If you are looking for ways to live a sustainable lifestyle, there’s no shortage of information out there on different things you can do. From making your own cleaning products to planting a pollinator garden to making sustainable swaps, trying to be eco-friendly can sometimes feel time consuming and overwhelming. But, while those things are important, living for the planet doesn’t always have to be about doing more. For those days when you want to save the planet, but also don’t want to get off your couch, here are a few ways that you can actually do less and still be an environmental superhero.
Cut out the yard work
Lawn maintenance can be a time-consuming task, and it tops the list of my least favorite chores. Fortunately for me, conservationists agree that well-manicured lawns do nothing for the environment. Where we see healthy, bright green grass, native wildlife sees a wasteland without any native food or shelter. Those dandelions that so many people spend time and energy to remove can be a good early source of food for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. To top it off, the pesticides and fertilizers we use to keep that grass growing and weed free are detrimental to insects and cause chemical runoff in our waterways.
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In the fall, many of us are used to raking and bagging fallen leaves to be hauled away. However, once again, conservationists are encouraging us to skip raking and leave the leaves as a natural source of shelter for insects. Fallen leaves also return nutrients to the soil.
So give yourself a break: let those dandelions grow and those leaves fall! If you get some weird stares from your neighbors, just tell them you are doing your part for native wildlife.
Skip the sorting
Confession: I have not sorted a load of laundry during my entire adult life, be it by color or fabric or item. If it isn’t a hand-wash or dry clean item, it goes into the machine in cold water. During my college years, I skipped out on sorting laundry in order to save those precious quarters. These days, I just plain don’t want to waste the time and energy to sort. Once again, though, there is a real environmental benefit to this lazy habit. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 90% of the energy used by your washing machine goes towards heating the water, and only 10% to actually running the washer, so washing on cold is a huge energy saver.
A couple of laundry bonus tips: do laundry less often! Make sure to wait until you have a full load before running your machine. Newer machines may use anywhere from about 5 to 25 gallons of water per cycle, and older machines will use even more, so those energy and water savings add up over time. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet come up with an environmental reason to avoid folding socks, but if you want a step to skip when it comes to drying your clothes, ditch the dryer sheets. It’s a small thing, but it keeps an unnecessary single-use item from going to the landfill.
Give yourself a nature break
Okay, so maybe this last one is technically doing something (and for that matter, doesn’t necessarily have a direct impact on the environment), but it is still a great excuse to use when you just don’t feel like getting that closet cleaned out. And, after all, getting outside is what this blog is all about, right? Putting away your to-do list and letting yourself spend even just 20 minutes outside in nature is a great way to clear your head and unwind. Plus, you may just find yourself inspired and energized to find more ways you can help protect our planet!
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Do you have other ideas to add to this list? Share in the comments!
Stepping Outside 