How to Keep Cool When You Don’t Have Home Air Conditioning

Ask a climate scientist, and they’ll confirm what you already suspect: it’s getting hotter. Much hotter. 

19 of the 20 hottest years recorded have occurred since 2000, and the last seven have each been hotter than the last. 2021 took the cake as the hottest year on record, and 2022 is shaping up to be another banner year as runaway climate change continues. Places where air conditioners were once unnecessary are now faced with record temperatures and residents are adjusting to a new climate reality. 

Here’s how to stay cool and safe this summer, even without an air conditioner. 

Take a Cool Shower or Go for a Swim

Lowering your core temperature — the internal temperature of your body — is key to avoiding heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Cool off with a cold shower or a quick swim if you have access to a body of water, and your body will lose heat through conduction: the transfer of your body temperature to the water. To enhance the chill, use peppermint soap or essential oils in the shower. The menthol in peppermint is a cooling agent that activates cold-sensing nerves — think about how your mouth feels cool when eating a piece of peppermint chocolate. The same will happen to your body while you’re soaking in the bathtub.

Cool Your Pulse Points 

At your body’s pulse points, the blood vessels are closer to the skin, and exposure to cold temperatures can help cool down the rest of the body. Place ice packs or rags dipped in cold water on the wrists, temples, neck, chest, and the insides of the elbows and knees. Leave for 15 to 20 minutes while working or relaxing, then replace as needed.

Keep Curtains Closed 

During the heat of the day, keep curtains pulled shut to prevent the sun (and its strong heat) from entering your home. If you have blackout curtains or shutters, even better. If you don’t have curtains — or your windows are covered with blinds — drape blankets or towels over them instead. Use lighter-colored fabrics, which will reflect light rather draw it in. 

Cross-Ventilate

Pull in cool air from outdoors by placing box fans inside window frames or standing fans in front of them, facing the room. The spinning of the fans will replace the hot air inside with cooler air from the outside. Do this in the morning and the evening especially, when the temperature drops outdoors. 

Better yet, if you have a straight shot between two windows on opposite ends of a room, hallway, or apartment, place fans in both windows, with one facing inwards towards the room and the other facing out. It might seem counterintuitive, but this method will circulate air between the two windows and draw in cooler air while pushing hotter air out. Close the doors of unused rooms so cool air only circulates where it’s needed 

In general, keeping windows and doors open (as long as they are not letting in direct, hot sunlight) will allow better air flow, so throw them wide open!

Avoid Cooking, or Do So Outdoors 

Cooking can really heat up a house. If a hot day is on the way, cook your food for the day in the morning when it’s cool, or meal-prep before a heat wave to have microwavable items on hand. Using a slow cooker will minimize heat as well, or eating meals that don’t need to be heated at all, like cereal, wraps, sandwiches, and salads. If you have access to an outdoor space, fire up the grill to make dinner, or plug in a hotplate to cook outdoors. 

Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is crucial to staying cool. Water helps regulate your body’s temperature, which cools itself off through perspiration. While you’re sweating away all day, your body is depleting itself of its water sources, and it needs to be rehydrated frequently. Drink water before you start to feel thirsty, at which point you’re already dehydrated. A tall glass of cold lemonade won’t hurt either. 

Dress Smart 

While you’re surely not dressing up in snow pants and a winter coat, proper clothing can keep your skin cooler during hot weather. Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothes and open-toed shoes. Items with a lower thread count are generally more breathable, while higher thread counts have a closer knit and trap heat. Linen, cotton, and other natural fabrics are best for staying cool — avoid nylon, acrylic, and other synthetic fabrics.

Get Low 

Because heat rises, the upper levels of the house — especially the attic and top floors — should be avoided, if possible. Move work-from-home gear downstairs, and camp out on the couch if upper bedrooms don’t cool down by bedtime. Basements are generally damper and have less light exposure than higher floors, usually making them the coolest place in the house. Combined with some fans, you’ll have a cooler night’s sleep down below. 

Find a Cooling Center 

If temperatures are dangerously high, or you’re struggling to function in the heat of your home, find a place to spend the day that does have air conditioning. Visit a public library or coffee shop to work or study in the air conditioning, or hang out in a shady park or yard, enjoying the natural breeze during the heat of the day. Many cities also provide cooling centers for residents who don’t have air conditioning. Research cooling centers near you and plan ahead for heat waves. 

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How to Be a More Fuel-Efficient Driver and Save Money on Gas

Gas prices are at record highs, with the average gallon going for $4.80 in the U.S. With the summer travel season upon us, more people are on the road, and that high gas bill is sure to sting. To save money at the pump, make sure you’re using fuel efficiently — and, in turn, reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions

The transportation sector accounts for 27% of all domestic GHG emissions, making it the largest contributor of any sector. But, if Americans reduced their personal driving by 10%, 110 million fewer metric tons of carbon dioxide would be emitted each year: the equivalent of taking 28 coal-fired power plants offline. To accomplish this 10% reduction, every driver in the U.S. would have to cut their travel by 1,350 miles. Here are a few simple ways to use less fuel and keep your tank fuller for longer. 

Keep Up on Maintenance 

Taking care of your car and performing routine maintenance will ensure that it runs as efficiently as possible. Rotate tires every 5,000 to 8,000 miles, keep the air filter clean, and change your motor oil every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. Properly-inflated tires can also improve gas mileage by over 3% (and it’s safer); check every month that your tires are inflated to the maximum recommended PSI (pounds per square inch) for that make and model. 

Empty the Trunk

Ditch the extra weight, and don’t carry any unnecessary items around: vacation luggage you haven’t gotten around to unloading, bags of Goodwill donations, or sports equipment from last week’s game can add up to extra fuel. Excess weight creates a drag on the engine, and 100 extra pounds can lower the fuel economy of a vehicle by 2%, according to Forbes. Take what you need, and leave what you don’t! 

Shorten Warm-Up Time

It’s nice to get into a car that’s already been warmed up or cooled down, but those extra minutes burn fuel before you’re even on the road. Older cars might take a little longer to warm up, but newer cars are ready to go in under a minute. 

An ice-caked windshield or leather seat that’s hot to the touch might add to warmup time. Cover the windshield in the winter to keep ice and snow from collecting, and use a windshield sun shade in the summer to keep the car’s interior from baking. 

Improve Aerodynamics 

Reduce drag and make your car more aerodynamic — and more fuel-efficient — by keeping sun roofs and windows closed on the highway. Roof racks and carriers also add extra weight and reduce the aerodynamics of the car. Consumer Reports found that a car’s mileage dropped nearly 11% when a roof rack was added, and 19% with both a rack and a rooftop carrier. Take them off the car and store inside after a trip, and reinstall when you need them next. 

Slow Down, Cool Down 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, while different cars reach their optimal fuel economy at different speeds, gas mileage usually decreases at speeds above 50 mph. So, taking your time (and following the speed limit) will help you drive more fuel-efficiently. 

Aggressive driving can use a lot of fuel; accelerating hard at green lights and breaking suddenly at red ones uses more gas than making calmer starts and stops. Drive at a consistent speed, and use cruise control on the highway when possible.

Quit Idling 

If you’re picking up a friend, bringing in the groceries, or otherwise waiting at the curb, turn off the engine. Idling uses a lot of fuel — more so than restarting the engine, according to the Sierra Club — and can consume as much as one gallon of gas per hour. That means skipping the drive-through and ordering inside is better for your gas tank too — and if, by a stroke of terrible luck, you’re stuck in stand-still traffic, turn off the car until things get moving again.  

