BECOME MORE ECO-FRIENDLY – Let’s face it. The world is becoming more and more populated, and with more people comes more trash. Trash and waste in general is something that we probably don’t think about too often, but like a lot of other things… it adds up quick! Think for a second about how often you replace your receptacle bags per week, or how many bags your household goes through in that amount of time. Now multiply that by 350… MILLION. PER WEEK! Oh my goodness, that’s a lot of junk and gunk! Whether you believe it has an impact on the globe or not, taking measures to reduce your rubbish is the right thing to do, and there’s lots of easy ways that you can do your part to lighten the load:

1) Utilize Your Recycling Program: How many of you have a recycling program available, but you don’t use it or take advantage as much as you should? STEP ONE: Start. If you don’t have one readily available, a quick online search for recycling centers in your area may yield some pretty eye-opening results! This is a super easy way for you to help save our environment—and it’s literally just throwing your waste in a different bin than your standard trash can. Are you unsure of what can and cannot be recycled? Click HERE for a really great resource that breaks it all down very easily.

2) Before You Eliminate, Donate: Think about how much stuff we throw away that could be reused by someone else. Furniture, clothing, household items, books, and more can be taken to local donation drop off sites—and some places will give you a paper providing you with a possible tax credit for the donation when it comes time to file!

3) Start a Compost Bin: A ton of waste goes to food items, plants, paper, cardboard, and other biodegradable items that just haven’t had the proper time to break down yet. Compost friendly items actually go back to the earth when you allow them to, providing a host of highly valuable nutrients to soil and plants when used appropriately. No matter your budget, compost bins can be made out of next to nothing.

4) Be a Conscious Consumer: Now more than ever, companies and businesses are stepping up to the plate when it comes to being environmentally conscious. Grocery bags, straws, and every day products have found alternatives for a much greener impact in their packaging. One really cool initiative that is totally making waves is OceanBound Plastic, a group that takes materials that are at-risk of winding up in oceans and turning them into reused materials and plastics for renewed use. For example, a shampoo and conditioner we launched in the Sugar Beach Collection is made up entirely of OceanBound plastic. By using products made from OceanBound plastic, the oceans as well as our finned friends who live in them will be much happier.

5) For the beauty professionals (and their clients) reading this, there’s also a really cool program out there designed to help make your salon or spa a sustainable place, providing a means to recycle and properly dispose of almost everything used on a daily basis. The Green Circle Salons program has helped keep over 6 MILLION pounds of waste out of landfills and waterways, thanks to stylists and their clients who understand the importance of going green and have joined the movement.

All this talk about trash makes me feel like I need to take a shower, but knowing all the different ways we can help as a collective is comforting as well. There are countless other ways, organizations, and methods to help make your life a greener place without having to completely change who you are. It all starts with you—and what you do over the course of your lifetime will really add up, so I challenge you to do your part to help us take care of our Mother Earth. In a perfect world, the generations to come will also have a beautiful place to call home.