How to Find Sustainable Coffee Shops

sustainable coffee shop

People are looking for all the ways they can reduce their carbon footprint: driving electric cars; buying alternative home fuel. One small way to lower one’s carbon footprint gaining popularity is seeking out sustainable coffee shops.

A sustainable coffee shop goes beyond being a coffee shop that recycles its garbage. They are committed to keeping their waste and carbon footprint very low. If you’re trying to find a coffee shop committed to sustainability then here is everything you need to know from what to look for in such a shop to how to find one.

What a Sustainable Coffee Shop Does

A sustainable coffee shop will engage in practices that set it apart from regular coffee shops. Here are some of the practices that you can immediately notice about a coffee shop to tell you whether or not it is running on a sustainable model.

An Emphasis on Recyclable Materials

One of the most obvious signs of a sustainable coffee shop will be a reliance on recyclable materials. So many coffee shops utilize coffee cups that are made of paper, save for a thin veneer of plastic that coats the cup’s interior. A sustainable coffee shop would be using totally recyclable coffee cups.

Instead of plastic trays and cutlery, they may place an emphasis on cardboard trays or wooden cutlery. They would also be using absolutely no Styrofoam as it is a non-recyclable material. You will likely not find any plastic drink stirrers either. For stirring you’ll find they use good old-fashioned metal or wood spoons.

Contributing to Recycling Efforts

One of the easiest things to notice about a coffee shop to determine whether or not it is sustainable is if there is an active emphasis on recycling. It does not simply mean that there are recycling bins, but that they are giving clear instructions on what items you have in your order that can be placed in those bins.

Bring Your Own Cup Incentives

One mark of a coffee shop that is dedicated to the ideals of sustainability is the BYOC (bring your own cup) incentive. There are coffee shops that offer a discount to customers willing to bring in their own coffee cups rather than use the disposable options from the shop. This practice not only saves you a little bit of money, but also water.

Do They Use Sustainable Coffee Brands?

There are numerous brands of coffee on the market that have made a commitment to being sustainable and environmentally friendly. You may have to ask around at different shops to purchase their supply from sustainable brands.

What makes coffee sustainable?

A coffee brand is sustainable if it makes the living conditions for the environment and people who cultivate it better. The sad truth of the coffee industry is that many of the farmers who grow and cultivate coffee face poverty. Buying from brands that pay farms fairly is an important marker of sustainability.

Coffee brands that are made from coffee farmed on land that promotes biodiversity are also important. Most coffee farms tend to rely on pesticides and other chemicals that can harm local wildlife. A sustainable farm finds concessions to promote biodiversity so that the growing of coffee beans is a process that does no harm.

Another mark of a sustainable coffee shop is whether or not they place emphasis on using paperless receipts. If they participate in compost programs in your area is also a fantastic sustainable move they will likely make. They will also use either reduced lighting or LED-based lighting to cut back on energy use and promote energy efficiency. There are even coffee makers and espresso machines that are designed to use minimal amounts of energy.

How do I find a sustainable coffee shop?

As with most things these days, if you want to find something you usually want to start with the internet. Coffee shops with sustainability as a point of conduct will typically advertise themselves as such. You can also call around to various coffee shops in your area and ask them directly if they are sustainable. However, this is a benefit that is typically only available to those who live in big cities.

The sad truth is that if you live in a small town, then your local coffee shop is still your best source of coffee. Driving a considerable distance to find a coffee shop that is sustainable burns more gas, which goes against the entire point of sustainability. However, if you are going on vacation or traveling for some other reason you can always have sustainable shops marked for your destinations.

There are also online resources that can help you find sustainable coffee shops. These lists are always updated as shops open and close, so you can stay up to date on the locations you may want to visit. Social media is also a great, real-time solution to finding sustainable coffee shop options.

What You Can Do

If you do not have any sustainable coffee shop options in your area, you may feel somewhat defeated on the subject. That does not mean that you should give up. If you don’t mind stirring the (coffee) pot a little bit, then you can start asking your local coffee shop what they do to be sustainable. Use it as a conversation starter. Make suggestions. If your local shop does not have a “bring your own cup” incentive, then suggest one.