Plan an Efficient Route 

Wrong turns add up, as does sitting in traffic. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that traffic on the highway can lower gas mileage by 15 to 30%, and stop-and-go traffic by 10 to 40%. Avoid rush hour if possible, and check maps ahead of time to see which routes are congested (and how to get to your destination correctly). If the coast is clear, opt for the highway when possible to minimize repeated stopping and starting.

Shift Into High Gear

When driving at high speeds, manual-transmission vehicles burn more fuel when they’re in a low gear. A car’s RPM (revolutions per minute) is higher at low gears, and the higher the RPM, the more fuel is being used to produce torque and propel the car forwards. At about 40 mph, a vehicle uses 25% more fuel in third gear than it would in fifth, says The Globe and Mail. Don’t delay shifting into high gear once you can. 

Glide to a Stop 

Give yourself time to stop slowly at stoplights and stop signs. If you see a stop ahead, glide slowly towards it rather than using the gas and slamming on the breaks when you reach it. However, avoid gliding unless there’s adequate distance between you and other drivers behind you; the absence of brake lights might cause confusion and accidents. 

Opt for Alternative Forms of Transportation

Instead of driving to work or school alone, coordinate with coworkers or fellow students to commute together, and split the cost of gas as many ways as there are people in the car. Or, skip the car altogether, and opt for an alternative form of transportation. Especially for short trips, explore options on foot, by bike, or via public transportation. In large U.S. cities, about 50% of all car trips are under 4 miles — a distance often accomplishable by bike, bus, or train. The best way to use less gas is to use none at all!

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The Future of Leather: How Pineapple Leaves, Cacti, and Mycelium Are Revolutionizing the Industry

Leather is everywhere – in our shoes, our purses and luggage, our winter jackets and stylish furniture – but its effect is seen globally. 

To create the leather for our clothing, homewares, and other purposes, billions of cows are slaughtered each year. The livestock sector – which produces both food products and leather – is the biggest use of agricultural land worldwide. Grazing land and farmed feed crops for cattle result in deforestation, eliminating vital carbon sinks, destroying ecosystems, and harming nearby communities. Cows also produce methane: a potent greenhouse gas linked to climate change. 

The skin harvested from cattle and other animals goes through a three-step process: preparation, tanning, and crusting (and sometimes finishing as well). Tanning makes the leather flexible and removes hair, fat, and meat, and during crusting, the material gets thinned, dried, softened, and colored through the use of chemicals and machinery. The waste from these processes is full of carcinogenic chemicals – like chromium, a heavy metal used in tanning – and often gets dumped into waterways in countries without strong environmental protection laws, like India, China, and Bangladesh. 

Both animal and human abuses are prevalent in the industry; tanneries are known for their dangerous conditions and machinery, as well as exposure to cancer-causing chemicals, according to Gizmodo. While traditional vegan leather removes animal cruelty from the equation, it’s usually made with polyurethane, PVC, and other plastic and synthetic materials that contain hormone-disrupting phthalates, and eventually create microplastics that end up in oceans, natural environments, and even our own bodies.  

Yet, the industry is changing, and innovations in leather are abound – and, some of the materials being used might surprise you. 

Cacti 

Beneath a cactus’s prickly exterior, Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez have found a new alternative to animal-based leather. The two developed Desserto: a type of leather made from the Nopal cactus, more colloquially known as the Prickly Pear. Top retailers of leather goods like Karl Lagerfeld, Fossil, and Everlane have begun selling products made with the cactus-based leather. Mercedes-Benz has even incorporated Deserttex – the company’s faux-leather product for automobiles – into an electric concept car. 

If you’ve ever welcomed a cactus into your houseplant family, you know that they’re extremely tolerant of drought. They grow quickly and require very little water: so little that Desserto cacti are only watered with rainfall, so no irrigation tactics are used in their fields. According to the company, the product saves 164,650% of water compared to animal leather, and 190% compared to the polyurethane-based vegan leather.

Cacti even sequester carbon (that is, remove it from the atmosphere). On the company’s 14 acres, the Prickly Pears absorb 8,100 tons of CO2 every year, which is much less than the emissions the products create. Desserto also employs organic growing methods on their land, and uses the byproducts of production for animal feed.

Pineapple Leaves

Does pineapple belong on pizza? And, more importantly, does it belong in leather? Carmen Hijosa thinks so. 

Hijosa, who worked in the leather goods industry for many years, wondered if the strong fibers in pineapple leaves could be used for something. Inspired by Barong Tagalog – a traditional garment in the Philippines made from these fibers – she went on to found Ananas Anam and develop the pineapple-leaf-based product Piñatex, which is now used by Hugo Boss, H&M, Paul Smith, and Nike. The company works with Filipino pineapple farmers, collecting leaves that otherwise would have been left to rot, and thereby turning this agricultural byproduct into a valuable new product. About 480 leaves are used to create one square meter of Piñatex, which weighs and costs less than traditional leather. The cellulose fibers are dried in the sun, purified, and then made into a mesh that’s finished with a plant-based resin. The whole process creates hardly any waste, Hijosa told CNBC in an interview, while 30% of leather skins are typically wasted in the traditional leather-making process. 

Palm Leaves

Dutch designer Tjeerd Veenhoven pioneered Palmleather over a decade ago, ahead of the alternative-leather curve. He wanted to find a use for the leaves of the 80 million Areca Betel Nut Palm trees growing in southern India, which are rarely used. He found that the brittle leaves become more flexible when dipped in a biological softening solution made with glycerin, water, and some other ingredients. Now, local factories in India, the Dominican Republic, and Sri Lanka manufacture Palmleather, which can be used for making bags, book jackets, shoes, and the iconic, unique Palmleather Filigree Rugs. 

Mycelium 

Mushrooms are magic, and many industries have been harnessing their power to break down plastic, fertilize fields, and erect buildings. Why not revolutionize the fashion industry while we’re at it? 

With its versatility and low environmental impact, companies are jumping at the opportunity to grow products with mycelium: the thread-like root structure of fungi. Biotechnology company Bolt Threads released their faux-leather product, Mylo, and in 2021, Mycoworks debuted their mycelium-based leather in the world of high fashion as a Hermès Victoria bag. Unlike some other mushroom leather, they grow the products themselves, engineering the mycelium cells to fill out 3-D structures to the exact specifications of a product, generating almost no waste or scraps in the process. The mycelium is fed a mixture of sawdust and organic materials as it grows, creating a dense, strong material as it expands. 

Apple Scraps

Copenhagen-based Beyond Leather has found a use for the 25% each apple that is wasted after it’s pressed for cider or juice. Beyond Leather is taking that waste – 500 to 600 tons of it – from a small Danish juicer that processes apples from local farmers and turning it into Leap: their new leather alternative. 

The polymers and short fibers in the apple are crucial to building their products, although it’s only one of the materials they use. Leap is a three-layered product of apple waste, natural rubber, and a backing of cotton and wood fiber, finished with a protective coating. The product can be disassembled at the end of its life and disposed of properly. Although the company hopes to use only apple waste for their products in the future, they currently use organic cotton, the wood-pulp-based fiber Tencel, and a polyurethane/bioplastic mix. But, while not entirely made of plants, the production of Leap requires only 1% of the water needed for traditional leather, and emits 85% less carbon dioxide, according to the company. 

