Even as a busy mom you can still have an eco-friendly summer with these summer sustainability tips!
Summer is a time for no school, lots of cool treats, and plenty of time to play outdoors. Whether you plan on taking a vacation with your family or spending your summer at home, these summer sustainability tips are for you!
Helping you make small decisions to create a better planet for all of us is what I’m all about. These summer sustainability tips are simple, uncomplicated, and incredibly inexpensive.
This post is all about 23 summer sustainability tips:
1. Use fans
Instead of blasting your AC, try using a fan to help cool off rooms in your home. Whether it be a ceiling fan or a more traditional single-standing fan, using fans is more environmentally friendly than the AC. Fans require much less energy than the air conditioner.
Of course, it can get extremely hot during the summer and sometimes the air conditioner is absolutely necessary. By using a ceiling fan, however, you can possibly reduce the amount of time you need to have the AC on, reducing energy costs and increasing energy efficiency.
2. Use natural light
I don’t know about you, but for me, there is something truly satisfying about opening a window and letting in natural light. Using natural light helps to decrease the need to use artificial lights in your home – saving energy in the long run. Research also suggests natural light boosts Vitamin D, decreases seasonal depression, improves sleep, and improves health (source).
Natural light is radiant, inviting, and motivating. It has a direct correlation with making me feel more awake and ready to tackle the day. Whether you have one window or several, using natural light to help decrease your need for fluorescent lights is an easy summer sustainability tip to adapt into your routine.
3. Don’t Idle
After securing my first real job after college I was ready to buy my own car. I wasn’t sure what type of car it was going to be, but I was positive it was going to be black on black. Black exterior and Black interior.
Fast forward six years and there has not been a single summer where I haven’t thought “what were you thinking with all this black in your car”. The summers in my car are HOT! I found myself often starting up my car a few minutes before I was ready to go somewhere and letting it idle to cool it down.
Of course, letting your car idle isn’t great for the environment. According to the US Department of Energy, idling reduces your vehicle’s fuel economy, costs you money, and creates pollution. Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more emissions that contribute to smog and climate change than stopping and restarting your engine does (source).
We idle our cars often and don’t even think about it – like in drive-throughs, in traffic, and waiting to pick up our kids. While some of these may be unavoidable, me running my car to “cool it off” is a habit that can be changed.
Instead, a more sustainable solution is to simply crack a window to let air circulate through my car.
4. Visit the farmers’ market
I talk about visiting the farmers’ market often because it is such a great summer sustainability tip for the family. We look forward to our weekly trips to the farmers’ market because we get a chance to meet local farmers, grab fresh produce, support our local community, and let the kids run around!
You hear the phrase “buy local” often. What does it even mean? Put simply, buying local food supports farmers’ in your area and reduces the number of miles your food travels. So often our food (especially our fruits and vegetables!) is traveling hundreds of miles to get to our grocery store. In order to make sure these fruits and vegetables last, preservatives are often added to help keep the items “fresh”.
When your food doesn’t have to travel as far, chemicals don’t have to be added for preservation. In addition, visiting the farmer’s market gives you the opportunity to buy what is in season. There is a difference in quality when you purchase food in season versus not. This is something I’m personally working on. If it’s not in season, I want to learn how to do without it. Check out this food guide to find out what is in season near you.
Finally, most farmer’s markets I’ve visited have so many activities or experiences for kids. This is a perfect way to get kids outside and enjoying nature. Our farmer’s market in Chesapeake is incredibly small compared to many other places, but even still there are sandboxes, climbing toys, open fields, jungle gyms, and live animals to attract and entertain kids.
Get your fresh, sustainable foods while allowing your kids to enjoy the summer weather (and get out some energy)!
5. Make it at home
Making food at home is a sustainable habit that saves time, and money, reduces waste and improves your health.
I know what you’re thinking…during the summer you’re always on the go or traveling on vacation, how can you consistently make things at home?
Perhaps you can’t make everything at home, but can you reduce the number of times you eat out? To me, summertime is the optimal time to spend cooking in the kitchen with my family. For this reason, it is one of my best summer sustainable tips.
Related Posts: Here are 50 gluten-free snacks you can easily make at home!
How is cooking at home sustainable?
- Control the quality of ingredients
- Reduce food waste
- Choose where your ingredients are sourced and choose local, when possible
- More easily reduce meat in-take by practicing a flexitarian diet
- Reduce your amount of general waste such as plastic packaging and single-use items
6. Ditch disposables
BYE-BYE SINGLE-USE DISPOSABLES! Hello, sustainable, reusable, eco-sourced kitchenware.
Single-use disposables are most often made of plastic or Styrofoam. Plastics can take thousands of years to break down. Styrofoam, on the other hand, will most likely be around forever. Both materials are sourced from fossil fuels and both materials are known to contain carcinogens harmful to human health. This is especially true when they are used for hot liquids and food or microwaved.
My summer sustainability tip: focus on reusing containers you have at home for your summer goodies instead of buying disposable items. My favorite way to do this is by reusing jars as mason jars. Glass jars are non-toxic, they don’t hold on to grease and smells from foods, and they are great with liquids!
