Easy Ways to Adopt a More Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle

Easy Ways to Adopt a More Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle


I’m a self described modern day hippie and I could not be more proud of the title. Sure I still shower and maintain a sense of grooming, but I’ve been taking big steps toward a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. And honestly, it’s been so easy to make the switch. One of the biggest hurtles to becoming more eco-friendly is the inconvenience, but these few steps make it way easy to reduce your footprint, save the turtles, and feel a lot better about yourself. 
I said goodbye to plastic straws first. I wrote about the experience in a post a few months after I started, but it’s been over a year now of actively giving back straws through drive-thru windows and toting around metal straws with me. I estimate that I’ve reduced my straw usage of about 300 straws in one year. That’s a lot of straws that won’t be bothering the poor sea turtles.
Another easy switch is to take reusable bags to supermarkets. Sure you can bring back plastic bags to the store to recycle, but it’s just so much easier not to get them in the first place. I keep a few in my car, a few in each of my bags, and some where I grab my keys. That way I always have a bag no matter when I decide to pop into the store.
If you’re a frequent Starbucks groupie like I am, their reusable cups are a must. They’ll give you $0.10 off your drink order when you use the cup, and the ones at the register cost only $2. Anything to reduce the guilt of hitting up the Starbucks drive-thru for the third time this week, right?
Now if you’re really down to help the Earth, let’s talk about composting. I recently got a Lifetime Compost Tumbler from Costco (this one is similar) and have started to make my own compost. This video I saw on Facebook made it look so easy that I finally took the plunge and purchased one. So far we’ve been putting in food scraps and collecting leaves. It feels so good to not throw away scraps from cooking. We still have quite a while until we have any compost, but it’s been a fun process. Plus Starbucks sometimes has coffee grounds for free you can add to your compost or use in your garden.
It hasn’t once felt inconvenient to bring a reusable bag or hand back a plastic straw I won’t be using. I finally feel good about my involvement in helping the environment. It’s so easy to think “it’s too big of a problem for little old me to do anything.” But with the environment that’s just not true. There is so much we can do every day that you’ll feel ridiculous waiting so long to start.
Friendships in My 20s | Three Types

Friendships in My 20s | Three Types

It’s no secret that making friends as an adult is hard. You’re no longer surrounded by the same people every day in class, and if you work from home, it’s even harder to meet people. At the start of my 20s, I had friends few and far between. I felt lonely, unlikable, and just plain down on myself (I’m sure un-diagnosed depression didn’t help either…) I actively had to start seeking out friends in the planner community, in my neighborhood, and beyond. Keeping in touch became more important than ever. It’s taken a few years, but I’ve learned that not all friendships are going to be the same. As I get deeper into my 20s three types of friendship types seem to keep popping up.
The old school BFF. This is the friend that’s been around pre-puberty and holds all your most embarrassing secrets. The type of friend who you’ve known since childhood and still keep in touch with even if you haven’t seen them in ages. Yet when you finally get back together, it’s as if no time has passed. I’m fortunate enough to have three people who fall into this category. The older you get, the more exclusive this category becomes. 
The budding friendship. I read somewhere that it takes around 200 hours to become close friends with someone. With busy work schedules, kids, and significant others, it takes way more time to get to 200 hours than it did when we were kids. There are a few women in my life that I’ve met a year or two ago and seem like they could be amazing friends over time. We have a ton in common, but it takes a lot of planning to find time to get together for coffee or a night out. This category of friend has a lot of promise, but it’s not going to happen overnight.
The comer and goer. When I first moved into our neighborhood I made a bunch of fast friends. Over time they’ve faded away as I’ve found other people I have more in common with and shared interests. And you know what? That’s totally ok. There are going to be people in your life who come in for a certain amount of time and then move on. I find these friends incredibly important, but I’ve also learned when to let go. 
When I finally started to understand that not all of the friends in my life will reach “old school BFF” status I became a lot more relaxed. The pressure lifted to become best friends overnight. Now I have friends I see maybe once a month, and others I talk to on a daily basis. Not all friendships are created equal, and it’s about time I started realizing that it’s ok.

Coffee Shop Vibes | April Oh, Hello Box

Coffee Shop Vibes | April Oh, Hello Box

April Oh, Hello Box
Is it fair that I feel like I get to celebrate Christmas every month? Is there such a thing as too much excitement? I may die from it if that’s the case. Building the Oh, Hello Box every month is literally my favorite part of my job these days. So thanks for that, planner friends.
April Oh, Hello Box
This month’s theme is Coffee Shop Vibes. I wanted a box that contained things you would usually see, do, and use while at a coffee shop. Of course a large coffee mug topped the list of things I had to add. Motivational quotes are my jam and nothing starts a day off better than a quote reminding you that it’s a good day to have a good day.

April Oh, Hello Box
Of course I had to sprinkle in my love of plants into the box with this rubber key chain as well as a blossom kit where you can grow your own poppy flowers!

April Oh, Hello Box
Probably my two favorite items in this month’s box are the tartan tote and the coffee cup dangle enamel pin. I love how classy the tote feels while still giving off serious oh, hello vibes. Plus the enamel pin is just so cool. I mean come on, the spoon dangles. Witchcraft I tell ya.

April Oh, Hello Box
There are a ton of other products I haven’t highlighted in this post, so if you want to see them all be sure to watch the video! This box will be available Saturday, April 6th all the way through the month or until they sell out. Each box has over $100 in lifestyle and planner items and costs $44.95 with a flat shipping fee!