(estimated reading time: 7-9 minutes)
This is a guest blog post written by Aubrey Walter, student worker at Cherrico Pottery during her undergraduate studies at the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University. This post is a reflection of her work in the pottery office, assessing our environmental impact of shipping pottery to thousands of people globally. Enter Aubrey:
“Save what you love. A river. A mountain. A jacket. A pair of hiking boots. It all matters because it’s all connected…there is a powerful connection between treating our things as disposable and treating the people who make those things as disposable. And there is also a connection between the way we trash our stuff and the way we are trashing the planet, which is the ultimate source of all of that stuff.”
– Naomi Klein, qtd. in “Let My People Go Surfing”
People often ask us, “Is Cherrico Pottery natural?”
Yes, clay comes from the ground. Yes, Joel mixes his custom glaze recipes from natural materials, like wood ash, feldspar and silica.
But the truth is, everything comes from the ground. Even the smartphone or computer you’re using to read this was made from raw materials, which were originally mined from the earth.
How to Serve Customers and the Environment
At the time of this writing, Joel is currently throwing, glazing and firing over 500 pots per month. About 90% of those ship directly to customers’ doorsteps just weeks after he makes them.
How do we properly serve these avid pottery buyers, while still having deep respect for our environmental impact? First, we look to companies that have successfully achieved this themselves.
Every month, Joel requires each member of our team (including himself) to conduct “Reading and Research” to help us all learn the best ways to grow Cherrico Pottery, and ourselves personally. We read books, watch TED Talks, and post our quotes in the pottery office wall.
Recently, I’ve been reading Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard, founder and CEO of Patagonia. A passionate outdoorsman, Yvon was hesitant to turn his passion into a business, weary of corporations focusing on profit and production, often destroying the very environment he grew up enjoying.
But Yvon took on this challenge with the founding of Patagonia, breaking the rules of traditional business and committing wholeheartedly to environmental responsibility.
As Yvon writes in the introduction to the book,
“Despite a near-universal consensus among scientists that we are on the brink of an environmental collapse, our society lacks the will to take action. Patagonia exists to challenge conventional wisdom and present a new style of responsible business.”
During my time as a student worker at Cherrico Pottery, I’ve seen Joel and Sienna make these same commitments to environmental responsibility.
We use 100% biodegradable packing peanuts to ensure our pottery arrives safe and sound to our customers. These peanuts are made from an organic starch that will decompose in water, leaving no toxic waste.
But not everyone wants peanuts because they make a huge mess. They’ve even been banned by Amazon because they’re so inconvenient and messy. So, we’re experimenting with our new “EA Air Cushion Machine”, which allows us to make our own bubble wrap and pillows with a #2 recyclable film.
Doing More With Less
As we said before, everything comes from the earth. Every material has pros and cons. For example, paper is a renewable resource and biodegrades, but it requires a lot more more raw materials to produce than plastic. It’s heaver to ship, less protective for our fragile pottery (requiring more material) and cutting down more trees to make more paper isn’t a great solution.
Whether using paper, plastic or biodegradable starch, the most important thing is that you make an educated decision about what to use, and how much.
This TedTalk featuring Leyla Acaroglu has given us a framework, called a “Life Cycle Assessment” to look past environmental folklore and determine how we can make the biggest positive impact.
Tracing Our Trash
Once our materials are used, where do they go?
We are also evaluating our footprint as a business by tracing each item of waste. As you can imagine in a small business that ships globally, we need to consume a lot of materials.
But even small things, like our shipping labels and packing stickers, are destined for the trash.
Stickers and shipping labels cannot be recycled due to their adhesive contents that get caught in recycling equipment. Their waxy backing is made of layers of both non-recyclable plastic and paper.
The thin, jute twine that we use to package our pottery is 100% recyclable and biodegradable, but it comes wrapped in protective plastic that we cannot recycle. So does the bubblewrap and cardbaord bulk boxes on full 4ft. x 4ft. pallets- all entirely wrapped in non-recyclable plastic.
Each of these items, small and large, are essential. We couldn’t fulfill thousands of pottery orders, and maintain customer satisfaction and safety, without each of these necessary pieces to our puzzle of running a sustainable business.
How do we stay environmentally conscious, while embracing global demand for Cherrico Pottery?
Odd that #EarthDay exists as a day at all. Instead, maybe it should be extended to the whole year, and then repeated annually
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) April 22, 2016
Whenever we come across a new challenge, we go back to this mantra:
Even when Joel starting working with multiple Chinese factories to source a brand new type of Cosmic Mug, this mantra helped us to do it responsibly.
We call porcelain “Fine China” because the Chinese are simply the best porcelain mass-producers in the world, specifically for this type of “Tenmoku” pottery. It’s a specific type of intricate, black glazed pottery that you can learn about here, that the Chinese have been refining for 1,000 years. They can make high quantities of these mugs with both higher efficiency and quality than anyone else in the world.
After they arrive, the Cherrico Pottery Team individually inspects each mug for quality, then giftwraps them in our hand painted, recyclable cardboard boxes.
But what do we do with all the excess packing materials from China?
Over the years, we’ve examined and fine-tuned our process. We’ve implemented alternatives to the waste-generating and single-use aspects of our business, wherever possible.
So, instead of putting non-recyclable packing materials in the trash, Joel came up with a better solution: dunnage.
Dunnage Bags: How We Reuse Non-Recyclable Packing Materials
We now turn most all of our trash into “Dunnage Bags” to be used as packing material, instead of peanuts or air pillows. We simply put our excess, non-recyclable packing into biodegradable bags from the local co-op.
While these bags still eventually end up in the landfill, they allow us to reduce and reuse:
- Reduce our consumption of other packing materials
- Reuse these non-recyclables, instead of throwing them right into the trash
Did you know that you can reuse these bags in your own packing?
We know that our environmental footprint as a business is far from net zero, far from where it needs to be. And we recognize this. We are conscious of the waste we produce, the environmental impact our small business is having.