7. Go meatless one night a week
Reducing meat consumption is one of the single largest ways to help decrease greenhouse gas emissions and improve public health (source). According to research, Americans consume around 274 pounds of meat per year on average, not accounting for seafood and fish, or individual food waste. The total amount of meat consumed in the U.S. has increased by 40 percent since 1961.
There are several sustainable benefits to simply limiting the amount of meat we consume as a nation. These benefits include (source):
- Reducing deforestation
- Preventing biodiversity loss
- Reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions
- Improving public health
- Lowering our risk for antibiotic resistance and zoonic outbreaks
My summer sustainability tip: eliminate meat just one night a week.
Here are some fun meatless summer recipes to try:
- Quinoa Salad
- Summer Corn Chowder
- Black Bean and Corn Salsa
- Pesto Potato Salad
- Grillable Veggie Burgers
- Cilantro Black Beans and Rice
- Health Bowls
- Vegetarian Pizza
- Grilled Corn with BBQ Sauce
- Buffalo (or BBQ) Cauliflower “Wings”
- Grilled Veggie Packs
Learn more about a flexitarian diet here!
8. Get outside
Being outdoors is the quintessential summer activity. As temperatures rise, however, it is easy to opt to stay at home or choose only indoor activities. Over the years, I have adopted a mindset that you “protect what you love”. By spending time in nature, you develop a love for the planet and a desire to protect it!
9. Watch less TV
This goes along with number 8. It is incredibly easy to spend summer days lounging around watching TV. Netflix makes this even easier with its auto-play option that casually plays the next episode of your show without you even having to reach for the remote.
Although the creation of TVs has its own environmental impact, I’m not here to tell you not to own a TV or shame you for having one in each room. As a mother of two young children, I understand that TV is not only a good thing to have for my children, but also a great outlet for myself as well (whenever I can get a few moments alone to watch it!).
My point here is when we allow ourselves to become sucked into TV or video games for hours on end we are disconnecting ourselves from the opportunity to be in nature. In addition and most importantly, spending more time indoors increases our exposure to indoor air pollution.
Yes, there is such thing as indoor pollution. Indoor air pollution is prevalent in many homes, not just from old moldy homes like we see on HGTV fixer-upper shows. According to the EPA, the indoor air of homes and buildings can be more polluted than outdoor air.
My summer sustainability tip: choose to put down the remote more often and head outside instead.
10. Try throwing zero-waste events
During my time as an environmental educator, I’ve had the pleasure to help plan and coordinate several zero-waste events for local communities. For me, zero waste events are so much fun. Thinking about every single aspect of your event and what to do with your waste is a very different mindset than we’re used to.
A European study found that plastic waste increases by 40% in the summer. This summer, try to plan a zero-waste barbeque or pool party. Consider food packaging, food waste, and dishes/ utensils. You can always get inspiration on Pinterest!
Get some zero waste swap ideas here!
11. Bring your own bags
Bringing your own bags is a mainstream eco-friendly practice that we all talk about often. Even still, many people don’t bring their own bags with them when they go to the store. One reason people don’t bring their own bags is simply that they forget. I too am guilty of this. One tip for remembering my reusable bags is to always have extras. I keep an extra one in my glove compartment, my trunk, and even a small chico bag in my purse.
As I stated in the previous point, plastic waste increases by 40% during the summer. Try to cut down on plastic waste by bringing your own bags. Whether you’re going to the grocery store, the farmer’s market, or even a department store, bring your own bag with you.
12. Bring your own straw and utensils
The best way to help me remember my reusable straw is by packing a bag of straws and utensils for my family in my purse. That way, I’m never without it. I even put a few in the diaper bag for good measure, along with a few reusable bags.
During the summer I find that I am buying more iced coffee at cafes, purchasing Slurpees, smoothies, and other food items to keep me and the kids cool. Remembering your own straw and utensils helps to decrease your personal carbon footprint, signals to producers that you don’t want their single-use items, and helps reduce waste.
Want More Summer Fun? Digital Download the Summer Fun Bundle!
13. Be conscious of your water usage
When is the last time you checked your water bill? Since I work for my local wastewater organization, I look at my water bill often. On average, Americans use about 300 gallons of water per day. Of that 300 gallons, 44% is used in the bathroom to shower and flush the toilet (source).
Reducing your water usage may seem arbitrary. Isn’t most of the Earth covered in the water?! Yes, but only about 1% of that water is actually available as freshwater that we can use for dietary and hygiene purposes.
It can be incredibly difficult during the summer to be conscious of your water usable. From the pool and splash pad to watering your lawn and filling up your reusable water bottle, we use a lot of water during the summer.
Here are a few summer sustainability tips to be conscious of your water usage:
- Try to take a shorter shower
- When you’re running the shower or faucet to get the water hot, use a bucket to catch the water. Use that water for your plants/garden or dog bowl.
- If you use water bottles, don’t throw out the extra water in abandoned water bottles. Instead, reuse it!