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The Ultimate Fast Food Guide for Vegans and Vegetarians

Gearing up for a summer road trip? Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or minimizing factory-farmed meat and dairy in your diet, eating on the road can be tough. Ask a plant-based friend and they’ll tell you the struggle of ordering at the drive-through window; they’ve probably eaten more meals of French fries and hamburger buns topped with cheese and lettuce than they’d care to remember. Where can you grab a quick bite without sacrificing your veganism, or resorting to a plain burger bun and a fountain soda? 

Of all the fast-food joints out there, a few stand out for their wealth of veggie options, and can always be depended on for a plant-based meal. Chipotle bowls and burritos can be filled with rice, beans, and veggies for a filling meal. To add protein, try their Sofritas (shredded tofu cooked with chipotle peppers and other spices). The franchise once sold vegan chorizo for a limited time at a few locations, but this menu item has since been eliminated (but, maybe we can hope for its eventual return). Moe’s Southwest Grill has similar ingredients, including tofu as a protein option. 

Taco Bell is another vegan standout, where meat can be replaced with black beans in pretty much every dish. When ordering online, the menu marks vegetarian items certified by the American Vegetarian Association with a green V. Try the veggie burrito, beans and rice, or potatoes, and ask to replace any dairy toppings with pico de gallo for a more satisfying meal. For Californians or others lucky enough to have a Del Taco nearby, enjoy their burritos with beans instead of meat, or try the Beyond Guacamole Taco made with Beyond meat. 

Luckily, more and more fast-food franchises have been adding plant-based items to their menus after growing pressure from consumers. Here are a few more places that you can rely on for a vegan or vegetarian meal on the go.  

*It’s important to note that many – if not most – fast food restaurants will fry all of their items in the same fryers, using the same oil. That means any plant-based items on the menu likely face cross-contamination. If this is a concern for you, ask the restaurant about their practices when you place an order.

McDonald’s 

McDonald’s is definitely more limited in its vegan options, at least in the US (although other countries have all kinds of plant-based options), and you don’t want to get stuck eating apple slices for your meal. The biggest blow to vegetarianism at this popular franchise might be their French fries, which are fried in beef fat and contain “natural beef flavor.” To make up for it, order an apple pie, which, shockingly, contains no dairy. A salad without dressing or cheese can do for dinner in a pinch. At breakfast time, order the Fruit & Maple oatmeal (made with water rather than cream), or vegetarians can grab a yogurt parfait, egg McMuffin, and pancakes. If you’re in Texas or California, head to one of the few McDonald’s locations offering the McPlant: a vegan Beyond Meat burger.

Burger King 

Unlike McDonald’s, Burger King French fries are vegan (thank goodness). Enjoy them alongside an Impossible Whopper – which is vegan when ordered without cheese or mayo – and a salad without cheese or dairy-based dressing. Breakfast is a bit easier, with vegan French toast sticks, hash browns, oatmeal (made with water), or an egg and cheese sandwich for vegetarians.

Subway 

As far as vegetarian options go, Subway is solid. The subway Veggie Patty is made with brown rice, oats, and veggies, but it does contains eggs and milk, making it unsuitable for vegans. But, the chain restaurant does offer vegan Black Bean or Mediterranean Vegetable soup. Otherwise, load up on veggies and vegan condiments like the BBQ, buffalo, and sweet onion sauces on vegan bread (either ciabatta, Harvest, Hearty Italian, Roasted Garlic, and Sourdough, and the tomato basil and spinach wraps). 

KFC 

Unlike many fast food restaurants, KFC doesn’t explain plant-based options on their website, so we rely on third party sources to determine whether their dishes are vegan or vegetarian. 

Vegans rejoiced in 2022 when the fast food chain released Beyond Fried Chicken for test runs, but this option is no longer available (and, according to their website, the product was “NOT vegetarian, vegan, or Certified Vegan” anyway, as it was fried in same oil and fryers as meat products). So, at KFC, settle in for a meal of sides. Their corn on the cob, fries, house salad (without croutons), and apple turnovers are vegan, and vegetarians can enjoy more menu items, including their biscuits, cornbread muffins, macaroni salad, and potato salad.

However, there is some uncertainty about other seemingly plant-based sides: the green beans, baked beans, greens, mac and cheese, and red beans and rice are thought to contain meat flavoring or other meat products; so, unfortunately, they’re off the table if you want to be completely certain. The mashed potatoes also contain chicken broth. 

Wendy’s 

While UK Wendy’s locations offer The Veggie Stack – a vegan burger with or without cheese – US options are more limited. Vegan options are all potato-based: the baked potato (without dairy toppings), French fries, and Homestyle Potatoes. However, they do have a few solid salad options for both vegans and vegetarians, including the Garden Salad (without the cheese or croutons, which contain butter), the Southwest Avocado Salad without the meat and cheese, and the Apple Pecan Salad without the chicken, blue cheese, or pecans (prepared with honey) for vegans. Vegetarians can also order a breakfast sandwich sans bacon or sausage.

Shake Shack 

Vegetarians have it pretty good at Shake Shack with the grilled cheese sandwich and ‘Shroom burger: a Portobello mushroom filled with cheese and crisp-fried. Since 2018, some locations also offer the Veggie Shack: a vegan patty made with grains, greens, and herbs, topped with avocado and other deliciousness, including their vegan lemon aioli. If they don’t have the Veggie Shack, well, it might be another meal of fries and soda. At least they have good lemonade. 

Popeye’s 

While their plant-based Creole Red Bean Sandwich in only available in the UK, there are other options for vegans and vegetarians at this chicken-centered takeout spot. Vegans are safe with the Cajun fries and vegetarians can try the biscuits, mashed potatoes (without gravy), and mac and cheese, although Popeyes has released no information officially declaring these items meat-free. Avoid the red beans and rice, Cajun rice, and green beans, which are all cooked with meat. 

Sonic 

While Sonic’s onion rings unfortunately aren’t dairy-free, vegans can enjoy their tater tots and French fries with one of the many available sauces. Their soft pretzel is also prepared with butter, but ask if they can do it without. A grilled cheese sandwich or a side of Mozzarella sticks, cheese fries, and the Ched ‘R’ Peppers can round out a vegetarian meal. Don’t forget to wash it all down with a slushy too.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Vegetarians have plenty of options at Dunkin, even after the Beyond Sausage breakfast sandwich was discontinued. Try any of their donuts, egg and cheese sandwiches, bagels, muffins, and other breakfast pastries.

Vegans have a few options too. Dunkin lists several bagels (Cinnamon Raisin, Plain, Everything, and Sesame), English muffins, hash browns, oatmeal, and avocado toast as vegan options on their website. Enjoy your breakfast alongside a beverage made with almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk.

White Castle 

For a burger-heavy spot, White Castle has great vegan options. They offer two plant-based, vegan patties: the Impossible Slider (available with or without cheese), and the Veggie Slider made by Dr. Praeger’s, topped with one of their many sauces on a vegan bun. Both the French fries and the onion rings are vegan, and vegetarians can also dig into their mozzarella sticks and Cheese Curd Nibblers.