While many companies turn a blind eye to their waste, their emissions, their footprint, we have not. And we will not. Because the nature of our business, Cherrico Pottery, is crafted from the very minerals of the soil and the water of the seas. Pottery is an art of the earth.
Kenneth R. Beittel describes it like this in his article Zen and the Art of Pottery:
“Pottery is the humblest of man’s arts. Even before it became metaphor, pottery brought Earth to shine forth in man’s world. It is best when it is most earth-honest; that includes process-honest; fire-honest, honesty of being itself. Mere expressiveness has no depth compared with rocks and mountains, sand and sea, which speak of being and presence.”
Innately, our pottery craft requires that we be earth-honest, process-honest, fire-honest. It requires that we are conscious of our environmental choices. While many companies maintain a “business as usual” approach when it comes to environmental responsibility, we are striving to defy the norm.
Think Globally, Act Locally
There is a saying at the Local Blend Coffee Shop that serves meals everyday from Cherrico Pottery. “Think Globally, Act Locally” is their unofficial tagline. It reminds us that even the smallest act, done by anyone just within their local community, can have global impact.
We’re continuing to have conversations about our own environmental impacts here at Cherrico. How can we be more sustainable? How can we be a model of environmental responsibility for other small businesses?
We’re learning a lot about your preferences as our customers, and are continuing to look for ways to consume less.
We’d love to hear from you.
GIVEAWAY: What is one thing you do to be more environmentally friendly in your own life?
*GIVEAWAY ENDED 3/25/20. WINNERS: Jessica and kim mendez. WINNERS WERE EMAILed PRIVATELY AND NOTIFIED, AND THEIR COMMENTS WERE RESPONDED TO BELOW.
Leave a comment on this blog post before 2pm Central Wednesday, March 25th, 2020 answering the question above (What is one thing you do to be more environmentally friendly?), and we will pick two people to win two free “Random Cosmic Mugs” from our back stock, each paired with two book copies from our “Reading and Research” shelves: Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard. We’ll mail them to two of you for free (giveaway 21+ void where prohibited, no unicorns…view more detailed giveaway policy here: cherricopottery.com/giveaway-policy) winner will be chosen by Joel Cherrico and announced in the comments one day after the giveaway ends. Please allow 24-48 hours max for our moderator to approve your comment, and winners will be announced here publicly Friday, March 27th, 2 PM or earlier 🙂
I teach environmental ed to 6th grade students, along with earth and space science. This gives me the opportunity to potentially impact 110 future adults each year to become environmentally responsible adults. ❤️🌍♻️
Repurpose and reuse as often as possible.
Environmental responsibility is on all of us so thanks for the article!
I use a reusable cup with reusable straw at the water cooler at work – no plastic water bottles!
Great read! I’m a mom of two elementary aged boys. I make sure that their lunches are packed in reusable containers. In doing this we are reducing our waste and I am setting the bar for the next generation. Believe it or not, they sometimes compare who has the least trash at the lunch table!!!
buying and growing as locally as possible…. I joined the co-op as soon as I moved into town, and do most of my shopping there, supporting local businesses and restaurants that I can walk to. And using cloth toilet paper instead of paper, doing laundry with eco nuts. So much more, but still feel like it’s not enough.
I compost all the things!! My 4 year old is a stickler for recycling and loves to walk along the back roads picking up trash with me.
Take care of mother earth and she will take care of you.
Two changes we’ve made this past year have been my favorites and have reduced the amount of waste leaving our home. I replaced our paper towel roll with a basket of fabric towels and replaced our ziploc bags with reusable silicone storage bags.
P.S. One thing I wish you would do is to have a local pick up point for those of us in town so it doesn’t need to be mailed…
I re-use plastic bottles and refill with water/tea and re-use glass jars for soups & sauce. I re-use what I have.
I do the same! I use 3 talk water bottles over and over by washing them refilling them with fresh tap water.
I reuse all of my pickle, sauce, jelly jars, etc to store foods in and dried home grown organic herbs and teas in. I also stopped using k cups and now only grind a 7 day supply at a time of freshly ground coffee- using an old coffee grinder and store it in an upcycled jar and into the freezer.
All old used coffee hrinds go to my plants and they love it.
I shred my mail and use it for packing materials whenever I need to shop anything out.
We recycle as much as possoble. Wash clothes when necessary, meaning wearing jeans a few days. We composte and bottle vegetables for winter…hope to eventually visit your shop.
I made the switch to be more environmentally conscious years ago, and it’s been great getting my husband on board too! We use cloth diapers with our oldest, and will when our second arrives any day now. After buying our home we purchased a large capacity water filtering system to avoid single use bottles. One of my favorite switches has been my reusable filter for my pour over cover maker. Every little bit helps!
At the age of 55 I became a vegetarian and at the age of 57 , vegan. For animals.
I love that Cheririco Pottery works towards environmental sustainability and is so open about what is environmentally friendly and what is still being worked on. One thing I have recently changed is purchasing zero-waste natural cleaning products which have helped my allergies and saved a lot of space in my cupboard. A local store has recently opened where I can now buy food in bulk glass jars. The first item you pay for the jar and next time you return the jar and just pick up a new fill one. My partner has started using them already with myself soon to follow. Keep up te awesome work with the materials, packaging and posting.
I always try to reduce the amount of plastic I use- take reusable bags to every store, refuse plastic cutlery and straws at restaurants, and use reusable silicon pouches instead of plastic baggies.
I try to recycle all my leaves and kitchen scraps by having my own compost box and using natural everyday items to improve my lawn and flowers. (crushed egg shells for flowers and grass, banana peels for rose bushes, coffee grounds are also good for plants ) I do not use chemicals on anything,
Although small, my husband and I commute to work together. We align our schedules so that we never have to drive in separately and we work from home 2 times a week. I would love it if we could adopt the European model and invest in good public transportation!
Hi Jessica, thanks so much for sharing this. You’ve won the giveaway! Be sure to check your email 🙂
We do several simple things everyday: use a refillable coffee pod (instead of single use ones), and reusable water bottles and shopping bags too. We have “un-paper towel”, and try to buy in bulk. We also have a low-flow shower head and LED lights. And we’re trying to expand our “green acts” to other things, like composting, growing (some of) our own veggies, and using a push mower on our lawn…once the snow clears.
