Five Tips for a Sustainable Summer

As summer temperatures rise, you might find yourself looking to escape the heat. This summer, cool off sustainably with these 5 tips to keep cool and sustainable all summer long.

Plastic-Free Hydration

One of the best ways to beat the heat? Stay hydrated. Get the perfect plastic-free summer refresher with these tips:

• Reusable Water Bottles: 60 million single-use plastic water bottles are thrown away every day, just in the U.S. Choose a reusable water bottle this summer to stay hydrated, save money and cut out plastic waste. Plus, if you can find an insulated reusable bottle you can keep your drinks extra cold.
• Reusable Straw: We all love an iced summer drink, iced tea, lemonade, iced coffee, and sometimes straws make it easier to keep hydrated! But if you can, opt for a reusable straw this summer. Aluminum, silicone and glass straws are all great options to cut down on plastic.
• Fruit Juice: If just water isn’t doing the trick this summer, try a fresh squeeze or lemon or lime to add an extra kick without the plastic from juice containers.
  

Energy Saving Cool Down

As temperatures rise, so can our energy consumption. Whether that be energy use from air conditioners to fans to …. Here are some tips to help keep your energy consumption low.

• Unplug: Though we may want to leave fans and air conditioners always on, the energy use can really add up! Unplug devices when you leave the room or your home, especially if it’s a energy heavy appliance like an a/c. Power strips are an easy way to “unplug” a bunch of your devices at once with easy on/off switches.
• Close the shades: We love to let the sun in on a summer day, but if you’re looking for an easy way to keep cool without adding more energy usage, keep the shades closed. Keeping the shades closed helps keep out some of the warmth from the sun.
• Optimize for airflow: A nice summer breeze can go a long way towards keeping you cool. Keep windows open if you don’t have an air conditioning unit, to help cool off naturally.

Plastic-Free Deodorant

Something we can’t go without during the summer is deodorant. And luckily, there are now plenty of plastic-free versions to keep you smelling fresh this summer without plastic waste. There are tons of great options to try, but here are some of our favorite formats:

• Plastic-free roll on deodorant
• Plastic-free deodorant cream
• Plastic-free deodorant bars

Choose what works for you and have a plastic-free hot girl summer!

Sustainable Beach Tips

Looking to head to the beach to cool off? We’ve got a few tips to keep your beach day sustainable:

• Pack a trash bag: Litter always finds its way to our beaches and waterways. Don’t bring anymore. If you’re bringing things to the beach, make sure you also pack a bag for trash so you can take out everything you brought in.
• BYO everything! A great way to keep beach waste is to bring reusable items you already have at home: reusable cups, napkins, and cutlery are a great place to start.
• Leave the shells: We love looking for seashells on the beach, but remember those beautiful shells are often home to some of our amazing sea creatures. Snap a pic of your favorite shells then leave them behind.

Plastic-Free Sunscreen

Finally, it’s not summer without sun protection! Make sure you get your SPF ready to go with some of our favorite low waste sunscreen options.

• Plastic-free sunscreen stick
• Plastic free sunscreen

Check out these two options from Raw Elements!

Keep your summer fun, filled with sun and sustainable with these tips!

Interested in more ways to live sustianably? Check out this article on small steps to live more sustainably.