- Check for leaks in your home and fix them, no matter how small.
14. Eat more ice cream cones
This is one of my favorite summer sustainability tips! Eat more ice cream cones! Have you ever thought about the amount of waste that accumulates when you buy ice cream in a bowl or cup? It took me a while to realize it too!
I’ve always been a big fan of ice cream swirled in a cup with all the fixings, but in an effort to decrease waste this summer, I will choose ice cream cones instead.
Most often, ice cream cones come bare with no other packaging or plastic. This makes it the perfect sustainability treat for the summertime!
15. Grow a vegetable garden
During the 2020 COVID pandemic it seems like everyone became a gardener, myself included! Since then, I’ve kept up with this pandemic hobby and my garden is flourishing!
I’ve added gardening as to my list of summer sustainability tips because growing a vegetable garden allows you to produce food for your family free of chemicals, additives, and miles of travel. Instead of farm to table, it is a yard to the table!
You can grow vegetables and fruits outdoors in the ground or in pots if you don’t have yard space. I’m currently growing strawberries, jalapenos, sweet peppers, peppermint, and zucchini in pots in my garden.
16. Compost
This summer, try composting. Although you should always reduce and reuse before composting your food scraps, composting is another great idea to limit waste. Once your compost has successfully decomposed, you will be left with rich soil to keep your plants happy and the garden thriving.
Related Posts:
- Making Composting Understandable For Kids
- The Best Way To Start Composting For Busy Moms
- 5 Beginner Composting Tips To Make Better Compost
17. Use reusables when you can
I love reusables. They’re not only financially efficient, they’re also a much more sustainable option for your family. Because we’re always on the go during the summer, trying to incorporate reusables is a great summer sustainability tip! You can find reusable sandwich bags, cups, straws, squeeze pouches, chopsticks, utensils, etc. Just about anything you find single-use can now be found with a reusable alternative. Look into what could work for your family and add it to your summer routine.
18. Volunteer
Volunteering is an incredible way to practice sustainability this summer. In addition, volunteering for an environmental organization or sustainable initiative also teaches your child about eco-consciousness.
19. Declutter and minimize
I’ve recently finished the book Project 333. The book talks about how to minimize your wardrobe to 33 items for 3 months. Although much of the book is about fashion minimalization, the book also talks about how to simplify your life and the benefits of minimization.
Summer is the perfect time to assess what you have in your home and minimize your space. Here’s the thing, once you minimize your home – don’t fill it back up! We often have a habit of trying to fill up the spaces we have just declutter with more stuff. Instead, allow yourself to enjoy the emptiness. Minimization brings about a sense of peace. Enjoy the peace instead of purchasing more stuff. This goes along with the next point below!
20. Have no spend days
Recently, my latest interest has been in conscious consumerism. Conscious consumerism is defined by consumers deliberately making purchasing decisions that they believe have a positive social, economic, and environmental impact. I understand that remembering these items is inconvenient and against the norm.
One of the most environmentally friendly things you can do is refuse. Refuse more stuff, refuse more shopping, refuse the need to keep getting more, better, newer. Unfortunately, we are in a culture where new, better, and bigger is glorified. However, this type of behavior contributes to pollution and an abundance of waste. In order to make a change, we have to learn to change our habits. It’s not easy, but it is necessary.
My summer sustainability tip: be more thoughtful about your purchases and try to only buy items you need.
Related Post: 19 items I no longer buy to save money and the environment!
21. Bring your reusable water bottle everywhere
Not only is it important to choose reusable, but it is also important to remember to bring it with you!
This summer, get into the habit of bringing your reusable bottle with you everywhere you go. Don’t leave the house without your keys, wallet, and water bottle.
I love to use this water bottle. I fill it up with ice and water and carry it around with me for the day. It stays cold for about 12 hours and helps me make sure to keep up with my water consumption and stay hydrated.
Benefits of bringing your reusable water bottle everywhere:
- saves money
- keeps you hydrated in the hot summer heat
- reduces waste
22. Shop sustainable summer clothes
Fast fashion is an industry that is just now coming to light for me. Up until recently, I’ve never considered who makes my clothing, where it comes from, the type of material it is made out of, or how the workers who make the clothing are treated.
Related Posts: Choosing Sustainable Clothing: Poplinen Review
Now, my eyes are completely open to the unsustainable practices of the fashion industry. The reason why many companies sell clothing for so little is because of the poor quality that is produced with toxic chemicals, the excess waste that is often not properly disposed of, the foreign country the clothing was made in, and the unfair treatment of the people who are making the clothes.
One of my favorite brands for sustainable clothes is Poplinen. Poplinen has amazing clothing, year-round, and an amazing summer collection. Their clothing is made from organic and sustainable materials, it is created in the United States, and workers are treated fairly and paid a fair wage.
When you first wear clothing from Poplinen, you can immediately tell the difference in quality.
To shop Poplinen, use the code TGG10 for 10% off.
23. Travel sustainably
Traveling this summer? Check out this post for ways to travel sustainably with a family!
I hope you enjoyed this post all about simple summer sustainability tips!
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