But perhaps the biggest impact has been using cloth diapers and wipes. There are so many positives from using them, like having no chemicals = fewer diaper rashes. They’re also so adorable, and they can save so much money in the long run; now that we’re diapering our second child, we’ve hardly spent any money on diapers. But we’ve also saved a ton (literally!) of disposable diapers from the landfill!!
Hello Cherrico Pottery Team. My household has three adults drinking 3-5 cups of coffee a day each. We recently switched from a Kurig machine to an older style coffee maker with a built in screen filter. This eliminated around 3k to 5k plastic k-cups a year into our landfills! Just a small change for us and hopefully a big help to the environment.
I’ve reused your dunnage bags when packing items to ship at work, I think they are a wonderful idea. We don’t use any paper products in the kitchen and whatever food scraps the chickens can’t eat we compost!
I started using bar shampoo a year ago. All biodegradable packaging and no more bottles in the shower.
I bought a set of stainless steel straws and have been using them ever since. No more plastic single use straws for me 😁
I try and save water. I put brecks in my toilet tanks to cut my water usage in half.
In order to be more environmentally friendly I almost exclusively shop at second hand stores. I buy most of my items there. Everything from towels and bedding to clothing and furniture is all second hand. I feel that shopping this way reduces my packaging consumption (such as buying from Amazon), it keeps my money from supporting child labor in foreign countries that make most clothing, I am re-using an item that someone else is done with (which isn’t the same as recycling but it is conserving) and in am usually supporting a positive cause such as Salvation Army which puts money back into our own community for hurting people. I have done this intentionally for these specific reasons for my whole life.
I have been doing a few little things to be environmentally conscious. One of the biggest changes that I’ve made is I only use a reusable pod for my Keurig and I use loose leaf tea instead of tea bags. One time use plastic is a huge problem and there is so much more to do but I watched a video on recycling pods, straws and “unrecyclable” plastic by putting them in a plastic bottle. That way the little pieces don’t get caught up in the recycling machine.
One man’s trash is another man’s gold. I try to buy only what I need, reuse and recycle what I have. Buy wisely and use thrift shops. Reuseable shopping bags, being Vegan.
I help to lead an educational group around going green in the office. Last year we had an event where we took plastic bags and turned them into mats for homeless vets. We also repurposed old company shirts into dog toys for local shelters. I also make sure to use a refillable water bottle and coffee mug at the office
I save packing materials too! Not only is it environmentally friendly but it’s a money saver too. Packing materials aren’t cheap! We also made the switch to silicone or waxed canvas bags instead of Ziplocs. Recycling is becoming more challenging with less countries accepting our waste so I’ve become more mindful of what I put in the recycling bin instead of “wishcycling.”
I really like that Etsy offsets shipping (fuel, carbon emissions) with positive environmental impact projects (planting trees, rainforest protection, clean water, etc).
I recycle as much as I can, and try to be aware of packaging of things I purchase. Most of my clothing comes from thrift shops. If something previously used fits my needs, there is no need to buy it new. My beloved pets are also “recycled”, in that they come from shelters, not breeders. While I am 76 years old, I have always tried to live lightly on the earth, to grow my own food, preserve/can/dehydrate excess food so it can be consumed later. I put on sweaters to avoid turning up the thermostat and consuming more energy.
When I ask myself what can I do to be more environmentally conscious, it seems on surface level that I already do my part. Yet, there is a pesky aging issue for me. It takes time and energy to recycle. My energy level is not what it once was. I have caught myself taking the easy path, as I grow older, buying a product with wasteful packaging, tossing a glass container in the trash in the kitchen instead of taking several steps more to put it in the recycle container in the garage, to take to the recycle bin out of town. (My town does not pick up recycling, and it is an effort and a commitment to recycle. Truthfully, it is a PITA!) What I can do is remain committed, take the time, move things around to make it easier, and enlist help from younger family members and neighbors. Recycling, preserving food, being environmentally conscious has never been easy. But it is rewarding. I can foresee, as I age, I may need help, and that can be an opportunity to educate others, pass down skills, and foster community. Reaching out, educating,and fostering community may be my most important contribution to being environmentally conscious. It has been a way of life for me, now it’s time to pass the torch.
To help the environment and animals I choose to live a vegan lifestyle.
Being a patron, will I get a Chinese made mug? I do not want one from China. If that’s the case , I’ll cancel being a patron.
Hello Rose, thank you for your patronage. No, the Factory Made Cosmic Mugs are not something we offer Patrons because the retail price is only $36 each. Patrons at the Cosmic Mug level get one of our handmade Cosmic Mugs, valued at $165 each, shown clearly on patreon.com/cherricopottery. Thanks again and please email our Customer Support Team anytime if you need anything: patreon@cherricopottery.com
Lots of great ideas from your post and especially the comments section for reducing, recycling, and reuse! We work hard to be mindful of our impact on the earth but it sometimes feels futile. For instance, I’m not sure that our city is still properly funneling all our “recyclables” to factories that process them for reuse. So I really need to rethink some of the things that end up in there. We do all the usual stuff like using reusable bags not just for groceries and farmers’ markets, but for that rare trip to the department store or thrift shop. We don’t own a Keurig and use metal filters for coffee. Have turned my teens onto thrifting for clothes and they love it. We love used book stores and Little Free Libraries. Trying to spend more money on experiences like travel or tickets to a music show instead of buying stuff for gifts. We already have too much stuff.
Wow! Just reading how you and your wife are environmentally conscious of how to make wise choices on how to operate your business efficiently for yourselves, and for the world we live in, is very inspirational . It made me sit back and think of things that maybe I could do also to keep the future of our earth in shape for all of our families to come!
It’s all about the little things we all can do together……..and in the end ….the world will be better! I too, will learn from the reply’s from everyone! Thanks!
What will our children think of what we’ve left them? What will our legacy be?
If everyone makes one small change for the better, it will be one huge step in the right direction.
Wow! Great article!
