5 FREE Eco-Friendly Swaps!

Being eco-friendly does NOT have to mean spending lots of money!

I know that a lot of the eco-friendly swaps out there require a hefty upfront investment. They almost always end up saving you money, but being realistic, some of those swaps are just too darn expensive! But do not fret! Even under a tight budget, you can make a difference and live an eco-friendly lifestyle. There are so many little things that you can do that can amount to something big. Luckily for us, a lot of those things are 100% free! With these free eco-friendly swaps, you will not have to spend money to do something good for the planet!

1. Use old clothing items instead of paper napkins and towels

This one is great for anyone that has lots of old clothes lying around! Instead of throwing them out, find new ways to use your clothes as FREE eco-friendly swaps! Just replace your ordinary paper towels with old socks and cloth squares from t-shirts. These are super easy to clean (wash them in a washing machine), and they save you money. No more buying paper towels every month!

And, with some other old clothes, you can cut some 8’ by 8’ squares out of the fabric. Hem the edges and you’ve got perfect reusable napkins! They will not only save you money but are very fancy and chic. You can find more instructions on how to make these napkins HERE. It’s not just restaurants that are trying to get in on the fancy cloth napkin trend!

2. Download Ecosia on Google

This is perhaps one of the easiest, most-passive free eco-friendly swaps out there! All you have to do is download it once from the google chrome store, and that’s it! If you didn’t already know, search engines are massive money-making machines. When search engines like google show you ads, they’re making money (lots of it). Ecosia is just like Google, but they use the money they make to plant trees! You’re probably going to need to use a search engine anyway. So, you may as well support an environmentally friendly organization while you’re at it.

There are so many forests around the world that have been torn down for agriculture, housing, and mining. Those forests are not only essential to the survival of thousands of species, many of them endangered, but they are vital to the stability of our environment. They take CO2 out of the air, pump out O2, and prevent landslides and floods, just to name a few reasons. Ecosia is very secure, carbon negative, and very transparent in the ways they use the money they make. They also have videos and blogs showing all the good that they have done across the world with their tree planting. Learn more about Ecosia on their website HERE. 

3. Unplug appliances that you are not using.

This one does take some practice to get used to but will end up saving you money on your electric bill and help you reduce your carbon footprint. Nowadays, many people know to turn off lights when they’re not in the room or to turn off the faucet when they’re brushing their teeth. While this is all great, many don’t realize just how much energy is wasted on appliances that are turned off, but still plugged into an outlet. This kind of energy use is called phantom power. The average American household has 40 appliances plugged in at all times, drawing electricity from the power grid even when they are not in use.

According to the Energy Star website, phantom power costs the average American $100 in their energy bill every year. While $100 isn’t a TON of money, think about all your neighbors, your ENTIRE city, and state spending $100 per year on phantom power. That amounts to a lot of money and it is currently estimated that the US spends about $10 billion on this every year. Do your wallet and planet a favor by remembering to unplug the appliances you’re not using!

4. Buy fewer things!

I’ll admit that I’ve gone through shopping frenzy phases where I’ve shopped for and bought things I quite frankly did not need. Did I end up using the things I bought? Yes, maybe a few times, but would I have been perfectly fine without it? Of course! There’s just something so addicting about shopping. There’s a part of our nature that thinks we can find happiness if we have enough stuff, but no matter how much stuff we have, we will always feel like we need more.

Technology, appliances, clothing and makeup industries have a tremendous carbon footprint on the planet. This wouldn’t be as terrible if the products made were actually used and cared for properly. Unfortunately, the current shopping culture encourages people to buy things they will only use once or twice, just to throw it out and buy something new again. Just in 2017, 11 million tons of textiles and clothing ended up in the landfill (more about this here). All the resources, money, and labor that went into producing those products that end up in the landfill are simply thrown away with hardly a second thought. We can do better than this. We should do better than this. And it all starts by reconsidering the way we buy things.

Taking a month-long break from shopping is 100% free, will save you money, and help you reconsider your “need” for stuff. This doesn’t include essentials like food, toilet paper, or clothing items that are necessary (if you only have 3-pairs of underwear, there’s nothing wrong with buying more!). But for all other things, just stop and ask yourself if you need that product and will use it. Do you need a 12th black graphic t-shirt? Do you need to buy this ultra-popular eyeshadow palette even though you already have a similar one? The truth is, you probably don’t.

Of course, I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with indulging yourself every once in a while. But, buy products that you love, know you will wear or use, and that you need. And who knows? Maybe this will help you save hundreds of dollars per year! I realize that this is not a one of the free eco-friendly swaps, but its a totally free thing you can do that will benefit the planet!

5. Bike, walk, carpool, or take public transportation instead of driving!

This one you’ve probably heard of before, but is important to mention nonetheless. According to the organization, Union of Concerned Scientists, “cars and trucks account for nearly one-fifth of all US emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas.” This is pretty shocking and means that transportation is one of the industries with the largest carbon footprint, only coming second to the meat and agriculture industry.

And contrary to what Tesla wants you to believe, people do not need an electric car to reduce their transportation carbon footprint! Taking a bus, train, or metro is a pretty cheap way to get around places while using less carbon. Public transportation is not perfect and not carbon neutral, but is much more eco-friendly than driving around your car.

Some other options aside from using public transportation are biking and/or carpooling to get to places. Biking is a fantastic option for traveling within your city to get groceries or go to work and is carbon neutral. Once you own a bike, choosing to bike somewhere is a completely free eco-friendly swap. Instead of burning fossil fuels, you’ll be burning energy, getting active, and getting more fit too! Carpooling is also a great way to get to places that are too far away to bike to. Organize a system with your friends or coworkers to take turns driving each other to work and other places and you’ll be helping take cars off the road! Plus, you’ll end up saving money on gas!

No need to be perfect!

The road to an eco-friendly lifestyle is a long and imperfect one. You shouldn’t beat yourself up for little slip-ups or mistakes. Nobody is asking you to be perfect, and what really matters is that you’re putting in an effort to help the planet. And, you don’t have to adopt all these changes right away. Simply choose the most manageable ones for you, and when you’re ready, work your way up from there.

I feel that many people that are conscious about the environment and planet are discouraged from pursuing a more eco-friendly lifestyle by the thought that to be eco-friendly, one needs to spend lots of money, and be 100% zero-waste or environmentally friendly. Being realistic, that type of lifestyle is simply not an option for many people. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t try to make a difference. No matter how small that difference may seem. Plus, there are so many free eco-friendly swaps like the ones above that are great for those with a tight-budget. So go ahead and try something new, challenge your beliefs, and learn from your mistakes on your road to a more eco-friendly lifestyle!

Curious for more?

Find more eco-friendly lifestyle tips and recipes on my site. Learn how to make vegan tofu tacos, tofu and edamame rice bowls, and lentil veggie burgers! Or, if you want to learn more about how you can adopt a more eco-friendly lifestyle, check out my post on my favorite documentary on sustainability and 10 zero-waste kitchen swaps.