Summer routines can be a little looser with school out, longer days filled with tons of sunshine, vacations, and hanging out outside more. Let’s not let our low-waste habits slip away as we lose ourselves in all of the summer fun.
Here are a few tips to keep your hard work and momentum going!
Keep a Go Bag – Did you get a text from your cousin that their family is headed to the beach for the day and asked if you want to go too? Grab your Go Bag and enjoy knowing you have everything you need. What’s in the Go Bag? Keep a cloth napkin wrapped around a fork, knife and spoon from your cutlery drawer, your spare refillable water bottle, and your spare container of sunscreen in a reusable tote bag. If you do happen to live near the beach, toss in a beach towel to be extra prepared.
When you’re at the refill store, keep your summer essentials stocked so you can take off early on a Friday and head out camping without having to make an extra stop or pick stuff up along the way. Keep your spare container of sunscreen filled, maybe a spare refillable hand soap and dish soap bottle too, make sure you have your travel shampoo and conditioner bars ready, and your reusable ice packs are frozen.
Like to enjoy staycations? Us too! Make some cold brew coffee to have on hand for those hot mornings to enjoy sipping out on the patio while watering your plants. Homemade popsicles are fun to make and can be so delicious with pureed strawberries that maybe needed to be eaten sooner than later.
Head out for a local hike or bike ride! Throw the Go Bag in your backpack and hit the trails. Being a local tourist is also fun! Take your out of town guests or head out on your own to some local attractions. During the summer months, our local towns have free live music in the park. Your Go Bag will come in handy for this too!
Some summer days can be extra hot. Save some money and hang dry your clothes! Open those windows up at night to let the cool breeze in to cool down the house and turn up the A/C to save money and use less energy. We get it, there will be days when it doesn’t cool down and that’s ok! Do what you can when you can!
Speaking of laundry. Have you switched to a Laundry-to-Landscape system? Our laundry soaps in the shop are grey water friendly! Reuse the laundry water to keep your yard watered and save some money while saving the environment.
Unplug what you don’t need plugged in when not using it to keep your inside temps down and keep your energy usage down while traveling. Even when appliances are turned off, they still draw a little energy and can produce a little heat too.
Close the curtains on super sunny hot days to keep the temps down. Promise, your cat will find their way into the sun rays even if the curtains are closed! We have UV film on our sliding glass doors to reduce heat. It’s been up for a handful of years now and has actually helped keep our home cooler by a little. It doesn’t block the light our plants need so that’s a bonus!
Summer brings a ton of fresh fruits and veggies to the local farmer’s markets! Lean into all of the local and seasonal goodness and experiment with some new veggie-forward recipes! Store everything in a reusable cotton bag to keep things fresh longer and remember your reusable bags or cute farmer’s market basket when you go!
Storing your veggies in mason jars is also another great option! Wash and dry thoroughly then place them in a clean airtight mason jar. Some veggies will want a reusable cotton paper towel in the jar to absorb excess moisture and some veggies like carrots and celery will love being submerged in clean water to keep them crisp. Change the water every few days using the old water to water your outdoor plants. Mason jars is a great way to travel with your bounty too!
Since we were kids, summer has been that time of year when we are more care free with our time but we can still keep our low waste habits strong all summer long!