Dunnage bags are great and I wish I more companies would give thought to them. For me, opting out of junk mail, even things like car dealership advertisements, thats a must do. I live in a rural area and really don’t need ‘junk mail’. I also try to consolidate deliveries whenever possible. Less consumption matters.
I purchase Cherricopottery. Loving the pottery means I live more environmentally friendly. No need to purchase and constantly replace. Pottery that will last my lifetime and be passed to the next generation.
I just bought wool dryer balls to replace dryer sheets. If I’m getting rid of anything I will donate it instead of throwing it out. I’m growing my own veggies this year as well.
I switched to glass straws and brew my own tea instead of buying bottles. I use my Yeti cup for water consumption, ditching those plastic bottles. I also consolidate car trips to one day instead of multiple trips and wasting gas/emissions.
In a galaxy far far away was a boy and a girl that made beautiful pottery.
I try to buy responsibly. I ask myself if I really need the shirt, shoes, whatever and if I already have enough of this item. I also donate instead of just trashing things.
I try and reuse and recycle as much as possible. (My city collects the recycling) Buying and shopping at consignment shops. Using reusable grocery bags, refillable Keurig pod, growing vegetables and using a composter. Overall being aware and trying to improve the environment.
I use bees wax coated fabric and reusable covers instead of Saran Wrap. I use reusable, silicone pan liners instead of aluminum foil.
I’ve been a recycler since the 70’s, when we experienced our first gas shortage. I still conserve my driving, not driving out of my way unless I have more than one place to go to.
Because of this I do a lot of on line shopping. Needless to say I had accumulated tons of air pillows and bubble wrap and packing peanuts (not much of the latter anymore, than goodness).
I advertised in FB marketplace my collection of air bags and found someone who does online selling so he now takes all my air pillows and bubble wrap.
I also save egg cartons and found someone who sells fresh eggs to take my cartons.
I have never met these people but we are all into saving our planet.
I also have been wearing my boys’ t-shirts that are 25-30 years old.
I do donate a lot of clothes to our town that has a thrift store and the proceeds help teens in our area.
With FB marketplace I’m able to get rid of items for free, as there is always someone willing to take it
One year my son was remodeling his house and he rented a dumpster and many of the things he was throwing out I was able to recycle.
I donate towels and blankets to the local animal shelters.
I’m thrilled that our state has now done away with plastic bags, unfortunately that should have been done a long time ago.
I still have my first coffee mug that my mom bought me when I got my first full time job in 1972 but I would love a new mug! I could pass it onto my granddaughter!
We throw very little out now and it makes me feel good!
I started litter free lunches for my daugters’ lunch boxes this year because we were using so many ziplock bags. We now use reusable snack and sandwich bags each day. We buy our snacks in bulk as much as possible and compost any leftover food that comes home.
We try to eliminate throwing away food. We also carpool to work.
I make my own shampoo bars removing the plastic bottles from my shower and the landfill. I make my own soap for showering and shaving so no more plastic bottles or cans of shave cream. I also just purchased supplies to make beeswax reusable food covers and bags. I also only use paper bags for my customers who buy my soaps. I’m the No plastic bags soap lady. It’s important and it all adds up. We recycle all glass and plastic.
We all need “stuff” and we all have have certain desires to have extra stuff. However, when I need something my first go to is buying from an individual, such as FB marketplace. It’s a small way to help out someone needing to unload an item, like the couch I bought last week, and also keeping these items from being additional waste. It’s a win for all. I’ve also tried to teach my children (now teenagers) to be mindful of what they use, and what they waste. Reuse furniture, clothing, shopping bags, accessories and save buying the extra things we want on unique items that you can’t find everywhere. Make the new purchases meaningful and original…when you can. Support local businesses, and learn to give back to your community by shopping and perhaps participating as a vendor in farmer’s markets.
Crafts with my kids. Bottle Cap Fish, Paper Towel Roll Bird Feeder, Egg Carton Dragonfly, Water Bottle Fish, Tin Can Creatures & Milk Carton Robots.
Just one thing… I just can’t name one so here is a brief list…
reusable shopping bags,
only wash laundry with full load and on cold,
recycling of paper, plastic, cans, & bottles,
gave up my car and take public transportation or carpool,
turning off lights unless I am in the room,
Oh the list just goes on… every little bit helps!
I buy shampoo and conditioner from Plaine Products. The aluminum bottles are shipped directly to you and when empty you send them back to the company to be reused. They are sterilized and reused many times before needing to be recycled.
I’m also a thrifter. I’ve thrift shopped for wool or cotton sweaters to deconstruct and reuse the yarn for crocheting. When buying new clothing I try to consider the material it’s made of and how long it can last for me. I seriously consider not buying anything made of acrylic, because of the microplastics the clothing sheds during washes.
Excellent article. I’m inspired to see what changes I can implement in my business.
There are a few things we have done at home to help the environment. We recently bought a Soda Stream, which means no more plastic bottles and pop cans. We also switched to a brand of coffee that makes recyclable pods for our Keurig, keeping several pods out of the trash each day.
We’re lucky to live in a city that has a very extensive recycling programme, including “green bins” for organic materials that are composted into soil.
Most of my correspondence and bills are done via email and direct payment, meaning less paper is being used.
Small steps, but moving in the right direction!
plastic bags go to dog park or knit into something- totes,mats, etc. broken mugs, mirrors(worked in a salon) colored bottles used for mosaic cement fun. compost- get coffee grounds from coffee places to give plants a caffeine buzz. my favorite- putting everything on the solar dryer( clothes line) even have a line inside to use – puts moisture in the air in the winter.
This was an interesting read. I like how you shared the obstacles that your business faces throughout the whole process in living out this mission, as well as sharing tips that you’ve found helpful. Your transparency about your art and craft from start to finish, is what draws me back to your page and videos. Plus you make some pretty awesome pottery. I love that you’re finding ways to reuse materials. I’ve totally done a version of your “dunnage bags” a few times. For years now, I’ve been using empty egg cartons for packaging material. I hope you’re enjoying your new work space.
