Join us for a safer, greener, and less wasteful 2015- it’s not as hard as you think!!

Every week we are giving you an easy-to-follow tip or trick.  By the end of the year you’ll significantly reduce your waste (and increase what’s in your wallet!)

Welcome to Week One of our tips for helping  all of us to go green and produce less waste in 2015.  

(Check out our post about what’s going on here)

 

Our tip this week is:

Swap out paper towels for reusable cloths


The average American uses AT LEAST  3,000 paper towels a year!  By swapping for reusables you can save hundreds of dollars  every year.  You can even make them for free yourself by cutting apart old T-shirts and sheets. I like to hang a cloth grocery bag in my kitchen to toss dirty towels into, and wash every few days.  If you want something that will match your kitchen a bit better try using a wet bag. 

A dozen towels is a good amount to start with.  I’ve been using mine for 5 years now and they’re still looking great.  If you find white or cream towels get some staining on them try putting them out to dry in the sun.

In order to really make this switch work – give away your paper towels (you’ll keep using them if you have them). Animal shelters, food banks, daycares, homeless shelters, and schools will take them form you since health care regulations typically don’t allow them to use cloth!  

Here are some premade “unpaper” towels.

*Check out these from Playa Fluff that fit on your existing paper towel holder and come in LOTS of cute patterns

Natural Linens offers Organic and Fairtrade “unpaper” towels

~Or if you’re feeling crafty- check out this DIY tutorial from Mommypotamus  (bonus- it doesn’t require a sewing machine!)

Comment below or email me at blog@keeper.com with questions, comments and how you plan to use your “unpaper” towels!

What are your awesome  eco-friendly, green living/ zero waste tips? Let us know and we’ll share them in a future post!

We encourage you to share using the buttons below and start the conversation with your friends.

~Happy 2015!  Olivia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Olivia lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and 4 year old son.  She enjoys spending time in the mountains, studying about essential oils, natural remedies and herbs, as well as upcycling/ DIY projects.  Olivia’s family made the move last year towards becoming a Zero Waste household.  They have gotten down to one bathroom sized trashcan a month of garbage but hope to be totally Zero Waste by the end of 2015.

 

Like this?  Check out the rest of our Waste Less and Be Green in 2015 series for more tips!

 

3 Responses to Waste Less and Be Green in 2015- Week 1
  1. This is so great!! I am so glad I found this site. Wasting less / reusing more and being frugal is my main focus for this new year. I am very excited to find out about this site and the products as well as the blog that will be extremely helpful for me this year. I am vegan & I am constantly looking for ways to reduce my environmental impact. I already buy cruelty free products and have always favored eco-friendly options. This website will be an awesome resource for me 😀 Thank you so much for providing this knowledge for people seeking it.

  2. This one is easy for me as I’ve always been doing this. I love using unpaper towels! They’re great for the environment and soft and pretty 😀 So great you are spreading the word about them!

  3. […] them into new crayons like this tutorial from “Hands on as we Grow” * Send someone Unpaper towels and a wet bag * Get your girlfriend a reusable menstrual product like a Keeper or Moon Cup or one […]


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