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How to Throw an Eco-Friendly Wedding

Surrounded by friends and family, your wedding day can be among the best of your lives, but it can also be one of the most wasteful. After the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 postponed many wedding festivities, 2022 will be a record year for marriage, with about 2.5 million weddings expected. Here’s how to plan a celebration that comes without a high environmental price tag. 

Skip the Destination Wedding

While a backdrop of surf and sand might be alluring, the environmental cost of a destination wedding is high. Between 2 and 3% of all global CO2 emissions are from air travel, and a faraway wedding requires guests to fly. To reduce the emissions associated with your big day, plan the celebration centrally, where most friends and family can travel without boarding a plane. Of course, there will always be a few outliers, but consider where it’s easiest for a high percentage of guests to reach by car or public transportation. 

Pick an Eco-Friendly Venue

Along with location, choose a venue that prioritizes sustainability: a far easier task these days as many venues are going green, leaving plentiful options for your big day. 

When choosing a location, search for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified or Energy Star certified buildings; the Green Building Information Gateway is a great way to find green buildings and venues for any event. Otherwise, look into venues that otherwise consider their environmental impact. When touring a space, make sure to ask questions: How do they handle waste? If food is included, where do they source their meals from? 

Or, skip the indoor venue entirely, and get married outdoors! With a beautiful natural backdrop, an outdoor venue will eliminate the need for lots of decorations — and, of course, the need for lighting or heating/cooling. 

Rent Whatever You Can

A wedding day requires many items that you’ll probably only need once: items you can opt to rent instead of buy, saving both money and resources in the process. Bridesmaids dresses, for one, are often costly and will only be worn once. The woman-owned wedding wear company Borrow Love Return rents dresses for your bridal party, as well as veils, jewelry, and other staples for your big day, and The Black Tux has a great selection of formalwear for grooms and groomsmen alike. Local boutiques might offer similar services as well. As a plus, you might be able to afford garments that otherwise would have been out of your price range. 

Sustainable Rings

Sustainable wedding and engagement rings have become much more common, and you won’t have to sacrifice any beauty for sustainability — and, you’ll memorialize a momentous occasion with an item that’s not linked to human and environmental exploitation. The mining of gold has a devastating impact on ecosystems and water quality; it’s estimated that 20 tons of waste are generated to create a single gold wedding ring. Instead, shop for secondhand gold jewelry to melt down for new rings, designed by you and your partner.

Along with gold, diamonds also require intensive mining and are associated with many human rights abuses. For each mined diamond, between 200 and 400 million times more rock needs to be extracted, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. If you don’t want to forego diamonds altogether, use pieces that are already in the family, or shop for sustainable diamonds. Some can be made in labs and look nearly identical to those found in nature, although there is some debate about their true environmental impact, given the energy required to produce them. Visit a sustainable jeweler and talk to them about their practices, such as where the stones are procured, and whether their lab-grown diamonds are produced using renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. 

Registry 

Registries are a great way to set up your mutual home together — but, when choosing your desired wedding gifts, consider what you really need. If registering from big-box stores, add only things you don’t already have, or items you won’t be able to gather secondhand. 

Alternatively, opt for a sustainable registry. Everlastly offers “registries for conscious couples,” pulling items from sustainable companies and rating the environmental impact of each. Many sustainable companies will also offer a registry themselves, like Ecovibe: a Portland-based Black- and women-owned company that sells home goods, kitchenware, plants. Or, have guests make charitable contributions in lieu of gifts. Choose an organization that you’d like to support, whether it be a local group or a larger nonprofit.

You can also ask guests to make monetary contributions towards sustainable choices you’d like to make in your life together — like participating in a CSA, powering your home with renewable energy, setting up a garden, etc. — and use a registry as an opportunity to fund personal environmental efforts.

Pick Flowers Mindfully

Of all cut flowers sold in the U.S., 70% are imported from Latin America. Each bloom has to be grown — which requires water, land, and fertilizer — packed, and transported quickly. Choose locally-grown flowers for your big day instead, which don’t need to be transported as far, and often require less packaging to keep the blooms fresh and intact on their way to the venue. Find local farms or florists that source from sustainable growers, and have discussions with the florist ahead of time to learn their/the nursery’s practices. Seasonal, native flowers also cause less damage to ecosystems, but might limit your options based on the time of year. Use the seasonal selection as an opportunity to organize color palettes and decorations around the floral arrangements. 

Or, forgo flowers altogether and decorate with potted houseplants, annuals, or perennials instead, which can be brought home or planted in the ground after the celebration. Small decorative plants can also be given out as party favors at the end of the night. Many plant stores will rent out their inventory for events as well, so you aren’t left with a forest of houseplants to care for afterwards.

Forgo Wasteful Traditions

Not every wedding needs to be by the book. Many traditions are quite wasteful, and you might find that they don’t add much to your day anyway. 

Cut out the confetti, for one, especially if you’re celebrating outside, or use a hole punch to cut out small pieces from leaves to create biodegradable confetti. 

Party favors are a nice token of the event, but might be an added source of waste. Hand out those small plants used to decorate the tables, or give experiences instead, like a gift card for a free coffee from a local coffee shop the morning after the party. 

Cutting the cake — especially a very large one — might not be vital to the party either. Some couples even cut a fake cake with only one real tier, and then distribute slices of sheet cake or other desserts to minimize waste. 

Low-Impact Meals

Providing plant-based food for guests is a great important way to eliminate waste and cut down on party-related emissions. Serving vegetarian meals can cut the food-related emissions of an event by 75%, or 90% for vegan meals, according to the Environmental Working Group. Pick a caterer that has great vegetarian or vegan options, or consult with them beforehand about preparing meat substitutes or sustainably sourced, local animal products. Also make sure that delicious food isn’t wasted, like 10% of most wedding food; calculate how much food you’ll need based on the guest list (especially if there’s a buffet).

Recycle and Compost

Even with correct estimations, you might end up with some paper, plastic, and food waste at the end of the night. Without the presence of oxygen, decomposing food in landfills produces methane: a greenhouse gas 80x more potent than CO2. Keep food waste out of landfills by setting up a system for composting food scraps, perhaps coordinating with a local composting service. Use as few single-use items as possible, and have both paper and plastic recycling available for the unavoidable things, or invest in a TerraCycle box for all other plastic packaging not accepted by conventional recycling services. 

Donate the Rest

From food to flowers to wedding dresses, much of what’s left at the end of your wedding day can be donated. Bring unopened trays of food and other leftovers to local pantries, kitchens, or community fridges; collaborate with an organization ahead of time to make sure they can accommodate your leftovers. Petals for Hope also rearranges and redistributes used flowers. Consider donating your wedding dress to one of these great organizations that make wedding dresses affordable for brides, or use the proceeds to benefit a number of important causes (and, it’s tax deductible).

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5 Queer Recreationalists Making the Outdoors More Equitable

Outdoor recreation and the outdoor community have historically been portrayed as predominantly white, male spaces, in my experience, with little attention given to the contributions of queer recreationalists and outdoor advocates. Here are a few of the many queer environmentalists fighting for representation and access to the outdoors for all.  

Pattie Gonia (they/he/she) 

Wyn Wiley is a Nebraska-born drag queen and outdoor recreationist – sometimes both at the same time! What began as one video on a mountaintop in high-heeled boots turned into an Instagram following of 475,000 for Pattie Gonia, Wiley’s outdoor-focused drag persona.