We use cloth totes for our groceries and we use a glasses and reusable straws and we always recycle any plastic and cardboard and anything the is reusable we reuse it, if we order out and it has cartons we reuse them as many times as we can lol we also try to use as much eco friendly cleaning materials, we also do trash pick up along the rivers in our area.
Hi ,our household reuses our grocery bags for ALL trash cans in the house ! Saves on plastic, that goes to the landfills ,or that ends up in our oceans.if we are out of trash bags,ITS TIME TO GO GROCERY SHOPPING! 🙂
multi things- plastic bags go to dog park or knit into something- totes,mats, etc. broken mugs, mirrors(worked in a salon) colored bottles used for mosaic cement fun. compost- get coffee grounds from coffee places to give plants a caffeine buzz. my favorite- putting everything on the solar dryer( clothes line) even have a line inside to use – puts moisture in the air in the winter.
I use water bottle filter to avoid buying plastic water bottles. I have a metal straw to avoid plastic ones, when I go to the beach I bring a bag to pick up any garbage I find along my walk.
We maintain a bin of worms. Red wigglers eat most things organic including fruit/veggie scraps, bread, coffee grounds/filters, tea bags, grains, plant trimmings, paper, leaves, etc.
I use a reusable copper cup for water every day. I try to stay away from plastic bottles and trying to stay away from plastic straws. I just bought the metal reusable straws to carry with me.
One of the thing’s my family and I love to do is go to the beach and pick up trash. One of the rewarding thing’s besides doing this is, that my children are involved and appreciate the fact that we are helping the environment, keeping the beach clean and making sure the animals are safe! We recycle everything we can possible! And each kiddo knows exactly what piece of recycle item goes into what bin! Thank you! Much love!
Hi Kim, this is awesome! You’ve won the giveaway. Be sure to check your email 🙂
I don’t use weed killer. I pull my weeds by hand. I plant flowers for the bees. Compost as much as I can. I save my seeds for the next year. If I go on a walk I will pick up trash when I see it. It’s not much but I hope to do more . I feel if someone sees me that it might motivate them to do the same.
In order to be more environmentally friendly I intentionally tell waiters not to bring me a straw when I eat out and converting my house – low flow shower heads, dual flush toilets, low-e windows, etc.
I don’t use weed killer. I pull my weeds by hand. I plant flowers for the bees. Compost as much as I can. I save my seeds for the next year. If I go on a walk I will pick up trash when I see it. It’s not much but I hope to do more . I feel if someone sees me that it might motivate them to do the same.
I always use reusable bags and when I go to Dunkin I bring my Dunkin cup with me to be refilled instead of getting a plastic cup.
I mulch my yard and plants with grass clippings instead of bagging them. My family also recycles everything we can from cans to paper goods and even boxes and junk mail. We also use reusable cups at Starbucks and for drinking water, instead of buying bottles. I even pick up trash on the ground that others discard without a care. I do what I can so that my grandchildren and future generations will have a environmentally safe place to grow up in.
At my preschool, we save and recycle the plastics and papers from packaging at breakfast and lunch and we incorporate them into creative mixed media projects for the children and use them for water and paint containers. Teaching about recycling and encouraging reimagining of “trash” brings a new dimension to their art.
Electing to do dishes (for one) by hand provides time for reflection – especially when one has a view window over sink area – and tactile enjoyment of handling beautiful silverware and stoneware dishes including some of my own and one piece C pottery! Eating mostly raw – there are few pots & pans!
Doing dishes by hand – when guests have shared a meal – provides great time for story telling and sharing!
All of the pkg from you I put a note on what is recyclable in case they don’t know. When we are out walking we pick up trash especially if we are on beach. I don’t know if this counts but we try to eat locally grown pest free food.
We got rid of all the disposable plastics in our home & use things like metal straws & reusable cups!
I use refillable metal water bottles, so no more plastic water bottles. I now use Joel’s coffee mugs instead of foam coffee cups. I also recycle the glass food jars for storage around the house and recycle all of my trash that can be recycled. The latest step I have taken is to utilize Amazon primes option to have all packages shipped on one day to save on packaging waste.
Greetings~ I do my best to make my footprint smaller in as many ways as I can. Composting all of our vegie/fruit scraps, buying many needed items second hand. I just got my first Vitamix blender, found on a FB sale page. But one of my Best reuse strategies is as follows… I was Blessed to recieve a very old and very worn out quilt that my GrandMother made; it is unusable as is, but I couldn’t bear to throw it away. I recently began to make Star Quilts and quilt them by hand. Instead of buying new batting, I will use Her quilt as the batting on the inside of a new quilt I am making. It will be Wonderful to have a quilt made of two generations of fabrics, time and Love! I am exited and proud that I am able to create such an Heirloom, and one that will keep someone warm at night. For me this is one of my greatest ways of showing Respect and Honor to my GrandMother, to the Earth and keeping a resource alive and useful for another generation to come. I am Blessed. And would so Love to be enjoying drinking from your incredible artworks, while reading something that has inspired you and your team! Also, this is perfect timing for me, as my Birthday is on the 15th of March, and this would be the best 61rst Birthday Gift of all time! Thank You for Creating such Beauty and Loving the Earth while doing it ~ in more ways than one!
My family tries to “make everyday Earth Day”. We do not use single use plastic in the house when it can be avoided. We buy our toys used, it’s economical, and it keeps more toys from going to landfills. We use old clothes that were too tattered to donate (cut up) to clean around the house instead of paper towels. Lastly, we purchase glass/metal whenever possible over plastic.
I do several things in my family’s everyday life to reduce, reuse and then recycle. I have always packed our lunches in reusable containers and using lunchboxes till they wear out.
But my biggest impact is probably my hobby of crafting. I don’t run right out to the craft stores but use things we would have thrown out or from thrift stores to make seasonal home decor items for us and our families. From the item I am up cycling to many of the supplies I use I try to lessen our impact on the earth.
I participate in my local buy nothing group. Anytime I have something I no longer use, I share to the group and someone who can use it takes it for free. Things are constantly passed along and shared among my town. I also like to try and turn what trash I can into art. We make alot of decorations out of things most people would trash.
