as a way to be kind to the Earth as well, and want to encourage you to do the same. Reducing your waste, especially plastics, is one of the best and easiest daily acts of kindness you can commit to while having a beneficial impact that will continue to help the world in your lifetime and for future generations. Here are 5 simple ways to boost your sustainability that you might not have considered before: 

1. Switch To A Shampoo Bar 

We tend not to think about the hundreds of shampoo and conditioner bottles we go through in our lifetimes as optional sources of waste, but now with the trendy shampoo and conditioner bars being easily accessible in common stores you don't have to consume those large plastic bottles anymore. Consider switching to a shampoo bar for a fresh eco-friendly experience; it's essentially a soap bar for your hair!

2. Consume Less Water-Intensive Foods

Some plants are highly drought tolerant such as spinach, lettuce, radishes, corn, certain varieties of watermelon, cactus, etc. Being conscious of which foods have high water requirements is a great way to reduce water consumption. Eating more plants in place of meat will also cut down on resource consumption as it takes a huge amount of water and food to raise meat. Next time you eat Mexican food try using nopales (cactus) as a meat replacement for a delicious and healthy new experience if you've never had it before. 

3. Avoid Using Keurig or Nespresso

Single use coffee cups create a huge amount of unnecessary waste even if the companies claim they are recyclable. Regular espresso machines are very easy and fast to use and don't require any single use packaging, and they also make a better brew with the bonus of a milk steamer so you can have your coffee exactly like they make it at the cafes all without having to throw any packaging materials away. If you have an espresso every day, that's 365 K-cups a year being wasted. Over a lifetime, you could be saving tens of thousands of single-use cups from being manufactured. 

4. Start An Herb Garden In Your Windowsill

When cooking at home, it might seem easier to buy herbs at the grocery store instead of growing them yourself, especially if you don't have an outdoor space for gardening. But it's actually pretty easy to grow most herbs indoors in small containers if you have a window that gets decent sunlight. Once you have a nice array of herbs growing, you won't ever have to run to the store to get more and that actually makes it much more convenient, healthier, better tasting, and eco-friendly in the long run. 

5. Get Stuff On Buy Nothing Groups

Buy Nothing is a project that encourages local communities to share goods that they no longer need with their local community rather than throwing them out and selling them. They operate through local groups often on Facebook and make it really easy and fast to get common house items and more for free. It is a genuine form of paying it forward and a surprising amount of the stuff being given away is in amazing condition and quite valuable, again, for free.

 We encourage you to commit to one of these methods or share a different method you have tried by commenting below or on our Act of Kindness Submission page.