Pattie breaks the mold of typical drag fashion with her garments inspired by nature and zero-waste concepts: dresses made from upcycled sleeping bags and winter coats, plastic bags, and fanny packs, paired with her iconic red wig. While her videos are sometimes silly – featuring comical dances in drag on beautiful vistas, a queer sasquatch character running through the woods, or a lesson on how to walk in heels with climber Alex Honnold – her messages are serious, and she advocates fiercely for climate action and inclusion in the outdoor community. She organizes group hikes and excursions for LGBTQ youth, and promotes the work of groups/nonprofits supporting queer recreationalists, including her newly-launched nonprofit, The Outdoorist Oath

“I think what Pattie has shown me in my life is that queer community exists in the outdoors,” she said in an interview with Yale Climate Connections. “And the outdoors is such an essential place for any queer person to discover pieces of who they are, and to try out new versions of themselves – versions of themselves that are way more aligned than maybe the body they were born in or the identity that they have held onto because of society.” 

Pınar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd (they/them)

As a nonbinary QTPOC (Queer & Trans Person of Color) with Turkish, Huanca, and Chinese lineages, Pınar Ateş Sinopoulos-Lloyd found empowerment away from the urban queer culture that often dominates the LGBTQ scene. Instead, they experienced healing in natural spaces, and wanted to share this experience widely. 

Their studies of Queer Ecopsychology at Prescott College, School of Lost Borders, Wilderness Awareness School, Animas Valley Institute, Naropa University, and Esalen Institute eventually led to the creation of Queer Nature: a transdisciplinary “organism” co-founded with their spouse, So. The group provides environmental and nature-based education, teaching ancestral skills, rites of passage, and interspecies kinship, along with hosting multi-day immersions for LGBTQ2+ people. Through Queer Nature, Sinopoulos-Lloyd hopes to teach participants about wilderness self-reliance and other outdoor skills that have not historically been as accessible to the community.

Sinopoulos-Lloyd is also a founding member of Diversify Outdoors, and a co-founder of Indigequeers. As speaker and presenter, they have spoken at Stanford University and the Guggenheim museum with their spouse, and frequently present at the University of Colorado Boulder, Weaving Earth’s WE Immersion, and Colorado College. They also use their Instagram to share messages about neurodivergence, mental health, and ableism. 

Mercy M’Fon Shammah (they/them) 

After seeing the strong racial and social class segregation in the wilderness community in the Pacific Northwest, Mercy M’Fon Shammah launched a Go-Fund-Me campaign that would eventually lead to the creation of Wild Diversity. Shammah is the founder and executive director of the Portland, Oregon-based organization that helps Black, Indigenous, all People of Color (BIPOC) & the LGBTQ2S+ communities get outside, create a connection to the outdoors, and feel a sense of belonging. “[A feeling] of belonging is [when] you don’t have to explain your existence,” they told Portland Audubon in a 2020 interview. “You don’t have to tell them why the outdoors should be a diverse place. You don’t have to code switch. You don’t have to talk or speak, act differently, behave any differently. You can be yourself and that’s welcomed and celebrated. To me, that’s what belonging looks like.” Before working with Wild Diversity, Shammah empowered women as a roller derby coach, training and hosting workshops in more than a dozen countries.  

Wild Diversity host workshops, educational events, a BIPOC swim program, multi-day kayaking, camping, and backpacking trips, and day trips for forest bathing, bird watching, watercoloring, and blackberry picking, to name a few. They also maintain a gear library to make outdoor experiences accessible to all, regardless of income. 

Jenny Bruso (she/they)

Jenny Bruso – a queer, plus-sized hiker with a strong Instagram following – found hiking later in life, and knows that the outdoors does not discriminate. They founded Unlikely Hikers with the knowledge that a relationship to the land is foundational in many cultures, so it should also be foundational in JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) efforts.

Unlikely Hikers is a “diverse, anti-racist, body-liberating outdoor community featuring the underrepresented outdoorsperson,” and fights against the narrow interpretation of outdoor people that is not representative of the true spectrum of adventurers, which includes plus-size & fat, Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer, trans and non-binary, disabled, and neurodivergent people. “I love that Unlikely Hikers is challenging people’s perceptions of who is outdoorsy and how they’re being outdoorsy, but my intention is not about challenging those perceptions,” they told National Geographic. “It’s about creating space for the people who are affected by those perceptions.” The group hosts hikes, usually of no more than 3 miles in length and 300 feet in elevation gain or loss to make events accessible to all participants. “There’s no ‘wrong’ way to get outdoors,” said Bruso. “There’s no body type that is outdoorsy, there’s no uniform, there’s no wrong way to move your body outside. It’s not a body type, it’s not a look, it’s not a skill set. All abilities, all disabilities — everybody has a place in the outdoors.”

Rahawa Haile (she/her) 

During the summer of 2016, Rahawa Haile – a Black and queer Eritrean American writer from Miami – hiked the Appalachian Trail, which took her through many states that would soon vote for Donald Trump in the upcoming election. She wrote about her experience on the trail for Outside in 2017, which brought to light the racism experienced by Black hikers. “I am a queer Black woman, but I can’t parse the three — they’re not three separate parts of my identity,” said Haile. “But it felt like a vulnerable position. There were so many targets on my back, but I stood out most as a Black thru-hiker. There were many women on the trail but very few Black people.” She hiked under the trail name Tsehay, which means “sun” in her family’s language of Tigrinya, and hiked largely alone, passing through Confederate flag-laden territory all the way up into Maine. 

Haile has spoken about the different forms getting outdoors can take, having grown up walking through Miami as a child, and taking the Metro-North into nature while living in Brooklyn. She acknowledges the healing brought by nature, as well as the danger faced by Black people in outdoor spaces. “The election changed things. In 2017, nobody asked me why I went to the woods. If anything, they asked how to do it,” she told Outside. “People wanted to escape. The past five years have been extremely traumatizing and downright depressing and life-shattering for many people.”

Look for her memoir of her thru-hike, In Open Country, from HarperCollins in 2023.

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Ben and Jerry’s Is Putting Their Cows on a Low Methane Emissions Diet


Do cows eat seaweed? On a Ben and Jerry’s dairy farm, yes. In May, the popular ice cream maker announced that they’ll be putting their cattle on a special diet to reduce emissions of methane.

It’s no secret that animal agriculture and dairy farming are major contributors to global climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions.  As a whole, the livestock sector is responsible for 14.5% of all GHG emissions; and, 40% of all methane emissions – a greenhouse gas 80x more potent that carbon dioxide – are specifically attributed to cows and other livestock. 

Ben and Jerry’s, of course, relies on dairy to make their famous ice cream products (imagine a world without Cherry Garcia!), but acknowledges that their milk consumption comes at a cost to the environment; nearly 50% of the company’s carbon footprint comes from the dairy they purchase from farms. They’ve launched an initiative – dubbed Project Mootopia – to tackle their climate impacts from their legions of dairy cows. The three-pronged approach includes stoking electricity-producing digestors with the 80 pounds of manure each cow produces every day, feeding their herd with crops that contain less synthetics and contribute to healthy soils, and, finally, slashing “enteric” emissions from their bovine friends.