I recycle at home, & I take reusable bags when I go shopping. It feels like just the tip of the iceberg as far as things I could be doing, but it’s a start. 🙂
When I grocery shop I only use paper bags. I also make it a point to reuse those bags as often as I can for future trips. Such an easy thing to do and I’ve turned my friends and family onto it by supplying them with their first half dozen paper bags.
I use bamboo toothbrushes as it takes 400 years for a plastic brush to break down and approximately a billion brushes are thrown away in the United States annually — that’s 50 million pounds in landfills😁✌
The one thing that has made the biggest impact reducing waste in our home is buying whatever I can at the bulk store using our own containers.
I was very surprised at how many items I can get there and how much packaging was saved. Our recycling bin takes a lot longer to fill now.
Thank you for this article, it was a great read.
I no longer use plastic. I use canvas bags for shopping, shampoo bars, conditioning bars, soap sponges. Natural deodorant rather than cans. This has proven to reduce my waste and that makes me extremely happy. Its never too late to make changes to help our planet no matter where in the world you are.
Blessings everyone.
We try to be very conscious of our waste production. We burn paper trash that is safe to do so, and we reuse anything we can. We rarely use disposable dishware and when we do it is non-coated paper materials that biodegrade quickly or can be safely burned. Compostable materials are used for such and the resultant product is used for gardening or spread in the woods to encourage more growth of oxygen producing plantlife. These are all so easy and do not in any way inconvenience anyone in the house. My parents raised us to be conscious of what we do and how/what we contribute to the planet in a realistic way. It’s almost impossible to be 100% eco-friendly, but we try to do our best. The most important part is to just be aware, ask yourself what will happen to the piece of waste in your hand and if there is a better way than tossing it into a trashcan. When I saw Cherrico was also conscious of their waste production, it made me love the company as much as I love the pottery. I have only one cosmic mug but I use it everyday, I love every detail of it from the spiral form that fits my hands comfortably to the beautiful coloration and the way each mug is unique. If I could afford it I would fill my kitchen with all Cherrico pieces.
We only use organic clean products in our garden. We add new plants and food every year and also devide and spread what we have. We also pot up and share with family and friends. We have free range chickens and feed them leftover foods that don’t belong in the trash. We compost their waste. We share eggs. We have a compost we use as well that we put back into our soil instead of garbage. We recycle daily.
We hang our clothes up to dry. We try to do our best to help with the environment. ✌
We recycle the foods we eat such as banana peels, egg shells, coffee & tea, to make our own compost for our plants & vegetables we grow at home. We use only recycled materials & recycle our trash. I only drink my coffee in pottery or porcelain mugs. I only buy porcelain or pottery plates, bowls, & mugs. We try to do our part , to save our planet .
I always use a metal straw, regardless of where I am at. I’ll even refuse to let the waitress/waiter leave straws on my table when I am out to eat (politely of course). I also use a reusable water bottle whenever and wherever I can. Such a small thing but we have to start somewhere.
I live in the mountains of Pacific northwest, I love nature,everyday on my walls I take care of plants that might need a touch, old limbs and dead leafs off of the new growth so it go go to the forest floor,I connect to the animals and birds, try to help them naturally, I pick up any trash other humans may leave,I recycle plastic,glass,cans,and any other items possible. When I craft items I try to reuse . Right now I have old fencing wire, using it to wire wrap stones. I use all natural cleaners, a n.v d I never let old meds get into our environment. I also garden to help bees,let’s say I try in my own little space
I brought my own silverware to work. It permanently stays there so I don’t use disposable every day for eating lunch.
The older I get, the more painfully conscious I become that my personal choices impact more than just myself. I’m not perfect, but am always challenging myself to get better. I advocate on my social media sites on ways people can make small changes. I eat a mostly plant-based diet. I am conscious with my purchases (ex: I minimize plastic and styrofoam waste where possible. I partner with a local farm through their CSA and try to shop local in other ways where possible. I compost and recycle. I use canvas bags when shopping. I generally just try to be very aware of my choices and the impact that they have. Thanks for bringing awareness to this topic!!! 🙂
Besides recycling, using resuable bags, jars, straws, buying bulk, etc I try to put an emphasis on reducing my consumption, buying/trading local used, and not producing trash in the first place. Used goods/ traded goods have less packing and environmental impact from production than buying new. I try to remember to reduce, reuse, and repurpose to the best of my ability before I rely on recycling (which, depending on the area, is not always reliable). I also take the time to walk or bike if at all possible, instead of driving. Remeber all, we don’t need everyone to be perfect to make an impact, we just need everyone to do their best effort and it will make a difference!
I try not to buy plastic
I dont use single serve items as much as possible. No k cups, water bottles, single serve snack bags. Have a beautiful day!
A few years ago I realized how much plastic waste I was creating unnecessarily by buying bottled water. I decided to buy a Brita water pitcher to cut back. I also try to recycle my plastic bags and card board. It’s not a lot but it’s far more than I used to do and more than a lot of people in this world do.
I make my own face and body scrubs with coconut oil and sea salt, placed in glass containers (working on making my own soaps, detergent and toothpaste) I also refuse to purchase bottled water. I carry my own filtered water in my reusable flask.
A well written interesting & positive post! I am so happy to read this, changes are badly needed, so the more who join on the better we will all be. Trash is at an all time high it even circles the earth as space junk, it can be found in the Marianas Trench, in micro pieces swallowed by birds & fish, mixed in our soil. I believe we are creating more garbage today than ever before in history. Thank you Joel for making a difference through your Pottery business, & fantastic work ethic . Earth deserves our full attention, Take Care
Not only do I reuse as much as I can, and I recylce, I reuse anything I can find uses for. Today I took a pile of wire that came off a fence. Cleaned it up, and I’m now wire wrapping with it. Old bard wire can make great art. Painting, and recovering some golf cart seat to make them last longer, I use old cloths and repurpose into quilts,bags for shopping ,I grow garden,preserve food,for humans and birds,bees,squirrels. I save broken old jewelry to make fun art work out of.oh and my shoes,well I have had a few pair of boots for over 20 years now. It just goes on and on, I just hope what I do can make a small difference in our world.
