9 Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Everyday Products!

Earth Day is one of our favorite holidays.

No matter where you are, the environment around you is likely looking a little greener (hello, spring!), so what better time to check in with yourself and see how you can make your own life greener, too?!

We selected a few of our favorite strategies to make easy, eco-friendly swaps in your everyday life, and included some of our favorite products that are PV staff tested and approved!

So put on your favorite environmental charity bracelet—like the 1% for the Planet or For the Oceans bracelet—and keep reading to learn more about some of our best sustainable swaps! Plus, comment which environmental charity you’d like to see us partner with next to be entered into a giveaway to win ALL of the products listed!

1) Say no to plastic straws, and bring your own reusable straw instead!

According to one study, the US uses 500 million straws every day! The majority of these straws end up in landfills and in our oceans, where they often are mistaken for food by marine life. We highly recommend purchasing your own reusable straw to take with you when you go out to eat, or even just to use at home or the office! SeaStraws.co offers a great assortment of reusable straw options, including stainless steel, silicone and paper straws.

2) Ditch the plastic wrap in favor of sustainable beeswax wrap!

Leftovers make the best lunch the next day, but it can be challenging to find the right size storage container, and plastic wrap will just end up in a landfill. Using beeswax food storage wraps is a great way to keep your food fresh and secure, and the best part is that they’re reusable! Bee’s Wrap makes one of our favorite food wraps—how cute is this print!? They’re made of beeswax, organic cotton, organic jojoba oil and tree resin, and can easily be washed with cool water and mild dish soap.

3) Bring Your Own Water Bottle!

Refill stations are everywhere now, so it’s never been easier to hydrate on the go! There are tons of reusable water bottles available, in many different materials and sizes depending on your preference. We’re big fans of the Soma water bottles, which are from high-quality, shatter-resistant glass, with an easy grip protective sleeve. Soma is also a certified B Corp and is committed to sustainable business practices, including using post-consumer waste and recyclable materials!

4) Bring the beach to your kitchen with eco-friendly coconut bowls!

A kitchen swap thats cute *and* eco-friendly? Sign us up! We’re all familiar with the many benefits of coconut oil and coconut water, but what happens to the shells that these products are harvested from? Coconut Bowls discovered that 99% of shells are discarded as waste or burned, causing harm to the environment. They prevent this by working with small family farms to collect, clean and craft the shells into eco-friendly bowls. Perfect for acai bowls, right?!

5) Upgrade your beauty routine with organic and eco-friendly skin and hair products!

So many of the beauty products claim to be “natural” and “clean,” and it can be hard to know which products are truly good for you and the environment! We love Captain Blankenship’s collection of products made from organic and domestically grown ingredients whenever possible. They never use synthetic preservatives, parabens or sulfates, and only use recyclable and reusable glass packaging. We recommend the Mermaid Sea Salt Hair Spray for when you want to look fresh off the beach!

6) Protect your skin with reef safe sun care!

Summer is right around the corner, which means long days at the beach soaking up the sun! There are countless options of sunscreen available that will protect your skin, but some of the ingredients commonly found in many sunscreens—like oxybenzone and octinoxate—can have negative effects on coral reefs. MANDA makes effective (and organic!) sun creams and sun pastes that are not only coral reef safe, but also come in sustainable packaging!

7) Grow Your own herbs!

Save yourself a trip to the grocery store and grow your favorite herbs right at home! The best part is you can grow them right from your kitchen counter – no yard needed. Modern Sprout makes super cute indoor garden kits that you’ll want to display. We love the Garden Jars, which come equipped with everything you’ll need to start growing, just add water and sunshine!

8) BYOM – Bring Your Own Mug!

Our generation is always on the go, and that means we often need our food and drinks to go, too—especially coffee! Those plastic (or plastic-lined) cups our favorite lattes come in may be convenient, but they unfortunately have a big impact on our landfills. To help reduce the amount of cups ending up in our landfills and oceans, just bring your own mug! We love Hydroflask’s 12oz Insulated Coffee Mugs for an easy-to-transport mug that keeps our coffee hot for hours. Oh, and it’s BPA-free, too!

9) Look for clothes made from recycled materials!

Clothes are an essential part of everyday life. And if you’re like many of us, leggings are super essential, too! Girlfriend Collective makes some of our favorite leggings. They’re ultra-comfortable, come in tons of colors and the best part is they’re made from recycled water bottles! Each pair of Girlfriend leggings diverts 25 water bottles from landfills and saves 3.11 gallons of water!

Don’t forget to tell us which environmental charity or non-profit we should partner with below for a chance to win ALL of these amazing items, and a few surprise bracelets!