That’s where the seaweed comes in. Every belch and fart from a dairy cow (of which there are, admittedly, many) releases methane into the atmosphere. Like all ruminants (including deer, goats, and sheep), cows have a four-chambered stomach. The largest chamber – the rumen – contains microbes that break down food, producing as much as 50 quarts of gas an hour in the process, most of which is released by belching. To reduce that belching, Ben and Jerry’s is working with a company called Blue Ocean Barns that produces a seaweed supplement, Brominata, made from dehydrated red seaweed grown in tanks in San Diego and Hawaii. Studies show that adding just 3 ounces of seaweed to a cow’s diet can reduce methane emissions by 82%. Cows also lose energy when they belch – about 12%  – so these supplements are a win for farmers too, who will need less feed to nourish their animals. Ben and Jerry’s is trialing Brominata – which has been approved for sale by the California Department of Food and Agriculture – on a Vermont dairy farm that provides milk for their products. 

But, seaweed isn’t the only dietary alternative being tested for its methane-reduction capacities: garlic and citrus extracts and mixes of green tea and oregano have proven successful as well. The sale of the feed additive Bovaer was also approved for sale in Brazil – the world’s largest beef exporter – and Chile in 2021. The long-awaited product contains the organic compound 3-NOP, which reduces methane by 30% and can be fed to cows, goats, and sheep. Also in 2021, Starbucks announced that they would be sourcing milk from cows fed Agolin: a blend of plant extracts, including coriander seed oil and wild carrot that reduces enteric emissions by about 11%. 

The coffee giant, like many companies, is likely responding to pressure from consumers to address sustainability in their practices. According to a 2021 study, 60% of consumers rate sustainability as an important criteria when purchasing products. “A substantial portion of consumers are currently willing to pay for sustainability,” said Shikha Jain, author of the study, “demonstrating that there is a market for ‘mission-driven green’ companies and why we see a rise in sustainable companies around the world.” Ben and Jerry’s has already shown themselves as a leader in sustainability – with their moves towards ditching petroleum-based plastic in their packaging, installing solar panels at their Vermont factory, and introducing vegan ice cream flavors, among other initiatives – and tackling methane emissions is the next step. Jenna Evans, global sustainability manager for Ben & Jerry’s, agrees that companies need to directly address their emissions. “I can’t go purchase carbon offsets from a forestry project in Panama that has nothing to do with making ice cream,” said Evans in an interview with Fast Company. “I have to make direct reductions in our ice cream supply chain.”

Project Mootopia will begin with 15 farms in the U.S. and the Netherlands that produce milk for Ben and Jerry’s. The company intends on making their findings on Brominata public so other dairy farms and companies can benefit, and hopes that by 2024, these 15 farms will emit only half the industry average of greenhouse gases for dairy farms. So, someday soon, you’ll be able to enjoy a pint of Half-Baked with a side of seaweed. 

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What Is Greywater?

We use a lot of water: to flush our toilets, cook our food, fill our bathtubs, water our plants, wash our clothes, and brush our teeth. An average family of four in the U.S. uses about 400 gallons of water each day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and about 120 of those gallons are wasted. but a lot of the water we use can be repurposed. Reusing water is especially important as climate change raises temperatures and diminishes available water supply. And that’s where greywater comes in.

Greywater is the lightly used water from showers, bathtubs, sinks, and washing machines in the home that often just spirals down the drain, flowing into sewers. While this water is a pollutant when released into natural water bodies, it is a beneficial source of water and nutrients for garden and household plants alike, and can be repurposed in many ways. Greywater can be safely used if it contains traces of grease, hair, dirt, food, and some cleaning products, but not if it contains feces, so all water from toilets or from washing diapers – called “blackwater” – is off-limits. 

Benefits of Greywater 

Reusing greywater – whether through a simple, DIY mechanism or a professional system installed in your home – can reduce water waste by up to 40%. As droughts become more pervasive due to climate change – like the megadrought in the U.S. West that scientists estimate is 42% more extreme due to climate change – many regions are implementing strict limits on water use, including Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties in California, where millions of people will be impacted by new orders next month that limit outdoor water use to only one day a week. Greywater systems make water available for outdoor use even in the face of such restrictions, insuring that your gardens and indoor plants won’t become casualties of water shortage. Greywater systems also save money: if you’re reducing your water use by 40%, you’re also slashing your water bill by the same amount. 

How to Use Greywater

Greywater is primarily used to water ornamental plants like trees, shrubs, flowers, and native grasses, but can also be used to water vegetable plants and other garden edibles as long as the water touches only the soil and does not come into contact with the edible part of the plant that will be harvested. When watering plants, make sure to use water that doesn’t contain products harmful to the soil, like bleach or high amounts of salt. 

If gardening isn’t your forte, use water without grease – like wastewater from laundry machines – to wash the car. Collected greywater can also be used to “bucket flush” toilets instead of using clean water, which serves little purpose for flushing our waste.

Installing Greywater Systems 

Professional greywater systems are often expensive to install, but simple DIY systems can be very functional and produce comparable savings. Greywater Action is a group of educators dedicated to developing new codes and incentives to reduce water use in communities by utilizing greywater, and who develop and share designs for low-tech, affordable greywater systems for residential use. They also offer online workshops and courses about installing these systems yourself – take one to find out which at-home system is best for you, given the construction of your home, your personal water usage, and your budget.

Greywater Action has many designs for greywater systems that require minimal materials and maintenance, including a simple solution for repurposing spent water from laundry machines. Since you won’t necessarily need all of the used laundry water for your plants, installing a diverter valve is a good way to switch between the greywater and sewer/septic systems. Connect the machine’s discharge hose (from which the water is pumped out) and attach it to the diverter valve. On the greywater side, use a hose to direct the water flow into a large plastic drum, then insert a spigot or hose into the bottom to dispense the water for yard use – or, use the valve to divert water directly to an irrigation system in the yard. 

More elaborate, professional systems can reconfigure household plumbing to reroute water from all applicable sources, but can cost up to $10,000. While more expensive, these systems can save between 10,000 and 50,000 gallons of drinking water each year – savings which are especially important in regions like California facing unprecedented drought. Greywater Action has a directory of companies and individuals who have completed training and can professionally install greywater systems. Find a trained professional to help build a system that works for you, or look into other local services. 

Reusing Greywater Without a System 

Even without an established system, you can reuse greywater every day! Collect water by placing buckets in the shower while the water is warming up, or nest a bowl underneath a colander when washing produce or draining pasta. Save the water from steaming vegetables or whatever is leftover in dog/cat water bowls. Even leftover coffee can be used to water acidity-loving plants, like begonias and azaleas. 

Basic Guidelines and Safety Concerns

  • Make sure you know all code and permit requirements for your area. Some states don’t have greywater codes, so you’ll need a permit to install a system, and others only allow certain uses of the water. 
  • Minimize human and pet contact with the greywater. Allowing it to completely infiltrate into the ground without pooling on the surface will help prevent potential contact. 
  • Use greywater within 24 hours. Don’t store the water for longer than a day, as odors will develop as the nutrients in the water begin to break down.
  • Greywater shouldn’t be used to water turf grass, and regulations often prohibit the use of greywater in sprinklers. Consider replacing turf grass with native plants and piping greywater to water them instead.

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Camping 101: How to Gear Up for a Summer Outdoors

Looking to sleep under the stars this summer? Getting out for a camping trip is easier than you might think, but you’ll want to be prepared. Here are a few guidelines for your first night in the great outdoors.