It’s so hard to just pick ONE thing, but my family uses a PUR water filter system in our home to eliminate plastic waste, plastic is consuming so much of our oceans and it can literally be avoided!
We use a lot of refillable containers such as a jar for tooth powder that we can take to the local co-op and refill. Our spices we do the same thing. It’s not much, but it’s just that n much less little plastic things that will have to breakdown in the landfill. And when we’re done with them, we can use them for something else, or re-home them where they will get used. I also bring my own cloth mesh produce bags and cloth shopping bags to the store.
This is great and inspiring! I switched to the beeswax wrappers for wrapping food instead of using plastic bags or ceran wrap. My boss gave me a sample of it a few years back and ever since then I’ve used it. It’s saved us money and is environmentally friendly!
We use glass water bottles and participate in “fill it forward” which helps bring potable water to low access areas. We use biodegradable doggy bags, natural detergent in paper packaging, bamboo toothbrushes and bite toothpaste (no plastic tube), solid shampoo and conditioner (no plastic bottles). Reuseable zip bags for snacks instead of plastic ones. Recently switched to blueland cleaners which are cleaning tabs that go in reuseable bottles instead of throwing away empty plastic ones. French press coffee (no plastic pods, no paper filters). Easter is coming and we use real grass and biodegradable eggs. Bidet attachment cuts down on toilet paper. I found a version if a Swiffer mop that doesn’t use batteries, has washable pads, and refillable reservoir which I think it just awesome. Paper lawn/leaf bags can be mulched instead of plastic ones.
Also super recommend the Mighty Fix, which is a monthly subscription that sends you an eco alternative to things you would use every day to help make gradual change in your life.
It’s a work in progress, but we’re trying here!
My son and I live in a rural community. When he was three, I was able to purchase our first home. (I’m a single mom of one son, Mitchell.) He helped me set up a “recycling corner” in our kitchen, which had small stackable slotted containers to separate the different items. Each day he would help mom rinse, break down and put the items in the proper container. Our town does not have a Recycling Center, so Mitchell and I would gather our items and take the trip to one of four County Centers each week. I would educate him about the impact we were making. Over the years, recycling has been a part of our lives and he enjoyed it. We saw that we had less and less because of the choices we were making in our purchases! Mitchell, who earned his Eagle Scout Award at 13 years old helped fellow scouts learn about the three R’s “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse”, he educated others in school and we had fun together helping others set up their own “corners”. We try not to have much of a footprint, but if we do we are as responsible as possible. 😁♻️♻️♻️♻️😁
All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream
~Poe
I will use less water and be more diligent about recycling
I reuse packaging (as long as it’s in good reusable condition) materials: boxes, bubble wrap, padded envelopes, etc. Plus it saves me money as well.
I use reusable bottles and encourage and teach my young nieces and nephew to do the same and why its important to as well as reusable straws.
I avoid using prebottled water whenever possible and instead have reusable water bottles at work and home that travel with me everywhere. We also compost our kitchen scraps including coffee grounds.
I am within walking and biking distance of many businesses in my hometown so I usually ditch the car to run errands around town unless I can incorporate it into a trip that I need to make out of town!
We have been recycling for years and I like to repurpose things or donate what clothing and household items we can’t use. I think every little bit counts. We taught our daughter the same and now our grandson.
I live in a rural area, so I was thrilled when our town finally started a recycling program. For years I have used cloth towel and re-usable bottles, storage bags and shopping bags. I also stopped drinking soda and bottled water.
I never use disposable cups at work or home. I recycle every at every opportunity, and try to live as minimally as possible.
Aubrey
I reuse boxes to send things to my Daughter. I have also reused the packing peanuts that Joel used along with his boxes. I recycle and pick up trash on my walks. I know there is more that I could be doing. I am a work in progress.
I try to recycle as much as I can. I take all I can to recycle center and I use junk mail as scrap paper. We live in the country so we have people littering on our road😡 l walk to pick up litter (from fast food bags to beer & soda cans,never ending cycle but I do it to try to keep our road trash free.
I have a Girl Scout troop of 27 girls and young women. We have talked extensively about the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” process. I’m sure you know that GS cookie season has just ended. We have 600 cookie cases (corrugated cardboard) that we will be turning into cat scratchers and donating to the local animal shelters and rescues. I asked the girls to come up with a way to reuse them and this is their idea! Very proud of my young ladies – they are truly trying to be environmentally conscious and follow the GS mantra of “leave no trace.”
I switched my plastic straws for bamboo straws! And I also only use glass Tupperware.
My family and I always use personal water bottles, no one-use plastic. I am also careful to recycle properly so as not to contaminate with non-recycleable items, which was a process of educating myself and my family on what actually goes in the bin!
I love to teach my children the importance of being Earth friendly. In my experience in teaching I find that it helps to learn by doing, especially if by doing you can make the world a better place. As a family we reduce, re-purpose, reuse and recycle. We also try to: open windows to let in fresh air and sun when it is a nice day, save rainwater for our lawn and garden, plant a food garden each year, save electricity by turning off lights when not in use and using eco efficient light bulbs and appliances, buy local and go to farmers markets, use reusable containers for food and drink (including when we are out traveling), swap clothing and other things with people or give them to thrift stores or consignments or re-purpose things, use rechargeable batteries, and use natural cleaning supplies and hygiene products. We try to buy organic, all natural, nontoxic, eco-friendly, biodegradable and/or sustainable products when ever possible.
I don’t have a winning response. I do my best to conserve things. I do appreciate all that Cherrico Pottery does in this regard (not even mentioning the wonderful art). Reading all the efforts posted in this blog lets me know that one person’s efforts can affect everyone … including me!!
My family and I use personal water bottles, no single use plastic. I’m also careful to recycle ONLY the correct items so as not to contaminate. It’s been a process of educating myself and my family on what actually goes in the bin and what does not, and now we #RecycleRight ♻️ 👍🏼
My wife and I recycle like maniacs now that we live in an area that has a great recycling program.