The most important thing you can do is get the word about sustainability and what it can do for the planet, and how even your morning cup of coffee plays a part. The more that people learn about sustainable coffee, the more likely they will be to ask for it in their local coffee shop.

Should You Be Worried About Dipalmethyl Hydroxyethylammoinum in Dryer Sheets?

worried about Dipalmethyl Hydroxyethylammoinum

Today, people are more conscious of the ingredients and materials that go into the products they use. Everybody wants to know that the products they bring home aren’t a danger to themselves or their loved ones. Whether it’s food, the paint on their walls, or even the materials they use on their laundry.

Speaking of laundry, one particular ingredient has really made people worry. That ingredient is Dipalmethyl Hydroxyethylammoinum. That name is a mouthful to say, so from here on we’ll refer to it as DH. Here are some facts about DH and whether or not you should be worried about it.

What DH Is Best Known For

The most commonly used item to contain Dipalmethyl Hydroxyethylammoinum is fabric softening dryer sheets. This is because DH works as an antistatic agent while also working as a softener.

The Simple Answer about Dipalmethyl Hydroxyethylammoinum

If you want the simple answer as to whether or not DH is harmful, it’s basically “no.” The Consumer Product Safety Commission has deemed its presence to be harmless when used correctly. The presence of certain chemical additives that give dryer sheets more desirable fragrances can be harmful as they contain volatile organic compounds. These volatile organic compounds can cause numerous symptoms such as:

  • Migraines
  • Sneezing
  • Asthma attacks
  • Irritability of airways and eyes

However, Dipalmethyl Hydroxyethylammoinum is not one of the offending ingredients, as far as anybody knows. There is some controversy around the supposed safety of dryer sheets, but DH is not the chief concern. However, that is a simplified answer. It goes somewhat deeper.

The Not-So-Simple Answer

If you scour the internet, you will find a large number of health-conscious bloggers talking about dryer sheets. The primary focus is on whether or not they’re safe to use, and there is almost always a recommended alternative. DH is one ingredient that is usually highlighted. This isn’t because it’s dangerous, but because we don’t know for sure if it’s dangerous.

The big problem with the presence of DH in dryer sheets is that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has deemed DH to be harmless, but their results have never fully been explained. The CPSC does not require manufacturers to disclose their ingredients on the packaging. This leads many who are more prone to believe in conspiracy theories to believe the worst.

What Can Be Inferred?

Is all of this to say that Dipalmethyl Hydroxyethylammoinum is harmless to you? Not exactly. The science backing DH’s relative safety to consumers has never been released. However, we can know some things with a degree of certainty.

First of all, there are enough ingredients that are proven to be irritants, even carcinogenic. However, these ingredients, including DH, are not applied to the human body. They are applied to clothing.

We also know that no two businesses are alike. The CPSC does not require companies to disclose the materials that go into their products on the packaging. Some companies disclose their materials. Other companies disclose the main materials. And then some companies disclose no materials. Because of this, it can be hard to find which brands of dryer sheets to buy. (You can make homemade dryer sheets.)

For example, the makers of Bounce brand dryer sheets comply with International Fragrance Association standards. There are other alternatives on the internet that you can find which can alleviate your worries about chemicals. It certainly seems that a lot of the commotion about dryer sheet ingredients seems to be part of a marketing strategy more than a legitimate concern.

So what is the truth?

It should be said that more concrete scientific evidence needs to be done. That way the topic can finally be put to rest with conclusive evidence. As best as anybody can tell, the DH in your dryer sheets is relatively safe. It would appear that the real problem with dryer sheet use lies in the additives that give dryer sheets their strong fragrances. For most people dryer sheets are fine to use. If you want to be totally on the safe side, then looking for an alternative is recommended.

5 Eco-Friendly Home Repairs That Will Save You Money

5 Eco-Friendly Home Repairs That Will Save You Money

Did you know that residential energy makes up about 20% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions? Want to do your part as a homeowner by reducing your residential carbon footprint? Eco-friendly home repairs can help reduce carbon footprint.

