Celebrate Earth Day Every Day with Easy Eco-Friendly Habits

 

Here at Spiffy, we see Earth Day as an excellent opportunity to reflect on the beauty of our environment and the role we all play in preserving it for years to come. Our eco-conscious philosophy lies at the heart of our company with our Spiffy Green^TM promise. And in the spirit of continuous improvement, there are always ways to refine how we all treat our planet.

 

If you’re looking to bring some new eco-friendly habits into your life, these tips can help you make a measurable difference.

 

As a day to celebrate our planet, Earth Day is perfectly scheduled for enjoying all that the spring season has to offer. If the weather permits, get surrounded by nature by going a walk, run, or bike ride. Explore the green spaces near your home, whether that’s a park close by, an outdoor art installation, or even your community farmer’s market.

 

Beyond getting out and enjoying a lovely spring day, there are plenty of common actions that you can implement in your daily life to celebrate Earth Day every day. Some more manageable ways to shift your habits include: 

• using reusable straws or grocery bags
• using washable napkins and wash rags
• using silicon Ziploc bags to minimize plastic waste

 

These are three words that we’ve likely all heard before as kids. But it’s not as easy as it may seem. There are many ways to reduce, reuse and recycle that aren’t as widely known or understood. These shortcomings create new environmental issues, but being aware of them can help curb your impact.

 

Did you know that more than half of all plastic was made after 2005? As we create and consume more plastic products every year, it’s worth being mindful of what you’re buying and how that fits in the manufacturing cycle. If you can, try to purchase products that use less packaging or are made with reused materials.

 

The most significant way to reduce is by donating unused items, such as clothing or furniture. If you’re like me and somehow have multiple old phones gathering dust in a drawer somewhere, then take a look at some local spaces accepting phone donations. One great organization to donate phones to is the National Network to End Domestic Violence, which is partnered with Verizon to refurbish and distribute old phones to domestic violence victims.

 

If you were ever the recipient of hand-me-downs, then you’re already an expert on reusing. Similar to donating your unused materials to reduce, you can do the same with someone’s else materials and reuse them. The same goes for borrowing, renting, or sharing items, such as tools or furniture. Both of these can go a long way to helping your community and even saving money.

 

You can also give a new purpose to some objects you may see as trash. One of my new favorite lifehacks is using takeout food containers as starter pots for germinating seeds. Not only does this extend the life of the plastic, but it keeps it out of the recycling bin (more on that in a moment).

 

Have you recycled electronics in the past year? Devices like phones, laptops, and desktop computers use many valuable resources, which shouldn’t waste away in a landfill. According to the EPA, “recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by more than 3,500 US homes in a year.” That doesn’t even cover the copper, silver, gold, and other precious metals that are recovered via e-cycling.

 

It’s also important to know that not all items with a recycling symbol, known as the “chasing arrows,” are equal in your bin. The plastics industry has pushed the emblem to shift the responsibility of environmentalism onto the average consumer. While you may see the chasing arrows on an item and assume it’s safe to put in the bin, an overwhelming 91 percent of plastics are never recycled.

 

 

The majority of recyclable plastics are in categories 1 and 2, while 3 through 7 are rarely recyclable. These numbers are crucial to know because they can contaminate the contents of your recycling bin with unrecyclable plastics, such as bags or food storage containers. Or worse, it renders everything in the recycling truck unrecyclable.

 

By knowing the difference between the numbers, you can ensure that you’re recycling the right plastics and keeping your local landfill a little less full. 

 

Also, rinse out your empty milk jugs, y’all. Those can get nasty.

 

Being eco-conscious isn’t always easy. You may be looking out at your car and wondering how to bring out its natural shine without a) using more water than necessary and b) breaking the bank.

 

Fortunately, our Spiffy services are designed with environmentally friendly practices in mind:

• They require only half the water of a traditional drive-thru car wash and only 10% of a DIY wash
• We use biodegradable products, made here in the USA, that are safe for the environment and our customers
• 100% of water and residue is reclaimed after every service with our proprietary wash mats, with over 10 million gallons of water saved to date
• We recycle every drop of oil that we collect, with over 50,000 gallons saved per month

 

If you’re interested in booking an eco-conscious car wash, detail, or oil change for your vehicle, our team at Spiffy is ready to help. Book your appointment directly with our iOS & Android app today and get $20 off for giving us a try!