In honor of Earth Day (April 22), I thought I would share some interesting facts that I came across and what you can do to help save the earth bit by bit…
Fact:
Did you know that 38 billion plastic water bottles end up in landfills each year? That’s enough to circle the globe 150 times. What’s worse? They take 700 years to decompose.
What Can You Do?
Buy a stainless steel or BPA-free reusable bottle, like a Sigg water bottle. I’ve had one for about 3 years and still love it. The design may be scratched up a bit, but the bottle is virtually indestructible (and trust me, it’s been dropped several times).
Fact:
If every U.S. household replaced one package of napkins in their home with recycled napkins, it would save 100 million trees in one year.
What Can You Do?
Buy recycled napkins, or even better, use cloth. I know cloth seems kind of old-school, but it makes perfect sense; you not only save money on buying disposable napkins, but you’re already washing washcloths and hand-towels anyway, so why not throw some dirty napkins in too? It seems silly to think we’re wasting 100 million trees for something we wipe our mouths with once and throw away (unless you’re eating ribs, in which case I may make an exception for disposables). Plus, cloth napkins add a lot to your table décor.
Charlotte Handmade has some really cute cloth napkins, and *bonus* a tree is planted with every order.
If you’re crafty, it’s also really easy to make your own. Here’s a great tutorial on the Purl Bee for napkins with polka dot binding.