The good news is that converting your home into an environmentally friendly abode doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. There are many available eco-friendly home products that you can use. While more expensive projects do have a bigger impact, small improvements in how you live and how your household operates are great ways to go green while also saving money.

To start your DIY home projects, here are five eco-friendly home repairs that will benefit your wallet and our planet.

1. Install energy-efficient light bulbs

Whether you’re dealing with a flickering lightbulb or one that no longer turns on, when it’s time to replace them, choose LED bulbs. There are LEDs for every light fixture in your home, including smart bulbs that you can control from your smartphone!

LED bulbs use less electricity and last longer when compared to incandescent bulbs. They also last longer, sometimes up to 20 years!

Not only will you save money on bulbs, but you’ll also save on your electricity bill.

2. Repair leaky faucets

Is there a faucet in your home that has a constant drip? While this may not seem like a big problem, the simple fact is that leaky faucets put unused water, and your money, down the drain.

A faucet that drips one drip per second wastes over 3,000 gallons of water each year. This is more than the amount of water needed to take 180 showers.

Depending on the cause of the drip, you may be able to fix the problem by replacing simple parts, such as the aerator, ceramic disc, or gaskets.

3. Install low-flow shower heads

Another great option for improving your home’s water usage is to replace existing shower heads with low-flow options. These show heads dispense less than 2 gallons of water a minute, and range anywhere from $25 to $300.

With a low-flow shower head, you can decrease your home’s water consumption by up to 40% each year.

4. Use low VOC paint

If your house is due for a fresh coat of paint, choose a brand that offers low VOC. This type of paint is better for you, your family, and the earth.

There are many benefits to using low VOC paint, including that it:

  • Has little to no odor
  • Doesn’t impact air quality
  • Reduces contaminants in the ozone layer

There are several notable brands that offer low VOC paint, including Farrow & Ball, Behr, and Para. Benjamin Moore also offers a Natura line, which is splatter resistant, odorless, and is made with 100% acrylic.

5. Install eco-friendly flooring

After years of daily foot traffic, you may be considering a flooring upgrade. New flooring is the perfect time to make your home a little greener.

There are several eco-friendly flooring materials to choose from, including sustainable wood, bamboo, and natural linoleum. These options are sure to look great in any room of your home.

Eco-friendly flooring is durable and is sure to last for years to come. This means less money spent replacing planks or paying for carpet cleaning.

Final thoughts

It’s more important now than ever to reduce your carbon footprint, and what better place to start than right at home? With these five eco-friendly home repairs, you can make your home more eco-conscious while also saving money!

6 Free and Fun Summer Activities

6 Free and Fun Summer Activities

Summer is all about fun and games when you do it right. Sunny days are reserved for making memories with kids. The fun doesn’t have to affect your budget or cost a lot of money. There are tons of free and fun summer activities for the whole family. Read on to find out more about all the free summer activities you can do and have a sustainable lifestyle this 2021.

1. Picnic

Picnic is one of the best summer activities for people who are looking for free fun. All you need is a blanket, sandwiches, or other easy meals you can make in the kitchen, and you’re good to go. The nearest park is a convenient picnic destination, but you can also go to any other place as well. To make things more fun you can also bring a ball, or maybe a badminton racket and shuttlecock. Options are endless. Take something that your entire family can play with and have a great time.

2. Bike ride

Here’s yet another fun, basic, and free activity for the entire family. You don’t need gas or pay for a ticket or anything else. Just make sure you and your kids wear a helmet and bring a bottle of water. Get the most from this activity by riding your bike through nature.

3. Painting

Painting helps us explore our creative sides. It can also be one of the best free summer activities for your family. To make it more fun, take painting supplies outdoors. Backyard, park, or any beautiful location nearby, options are endless. Paint and create memories.

4. Build an obstacle course

Not only is obstacle course fun, but it also improves fitness levels and coordination. You can build the obstacle course indoor or outdoor. Use chairs, tables, boards, or other tools that can help you build an obstacle course. You just need a plan and find the tools to bring that plan to life.

5. Water fun

When you’re planning free summer activities for the whole family, you shouldn’t overlook water fun. Kids and adults alike need it. Run through sprinklers, have a water balloon fight, or you can use water bottles, spray bottles, and water guns to have fun.

