Hello, everyone! Happy Earth Month!! We hope you have had a wonderful year thus far! ????

For the next three months, we’ll be going through sections of our homes and lifestyles to see how we can make them as eco-friendly as possible.

This month we’ll be focusing on outdoors and takeout: some better strategies to get takeout, deliveries, and drive-through; ways to reduce litter; and, now that it’s spring (finallyyyyyyy), more sustainable ways to take care of your yard and the outdoors.

Straws, silverware, napkins, packaging, and sauce packets

In order to prevent plastic from littering the world, you can refuse these things in your takeout order in the note section or tell the person when you pick it up at the store or drive-through. Remember your eco bag? Make sure to use your straws, silverware, and napkins instead of accepting what they would give you. Once indoor dining is safer, we can continue to refuse straws, takeout containers, and plastic silverware.

Try to buy from places that use less packaging, or specifically request less packaging from places you buy from. 

Lawn and garden care

Lawns are not a potato at alllllll, but if you are forced to have one, look for a company that uses more natural pesticides and fertilizers, and an electric lawnmower. Try to plant trees or a garden if you can, so you can have a less evil lawn!!!! You can also get a groundcover, which is a great alternative to grass — you don’t have to mow it or add chemicals to it to keep it looking good. It even sometimes has little flowers! Finally, here are some native plants you can support in your yard, and here are plants that help bees. Here are more things you can do for pollinators. You can also plant milkweed to help monarch butterflies. Another thing to look out for is salt, which is really bad for the planet. Rain and melting snow and ice carry salt from our roads and sidewalks into rivers and waterways, polluting our water. So instead, shovel or use a snowblower (if you don’t have one, you could ask to borrow one from a neighbor). Or you could hire someone (like a kid) in your neighborhood.

Trash and recycling bins

For recycling, it is essential to have all of it fit in the can with the lid fully closed; if it isn’t, the recycling might get wet, rendering it unrecyclable!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It could also fly away and litter the w o r l d. Dreadful! Also, be sure you know what to recycle, trash, and compost, and buy things of value that you shall not dispose of!

Being a person outside

When you go outside, be considerate of the world! Practice Leave No Trace principles, and if you go on a walk, try bringing a bag and a pair of reusable gloves and pick some trash! Also make sure to pick up dog poop — if it’s left on lawns or sidewalks, it will wash into stormdrains and right into the waterways as unfiltered sewage. Remember, if you’re just going on a walk, don’t feel like you need to pick up every single piece of trash you see. Try to make it as easy as possible for you — you first just need to build the habit. Don’t burn yourself out the first time trying to make a big change — just picking up a little helps much more than not doing it at all. Even if every person picks up just one piece of trash a day, the impact would be huge. 

Hold trash pick-up parties!! ???? Invite people to pick up some trash in a local park with you, once in a while or as a regular endeavor. It’s a fun and exciting way to spend time with friends (and get out of the house!), especially now when we can’t meet indoors.

Reusable masks 

Masks are very important; using reusable masks is a simple way to help reduce waste! Make sure to research the specific mask before buying it to make sure it’s effective; also, some cloth masks could be fine for some things like socially distanced outdoor use, but not things like being indoors for an extended time.

We hope you have a good time existing in the world, and that you can augment your potatoishness as you venture into the outdoors!!! ???? Here is this month’s checklist!