Getting Gear

Expense can often be a deterrent to getting outdoors. Luckily, it’s possible to get outdoor gear cheaply, or even rent the big-ticket items, like tents or camp stoves. Outdoors Geek offers individual rental items, or packages for specific trips, like their Family Camping rental package, starting at $334 for 3 days’ worth of camping material for a family of four. You can even purchase the gear afterwards if you choose. Most major outdoor retailers like REI also offer gear rentals, along with many smaller, independent outdoor stores.

If you’re planning for multiple trips, it might be worth investing in new or used gear. Check out Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Craigslist, and local yard sales for great deals on tents, sleeping bags, and other outdoor essentials. Many outdoor retailers also sell lightly used gear for a fraction of the price.

Picking a Site

When picking the perfect campsite location, your choices can be boiled down into two major categories: designated camping and dispersed camping. Designated camping sites are those made specifically for camping, and often require reservations and fees. They often have certain amenities, like picnic tables, toilets, running water, trash cans, or even electricity. Many campgrounds get quite busy during the peak summer season, so make sure to book a space in advance.  

Dispersed camping can be a much more isolated, remote experience, and might require a terrain-friendly vehicle or hiking out to the site.  You’ll need to be more comfortable out in nature without amenities, but camping outside of designated campgrounds frees you from both the crowds and the fees (unless you’re inside a State or National Park with entry fees). Many National Park Service lands have restrictions on camping to protect resources and wildlife, although dispersed camping is allowed in some areas, along with National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands. Check the park’s website or with a ranger before setting up camp.

The Dyrt has a service for a yearly fee to find good dispersed camping sites, and apps like Hipcamp and AllStays help you locate both designated and dispersed camping sites. Keep in mind that cell phone service is often spotty in these areas, so have directions to your destination saved on your phone and prepare accordingly.

Campsite Essentials

To set up a safe, comfortable sleeping arrangement, you’ll need a few basic necessities, including a tent (with a footprint, rain fly, and supplies for staking it), and sleeping bags and pads.

Before buying (or renting) a tent, decide which size is best for you: two people can sleep just fine in a two-person tent, but for more space to spread out, a three-person might be a better bet. Similarly, for a family of four, a six-person tent leaves plenty of extra room for belongings (and any furry friends that may join). Practice setting up the tent at home first, and make sure you have a correctly-sized footprint, which provides a barrier between the tent and the ground and prevents moisture from seeping through the floor. Alternatively, set up a cozy bed in the back of your car. For ventilation during the warm summer months, open up a sunroof or window and cover with a cheap piece of mesh, secured with a piece of tape. Or, bring a packable hammock to hang between two trees (although you might want to buy a mosquito net to fit it).

Warm bedding is a must on any camping excursion. Sleeping pads are crucial for comfort, and the best also prevent the loss of body heat from the cold ground beneath you. Check the temperature ratings for your chosen sleeping bag, and make sure they’ll be adequate for the weather. Bring along a camping pillow, or simply stuff your sleeping bag sack with extra clothing for a DIY pillow. Blankets are good for extra layering on especially cold nights, like these packable ones from Rumpl.

Food and Cooking

Camping doesn’t require fancy culinary skills or equipment, but it does require some planning. Make a meal plan ahead of time, and always bring at least one extra days’ worth of food just in case.

You might be perfectly happy with just packaged snacks and easy items – veggies and hummus, chips and salsa, granola bars, pre-made sandwiches, etc. – that can be kept in a cooler, but if you’re planning a longer camping trip, you’ll likely need to do some cooking. Try to plan meals that are easy and require minimal work, and do whatever prep work you can beforehand. Dehydrated foods – which you can make yourself or purchase as pre-made meals – are usually the easiest option, requiring only boiled water to prepare.

To enjoy a hot meal, you’ll need to come prepared with a way to cook it. Standard propane camp stoves are reliable, large, and great for big groups of people. They’re rather bulky, a you’ll need to attach a propane tank, so they’re better for trips that don’t require hiking far from the car. Canister stoves are very small and light, which makes them ideal for backpacking and camping alike, like the popular JetBoil stove systems. The pressurized isobutane and propane gas in their small canisters is easy to transport, but they’re harder to use when cooking for a large group, or balancing more than a small pan (they’re really meant for boiling water). Liquid fuel backpacking stoves are a little bulkier than canister stoves, and the fuel is harder to store long-term between trips, but they’re still good for cold-weather camping.

Think about the other items you’ll need as well: dishware and silverware, spatulas, potholders, kitchen towels, cutting boards and knives, soap and sponges for cleaning up (non-toxic soap is ideal), can openers, and folding chairs for enjoying your meal.

Other Essentials

Water

An adequate water supply is vital to any camping trip. Two gallons per person per day is a good rule of thumb, including water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. Bring large water canisters or individual, refillable jugs for each person, always airing on the side of too much rather than too little. A simple water filtration system is also good to have on hand for emergencies.

Clothing

Pack an outfit for every day with extra layers, including a few extra pairs of socks. Choose lightweight but warm items, and rain gear in the event of bad weather. Bring good shoes for hiking or other outdoor activities, as well as a casual pair to wear around the campsite.

Lighting

It’s dark out there in the wild! Bring lanterns and flashlights to light up the campsite, as well as extra batteries. Some solar-powered lights are great as well, but bring a battery-powered alternative as a backup.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies

You might not be able to do your entire skincare routine in the wilderness, but bring the essentials, including toothbrushes and toothpaste, hand sanitizer and soap, and prescription medications.  Always bring a well-stocked first aid kit too, and make sure you’re prepared to use its contents. Don’t forget toilet paper and a trowel if there are no bathrooms (and all used toilet paper needs to be carried out with you or thrown away at the camp site).

Fire Safety

Climate change has made many areas of the United States – particularly the West and Southwest – hotter and drier, including in many National Parks, heightening the risk of wildfires. Make sure you read up on the fire regulations where you are staying, and determine whether campfires are allowed. Only make campfires if you are confident in your ability to keep it contained and can completely extinguish it before you leave. Before packing out, douse the fire with water, then stir the ashes, breaking apart the embers, and douse again. Repeat until there are no remaining embers and the fire is completely extinguished. Stay away from overhanging branches and don’t use any extra stimulants or inputs, like gasoline.

Wildlife Safety

Before heading to a campsite, look up wildlife concerns in the area and things that visitors should be aware of.

Proper food storage is crucial to preventing bear encounters in the wild. Bears are attracted to anything with a scent, which includes toothpaste, soap, and even scented lip balm. Some campsites have bear-proof boxes for visitors to store their food, but at a dispersed campsite, you’ll need to bring adequate equipment. Check what the area rangers require/recommend for bear safety, which will usually include bear bags or canisters. Keep food packed away in the car during the day – even if you’re only stepping away for a few minutes – and at night, store all food and smelly items in bear bags or bear canisters at least 100 yards from your campsite. Put pans or other items on top that will clang when knocked over to alert you to the presence bears. Hanging food on high, sturdy tree limbs out of reach of bears is also an option, but is more labor-intensive.

Leave No Trace

Otherwise known as LNT, apply Leave No Trance principals to any outdoor adventure. When camping, hiking, or otherwise enjoying the great outdoors, we are entering delicate – and often protected – ecosystems. Always leave campsites in the same condition (or better) than when you arrived, carrying out everything you came in with, including food scraps, toilet paper, and trash.  

