Many of the ways you conserve at work can be applied to conserving at home. The extensive list of resources below contains practical tips and search tools to help you level up and increase your sustainable values at home.
Reducing Packaging and Plastic
Members of the Cambridge Recycling Advisory Committee crowdsourced a map of Cambridge businesses offering repair services, bulk goods, and food service establishments encouraging reusable containers.
My Plastics Free website contains a plastic-free challenge and 100 tips for living free of plastic. Following hashtags on Instagram is a great way to learn from others and find inspiration with https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/plasticfree/
Explore refill station stores in your area - bring your own container to refill household cleaners and groceries. Zero Waste Grocery Guide: Massachusetts
Home Composting
MassDEP’s Home Composting and Green Landscaping website contains myriad resources to get you started and sustain food waste diversion at home, including vermicomposting. Much of the website content was developed by the now-retired home composting master, Ann McGovern. These resources are summed up in a recorded workshop led by Ann, including a jazzy encore original song about home composting here.
Reducing Food Waste by Conserving Produce and Utilizing Scraps
Did you know you can use vinegar to extend the life of strawberries or that potatoes contain ethylene, which can negatively affect other produce? Simple Sweet Vegan’s video has unique tips on storing fresh produce to extend its life and reduce food waste. It also includes a tip on how to make stock from vegetable scraps.
Little Mountain Ranch’s inspiring video pantry tour demonstrates home-preserved food and contains links to canning recipes and home-growing resources.
The website Love Food Hate Waste contains twenty pages of delicious recipes for using near-expired foods.
More tips!
- Buy less "stuff" and buy second hand whenever possible - the best ‘green’ product for your home is the one is you already own!
- Reduce the use of disposable products, for example use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins
- If possible, buy in bulk. Reduce wasteful packaging and containers by reusing existing glass or plastic containers by refilling them.
- Drink spring water at home? Instead of generating an endless supply of single serving water bottles, install a faucet water filter and use reusable glasses. Waterfiltercomparison.com compares the top water filters for faucets, showers, and the entire house.
- Do you own fleece clothing or use microfiber clothes? Patagonia has tips on how to reduce micro-fiber leakage during washing
- Decision paralysis over water bottles, coffee makers, and grocery bags? Check out these Stuff vs Stuff blogs
