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This post is sponsored by Full Circle Home. Thank you for supporting sponsors here on TLM so that I can keep bringing you content we care about.
The initial shock of the pandemic has worn off, and we’ve settled (somewhat) into this brave strange new world a little. It’s not to say that it’s gotten easier, it hasn’t. For many people, (most people?) things have become harder. Working from home and homeschooling your children for a week? OK, we can do that. Eight weeks into the homeschool and work-from-home game and you’re nerves are more worse for the wear. One week without pay? Hard, but doable. Eight weeks without pay? Earth shattering for most. One week without socialization? An introverts dream! Eight weeks and even the most miserly among us misses that essential human contact.
It is still hard to grasp how something so small–microscopic–has brought worlds and economies screeching to a halt. And while medical experts certainly knew something this devastating could and would happen, I admit that it was never on my radar.
When we come out of this–and history tells us we will–I hope we adjust our lives and our priorities for a more sustainable future–environmentally, mentally, medically, economically, socially, spiritually and politically.
I hope we see that we need each other so much more than we previously thought. We know who the essential works are now, and that they deserve dignity and living wages. Small businesses are the backbone of our country and they are losing, while Amazon is winning (although in full disclosure I am an AmazonPrime member and I sometimes use their affiliate links. Considering how I can change this habit.) Men who have been home with their families are seeing first hand just how much work it takes to run a household and pitching in more at home. We now see that businesses can provide flexible environments to employ more disabled people.
We can and should champion and vote for causes that can bring broader, sweeping changes for the better. However, as usual, a lot of changes for a more sustainable future will rest of the shoulders of individuals to show up and do their part.
Today I’d like to talk about showing up for a sustainable future environmentally. I’ve worked with Full Circle Home in the past and continue to enjoy working with them as their products are the perfect blend of sustainable and beautiful.
In a lot of ways COVID-19 has been great for the environment–less carbon emissions, which means that air quality around the world has improved dramatically! However, it’s important to note that it’s not all good news. According to this article in Wired, many recycling facilities have shut down to protect their workers–so good for the workers, bad for recycling. And at the same time waste production has really jumped up. Amazon alone has hired 100,000 more employees to keep up with demand of all the things being packed and shipped in individually wrapped boxes. Not to mention all the restaurant take-out containers, and even the single use plastic containers of hand-sanitizers and soap dispensers..jpg "This Little Miggy || Sustainable Futures")
Here’s where we need to show up as individuals, doing our part to reduce waste in our homes and communities. For a while I’ve been thinking about trying to curb our paper towel habit. While we have plenty of rags and towels on hand, sometimes a paper towel is exactly what you need. Enter the Tough Sheet Resuable Plant Towels. They come in a traditional paper towel roll (which means you can put them right on the paper towel holder) but just one sheet can be used as many times as an entire paper towel roll! So each roll of Tough Sheet towels can replace up to 60 rolls of regular paper towels! They’re made of 100% rayon from bamboo.
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I’ve been using these for about two weeks now and love them so far. They’re easy to use and then you wash/rinse them right out to use again. They absorb 7 times their weight but also dry super fast. They’re perfect for getting all the spills and stains, wiping greasy hands, messy faces–all the usual things you reach for a paper towel for–and then rinse, hang to dry and reuse again. I’ll wash them out with soap every few uses as well.
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Another great paper towel replacement are the Squeeze Cellulose Sponge Cloths. Again they are super absorbent, reusable, and made from 100% cellulose–which is biodegradable. AND can be disinfected in the microwave. Reading through the reader reviews online one commenter noted, “the best thing about them, the thing that makes them better than your cloth dish rags, is the fact that they do not smell. Ever, it seems.” They really are fantastic!
I know these are small changes, but we have to start somewhere. And even small changes–like curbing paper towel use–can have a big impact over time if enough people adapt. Here’s to starting!
I’m curious, what are some changes you’re making around your house to help the environment and minimize waste? Also, what do you hope to see for a more sustainable future in a post COVID-19 world?