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How to Grow Houseplants Sustainably

There’s nothing like an army of houseplants to brighten up a home. Interacting with indoor plants is proven to help with stress, help purify the air, and bring beauty and nature into our daily lives. But, a houseplant habit isn’t necessarily good for the environment. Here’s how to keep your plants healthy and happy without harming the planet.

Buy Responsibly

Before taking a new plant home, consider its roots. Search for shops in your area that source from ethical growers that follow organic practices. Many plants – especially tropical species – are also grown and shipped long distances to reach store shelves. Purchase from nearby nurseries (or plant stores that source from them), as well as nurseries that grow plants themselves rather than companies that remove them from wild habitats. Better yet, shop secondhand plants that can be picked up locally from online platforms like Facebook Marketplace, where you’ll score much better deals on mature plants.

Online plant retailers have grown in popularity, especially as the pandemic confined us to our homes. While convenient, shopping for live plants online comes with an environmental price tag: expedited shipping via plane is usually needed to transport plants before they wither, and the necessary packaging to keep delicate plants safe in transit leads to much more plastic waste. Before ordering online, take a trip to your local plant shop – many of whom offer local deliveries, if needed – to see if they have what you’re looking for.

Buy Small, and Propagate

For every plant on that store shelf, many resources were needed to raise and transport it: electricity for grow lights, fuel for transportation, plastic for packaging, water, and fertilizers. Instead of buying an entirely new plant that required all of these inputs during their nursery days, cut a piece from a friend’s and or family member’s plant and grow an entirely new plant in your own home. If you can’t track down a clipping of your dream plant, purchase it as a smaller plant rather than a larger one, which required less space and energy to transport and support.

Avoid Plastic Pots

Store-bought plants usually come in plastic nursery pots, and most species want to get out of that impermeable plastic as quickly as possible. Like a lot of plastic, plant pots are very hard to recycle, especially given that many are made from largely unrecyclable black plastic. Many plant stores will reuse the plastic pots at the shop, or will send them back to the nursery – ask your plant store of choice what their practices are, and compare local options. If they use biodegradable pots, even better.

Once the plant is out of its original plastic – which sometimes can’t be avoided – you’ll need to transfer it to an adequately-sized pot. Luckily, there are lots of affordable options for attractive, plastic-free pots. Terracotta clay pots offer better aeration for plants than plastic, and if they break, the pieces can be used for additional drainage in the bottom of the pot. Or, check out yard sales or thrift stores for used pots. Some garden centers even have clearance sections for pots with minor damage, like small chips or cracks that would otherwise be headed for the dumpster.

For craftier plant parents, add a cute statement piece to your home by upcycling other materials to make your own pots – like tin cans, old bowls or mugs, etc. – keeping in mind the moisture needs of the specific plant (stone and clay allow for better drainage), and always cut or drill a drainage hole in the bottom for water to flow through.

Avoid Grow Lights

Grow lights are an option for indoor plant-rearing in homes without much natural light, but, like all appliances, they require energy. To be effective and deliver the benefits of real sun exposure, most grow lights need to be left on for about 12 hours, which equates to a not-insignificant amount of energy usage.

Ultimately, it’s best to avoid buying plants that won’t do well in the conditions you can provide. Place plants where they get the necessary amount of light without additional lamps. Otherwise, stick to plants that require only minimal light, like cast iron plants, snake plants, and pothos. If you do need grow lights, or already have plants that require the extra light, get a timer that will switch the light on and off after the appropriate time, especially when you’re away from home.

Reuse Water

Watering plants (especially if your collection is very lush) can use up a lot of water. Since most plants don’t need filtered water, you can reuse water from other means to keep them hydrated and happy, such as the water used to rinse produce. On watering day, check the fridge for any fruits or veggies that need to be washed. Wash in a colander over a large pot or bowl, using the collected water to pour into plants.

Collecting rainwater for plants also involves no special plumbing, and very little time or effort – and, as a bonus, rainwater is actually better for some plants, as it hasn’t been chemically treated with chlorine or other additives like most tap water. Research which system works best for you and your space: that could mean a bucket on the fire escape if it’s going to rain the night before watering day, or installing a downspout on the roof that flows into a barrel covered with a screen to filter out debris, and a small spigot on the bottom to dispense water.

If you live in an area that frequently experiences water shortages or drought, consider adding plants with low water requirements to your collection, such as snake plants, cacti, and succulents.

Avoid Peat Moss

Many planters add peat moss to their soil mixes: a popular material for its moisture- and oxygen-retention properties. Peat moss is plant matter that has decomposed anaerobically (without the presence of oxygen), and while it’s technically a renewable resource, it takes centuries to completely regrow. Peat bogs are complex ecosystems that many species rely on, but have been subject to over-harvesting in countries where it covers large areas, like Ireland, Scotland, and Canada. Among other hydrological and ecosystem services, peat bogs are also huge carbon sinks, taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and playing a part in reversing climate change. For peat moss alternatives, try compost, coconut coir (made from fibers of coconut husks), wood products like sawdust and bark, rice hulls (the discarded skin of rice grains), and pine needles.  

Use Organic Fertilizers

Indoor plants depend entirely on their plant parents for nutrients, but many synthetic fertilizers contain hazardous chemicals and can be harsh on plants. Organic and natural fertilizers are made of nontoxic materials and contain different concentrations of the three major macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Fish fertilizer (sometimes called fish emulsion) is a popular organic fertilizing solution that’s high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – or, take a scoop of your own aquarium water, which is full of natural nutrients from fish waste and fish foods. Blood meal, alfalfa, cottonseed meal, rock phosphate, bone meal, kelp, and granite meal are alternative organic fertilizers that can be mixed and added to your plants’ soil based on their nutrient needs.

Compost is in ideal, nutrient-rich plant fertilizer; make your own compost at home with food scraps, or purchase from local garden stores or compost centers. Or, simply add kitchen scraps to the soil and let them work their magic. Try eggshells for calcium, banana peels for nitrogen and phosphorus, coffee grounds for nitrogen and better drainage, and green tea or apple cider vinegar for plants that like acidity, like begonias and African violets.

Use Natural Pesticides

When you spot pests or fungus on a plant, it should be dealt with quickly to prevent spreading to other pots or causing further damage to the plant – but, like fertilizers, many conventional pesticides contain toxic chemicals, like copper and sulfur. Try natural fungicide and insecticide instead. Many organic pest-prevention products are available at stores; consult with a retail associate about ingredients and research the right products for your plants before purchasing.

It’s easy to make your own natural pesticides at home, too, but be sure to spot test any remedy – homemade or store bought – to see how your plant responds before proceeding. Derived from seeds of the neem tree, neem oil is among the most popular of organic pesticides, and routine applications prevent bugs from laying eggs or feeding.

A simple soapy spray helps dehydrate aphids, spider mites, and other pests. Simply mix 2 tablespoons of mild liquid dish soap with a gallon of water, then spray directly on the plant, including the undersides of leaves. Baking soda is another effective treatment for black spot and powdery mildew, and is nontoxic for pets and humans alike. Combine 1 teaspoon of baking soda per quart of water, adding liquid soap to help the solution stick to the leaves if desired, then spray. Garlic is also toxic to many insects, and a solution made from crushed cloves steeped overnight in boiling water will do the trick.

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