OK, maybe it’s a teeny bit about climate change. 

Mostly, though, it’s about sustainable homeownership—ways to meet our needs today without negatively affecting future generations’ ability to meet theirs.

Before we go on, please hear this: This post isn’t meant to be a lecture! It’s just that we’ve discovered loooootttts of first-time home buyers are concerned about taking up more space on the planet. So we thought we’d offer some of our favorite tips on being a more eco-friendly human.

1. Use natural cleaning products. 

Many off-the-shelf cleaning agents are capital-b-Bad for our water supplies, and the stuff that’s “environmentally friendly” is bonkers expensive. Instead of wasting all that cha-ching, try whipping up your own cleaning solutions—like these inexpensive concoctions! You’ll be amazed by the power of pantry finds like vinegar, baking soda, and sea salt.

Laundry counts as cleaning too, you know. Check out Your Clean Clothes Have Some Dirty Laundry for more on that (and a super-fun giveaway!).

2. Reduce plastic use.

It seems like everything comes packaged in plastic these days, and very little of it’s being recycled. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. generated 35.4 million tons of plastic in 2017, and 26.8 million tons of it went to landfills. (Yeah, that made us a little sick to our stomach, too.)

Our blog post, You Can Have Your Plastic (But You Have to Eat It Too) offers simple tips to de-plasticize your life.

3. Resist fast fashion.

Fast fashion refers to clothing that’s rapidly produced in response to design trends, inexpensively crafted by frequently exploited workers, sold for next to nothing, and winds up in the landfill before next month’s Vogue hits the shelves. Gross, right?

Instead of giving in to impulse buys—like that ohmygoshsocute $10 hoodie you’ll wear once and then regret buying—only purchase clothing you imagine you’ll wear at least 30 times. Yes, sustainable clothing is more expensive, so just decide to own fewer pieces. Nobody cares what you wear anyway. Seriously: Nobody.

Of course, there are a ton of other ways to improve your sustainability. For more ideas, check out these 29 tiny changes that’ll make your household more eco-friendly today.

Freebie Alert!

We recently stumbled across Christine Liu’s book, Sustainable Home, and we are obsessed. Can we send you a no-strings-attached copy? Tell us who you are and where to send it, and it’s yours! (We mean it when we say “no strings attached.” We just like sharing good stuff with good people.)

Yes! Please send me a free book!