6. Fishing or camping

Summertime calls for outdoor adventures. Is there a better way to have fun for free than spending time outside? Not really! Use the advantage of nice weather and go fishing or camping with your kids. That way, kids will learn a lot about the world around them and have a great time. Not only are these activities free, but also socially distanced.

Other free and fun activities

  • Make homemade ice cream or popsicle
  • Family movie night
  • BBQ
  • Make a lemonade stand
  • Stargazing
  • Hang out at parks or playgrounds
  • Scavenger hunt
  • Hiking
  • Make a birdfeeder

Conclusion

Summer activities serve for making memories. You don’t have to spend money to have fun. Try out some activities that won’t break your budget, and your whole family will have a lot of fun.

How to Sell Stuff Online Fast

A person taking a picture of clothes to sell online

Whether you’re trying to get out of debt or boost your investment income for retirement, one of the best ways to achieve these goals is to resell items you no longer need.  Thanks to the Internet, it’s even easier to sell things online.  You’ll need to research which platforms would be the best and that would give you the most decent profits.  Make sure your items are in good or excellent condition, and you should research the average prices of what you’re selling so that you’re not overcharging but still charging enough to earn a profit.  Here are some cool ways to sell items online fast and achieve your financial goals.

eBay

This is one of the best ways to sell things online, and here are a few tips on getting sales quicker on this platform.  Start by including as many details as possible on the items you’re selling.  By doing this, the buyer won’t have as many questions, which speeds up the ability to earn profits faster.  Use the Best Offer feature on your listings since this helps buyers who want to negotiate.  Offer multiple payment options and avoid auction-style listings. Take high-quality pictures of your items.

Consider Which Items Sell the Best

Don’t waste time online selling items that people will not want.  It is better to research which items are the most popular among certain demographics and budget levels.  This helps you sell items faster online.  Brand-name clothing is always popular with online shoppers, and if you have outfits from the most popular designers, you’re likely to sell faster.  Other items that do well for online sellers include video games, electronic gadgets, kids’ clothing, furniture, toys, and sports equipment.

Use the Decluttr App

If you have a lot of gadgets that are in good condition, sell them through the Decluttr app.  All you have to do is look up the devices you want to sell then enter the barcodes in the app.  Then the app lets you know the overall value of your items and how much they’ll offer for your items.  After you accept the offer, they’ll send you a shipping label and you can pack up your items for shipping to them.

Try Facebook Marketplace

This is a neat way to sell items fast online.  Start by taking pictures of a certain type of item and then post the pictures and information to Facebook groups that sell specific types of items such as used books or used kids’ clothing.  It would be quicker to sell if you can do it locally and have the person meet you in a public place to pick up the items.  However, you have the option of shipping your items for a 5% selling fee.  

Customer Service Should Be on Point

Be sure to answer potential customers’ questions promptly as this helps you sell items faster.  Be concise with the information in your listings and the pictures should be clear enough for everyone to see.  Make sure the items are priced fairly and exhibit a professional attitude at all times. Offer products that promote sustainable lifestyle.

These strategies will be helpful in selling your items faster online.

4 Sustainable Lifestyle Changes That Save You Money

Sustainable Lifestyle changes to save money

Everyone wants to have a positive impact on the world, but sometimes it feels like living a sustainable lifestyle is only for the wealthy. But the ads you see for expensive “green” products or organic produce don’t tell the whole story.

They don’t even tell the best story. The most effective sustainable lifestyle changes are free and save money in the long run.

Reduce Food Waste

Keep an eye on what you’re throwing away. 165 billion pounds of food are thrown away in the United States each year. That food represents meals that could have fed hungry families and has a significant environmental impact.

Energy and water are used to produce food, even if it isn’t eaten. Wasted food is wasted resources. Discarded food goes into landfills and produces 34% of emissions of the greenhouse gas methane in the U.S.

The solution is to buy what you need and eat what you buy. Finish up those leftovers and keep an eye on your produce so it doesn’t go bad.

Reduce Energy Consumption

Decreasing the amount of energy you use during a regular day is remarkably quick and easy. Each of these small things contributes to sustainability and saves money.

