SHOW THE EARTH SOME LOVE: 6 PRACTICAL TIPS TO REDUCE YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

So many of our everyday actions impact the Earth: driving cars, the products we buy, and of course, what we waste. There are also so many ways we can cut down on our environmental impact. We hope this Earth Day you can reflect on your current habits and see if there is room for improvement.

Our advice, you don’t need to do EVERYTHING. If this is a new concept to you and one of these suggestions excite you-great! Start there, and you can always explore and add more as you go. Trying to do too much at once will probably feel overwhelming, and you’ll quit trying altogether!

• Drive Less- According to the EPA, transportation accounts for 33% of the total atmospheric CO2. Maybe you are working from home and already cutting down your mileage? Could you start biking when you need to grab something small from the store? Or maybe carpool, use public transportation or combine trips to reduce emissions.
• Ditch Single-Use Items- Keurig cups come to mind here! Could you switch to the fillable filter cups instead? Plastic water bottles, plastic bags, paper plates, straws, paper towels these everyday items can result in a lot of unnecessary waste! By switching to reusable products, you’ll likely also start saving some money!
• Support local business & farming- the transportation of products and food takes a toll on our planet. When you can buy local, not only are you supporting a small business but also the environment!
• Waste Less- This can have so many different meanings. In tough times like this, please consider donating unwanted/needed food items to local food banks rather than tossing them out. The same goes for when you start cleaning out your closet- someone could really use that jacket you think is out of style! When shopping, try looking at second-hand shops first- again, there is also cost saving benefits here!
• Try Meatless Mondays- As of 2018, food accounts for 26% of the greenhouse gas emissions, the most significant factor being meat production. Livestock requires high amounts of land, water and release methane. Try incorporating more plant-based recipes into your diet. These days there are many meat substitutions, so don’t think you have to eat tofu!
• Recycling- this simple act cuts down on our enormous waste production. Fun fact we at MQ realized we could be doing more in this arena and have added recycling bins to all of our Tiny Houses! We are lucky to have single-stream recycling, so no need to sort!

We hope this list gave you some ideas & inspiration to “go green!” Remember you don’t have to do everything & today is the perfect day to start!