  • Turn down the thermostat. A reduction of even one degree can reduce your heating costs by 10%
  • Turn off unused lights and appliances
  • Don’t use your dryer for every load of laundry—air-dry clothes instead
  • Walk or ride your bike to do errands instead of driving
  • Turn off the water while you scrub your hands or brush your teeth
  • Take shorter showers
  • Turn down your water heater from 140 degrees to 120 degrees—most people won’t notice a difference and it saves both energy and money

Most people can make some, if not all, of these energy-saving changes. Living a sustainable lifestyle is a group effort and every change adds to the greater goal.

Reduce Plastic Use

Plastic pollution not only sits in landfills for centuries, but it also clogs waterways and devastates sea life. But you can reduce your contribution to the problem and become part of the solution by taking some relatively simple steps.

  • Do not use single-use plastic bags—carry compact reusable bags
  • Do not use plastic straws. This is not a political issue, it’s a simple way to reduce plastic pollution
  • Avoid products in plastic containers. This seems tricky, but simple things like using bar soap instead of liquid soap reduce plastic waste and save money
  • Carry reusable glass water bottles instead of buying bottled water

Reduce Consumption

Living a sustainable lifestyle means knowing when to reuse, repurpose, swap, or borrow instead of buying new things that add to the planet’s collective clutter.

Use your local library. Buy clothing and other household goods used at local thrift shops and yard sales. Borrow and lend tools and infrequently used items. And finally, think before you buy. Saving money and saving the planet go hand in hand when you know how to live a sustainable lifestyle.

Related Reading: 4 Easy Ideas to Reduce Your Food Waste

4 Easy Ideas to Reduce Your Food Waste

Ideas to Reduce Your Food Waste

Did you know that between 30 and 40% of our food gets thrown away? This estimate means that an astonishing 133 billion pounds of food are wasted in the US in a year. There is a need for people to think for ideas to reduce food waste.

This sounds like a staggeringly huge problem, and it is, but there are ways you can help. There are 330 million people in the US. If everyone put in the effort to reduce their food waste, we could watch that number dwindle.

You can get started with these easy ideas to reduce your food waste!

1. Plan Before You Shop

Most people buy too much food when they go to the grocery store. They might buy things on impulse, pick up stuff because they “might” need it, or simply buy in bulk because it works out to be cheaper per item. Unfortunately, it won’t be cheaper if you throw half of it away and, unless you’re going to use it, you really shouldn’t buy it.

To that end, make a plan for what you’ll eat over the next few days. Make a list of items you’ll need to complete that plan. When you head to the store, stick to that list and try to ignore the fact that the Oreos are on sale…

2. Use All Your Food

Before heading to the store, make sure you really need to go. Use up all the perishables you bought last time before going out to buy more. Challenge yourself to come up with ways to use up items you have on hand.

As you get better about planning your shopping trips, this will become less of a problem. You’ll have everything you need to create the recipes you planned.

3. Organize Your Fridge

How many times have you forgotten about a head of lettuce and discovered a sludgy brown mess in the back of your produce drawer? This usually happens because everything is crammed haphazardly into your fridge and you can’t see stuff well.

To avoid this, clean out and organize your refrigerator. Plus, always make sure to put newer food behind older food to help ensure the older one gets used up first.

4. Learn to Love Leftovers

Leftovers sometimes get a bad rap because some people don’t like reheating food. But we’re here to tell you that leftovers are amazing! If you’re the one responsible for cooking in your house, you probably already really appreciate leftovers.

The trouble is, they can often get forgotten in the fridge. Store your leftovers in clear containers (as opposed to opaque) so you can see them and will be more likely to eat them. If you often have leftovers, designate one leftover day each week to use up all the random bits in your fridge.

Doing Your Part

We’ve just barely scratched the surface of all you can do to help cut down on food waste. You can also get friendly with your freezer, appropriately plan your portion sizes, make compost and use food scraps to fertilize your garden, and so much more! Hope these ideas to reduce your food waste help you and your community achieve environmental goals.

For more great tips and tricks, check out more news and updates on sustainability and home life!