We try to be really aware of the items we buy. I recently switched to a chemical free home which means less waste with bottles from cleaners. We also really try to buy stuff that we know can serve multiple uses. For example I try to buy products in glass so that the bottles can be reused for other purposes around the house. If I do have to use disposable items such as plates and forks I only buy the ones that are compostable. For food item we buy in bulk and store in glass or bags that I’ve knitted from upcycling old clothes. I don’t buy new clothes often as this can also lead to extra waste. We live in a society where I feel like people just buy just to buy not realizing the amount of waste it creates. Everything I buy has a purpose and I always think twice before I purchase anything and I also think of the end goal with each product I purchase. I ask myself when I’m done with this where will it end up?
I am so happy to see all that you do and consider for your business- I wish more would! Our family are almost all Vegan/Vegetarian. We grow many of our fruits & veggies organically, can/freeze our surplus in containers that we reuse over and over. Our scraps and yard waste are composted. I have all re-purposed/recycled bags and containers for bulk shopping. We get around 80% of our household goods, clothing and shoes from resale and consignment shops (& we all hand-down, then donate out grown shoes and clothes) and small-business craftsmen. We recycle as much as we can that can’t be reused, my husband scraps all available metal. He has taken down many old barns for the wood & tin… we have reused that for building projects and re-roofing our home. All that being said, our family tries to always remain conscious of what we do and how we do it.
I’ve bought used clothing! I guess that counts as being environmentally friendly, considering all the waste produced by clothing / “fast fashion,” and the like.
I recently read on the Website for the Guardian newspaper a really interesting article on structural stone as being more environmentally friendly and having a smaller carbon footprint than concrete. So I recommend that piece for anyone interested in buildings and architecture.
I live in the City of Chicago, so I am a witness of all the ways my fellow Chicagoan’s chose to disregard the trash can at the end of the block. Their favorite things to litter being plastic bottles. I like to think I am helping the earth one plastic bottle at a time. We also have a $0.07 bag tax, so I bring extra bags with me every time I go on a grocery run and I hand them out to people that don’t bring their reusable bags. That way I am saving some people money and the earth from plastic bags even if it’s just 1 🙂
i am reducing plastic that we use in our household. more recycling of cans, cardboard and anything else we come across.
We are a reduce, reuse, recycle household! We have paperless billing, led lights, & a smart thermostat, we walk or ride our bikes wehever we can, take travel mugs for drinks at work and on-the-go, use reusable bags for shopping, shop secondhand, donate to thrift shops, pass long “hand-me-downs,” and recycle what we can. My students who are deaf, blind, & deaf-blind with multiple disabilties, as part of their pre-vocational training, also offer a shredding service where we shred documents for people and donate the remnants to local animal shelters when they’re in need of it and to businesses who pack breakable items! What we can’t find a home for, we recycle! And they collect aluminum tabs –recycling the cans and donating the tabs to our local Optimist Club for their philanthropy projects.
I use glass draws and bring a mug/tumbler whenever I get coffee.
I just recently bought some re-use baggies. I started making my hubs lunch again for work and I was getting worried about the amount of sandwich baggies I was using. Thankfully he is on board too and brings them back in his lunch bag (so far 😉 for me to simply rinse out and dry over night for the next day. Thank you for making huge strides to make an impact on the environment!
I recycle and compost everyday when possible, and use reuseable bags at the grocery store. I also use Grove Company for all my household products, they are environmentally friendly and plastic neutral. I think if everyone did something small everyday to help conserve energy and the environment, it would go a long way to help the whole world. Thanks to everyone who does what they can! Mother Nature appreciates it!
I always go paperless whenever possible. I recycle anything and everything that is recyclable.
I’ve started brining my own straws and reusable drink trays when I’m out and want a treat. I’m prepping to start producing and selling reusable products from home. All the waste has always bothered me, I’ve been involved in recycling and composting and ecological gardens, since I was in elementary school and we started all of those programs at ours. I love how Cherrico uses biodegradable packaging and how you’re always looking at new ways to cut down on the business’ footprint. I’m proud to be a supporter and customer of Cherrico! 😘💕
One small thing is saving coffee grinds for compost!!
I recycle everything I can.
One thing I can do to be more environmentally friendly in my own life is to cook at home more. With work and having chronic daily pain, it is so much more convenient to get take out and throw away the trash. By cooking at meal prepping at home, I would be using containers that could be washed and then reused. This is one of my goals as I start my weight loss journey. I am proud to say, that I have stopped buying water bottles 🙂
I started making my own cleaning products that are not so harsh for the environment. I switched to a Brita filtered water system, instead of using so many plastic bottles. In turn I use reusable travel mugs. I also started making my own coffee in the mornings and not stopping at my favorite coffee shop with their styrofoam cups.
I started making my own cleaning products that are not so harsh for the environment. I switched to a Brita filtered water system, instead of using so many plastic bottles. In turn I use reusable travel mugs. I also started making my own coffee in the mornings and not stopping at my favorite coffee shop with their styrofoam cups.
Recycle, recycle, recycle (I even recycle the cardboard roll in the middle of toilet paper). Bring reuseable bags to the stores when shopping. Reusable pod for the coffee machine. Pick up garbage and recycle it when appropriate. Donate textiles when possible. Garden, compost. I’m sure there’s more..
City Compost had a display at our local Farmer’s Market. I was interested and took reading material and over the next two weeks made a mental note of how much compostable material I threw in the trash. It was significant. I signed up for their services. They pick up the bucket biweekly and will give me a bucket of compost dirt in a few months. I only have one trash bag per week now. They charge a minimal fee but I feel it’s worth it and believe in their mission.
ONE THING of the many:
I was appalled to see so many plastic water bottles thrown out in my household. I replaced with a water purifier receptacle and when placed in the refrigerator keeps water cold and easy to dispense.
My family likes to make both big and small changes where we can but my most favorite subtle change I love to share with people is Bite Toothpaste bits! They eliminate the plastic tubes by being packaged in a glass jar and so convenient to use when traveling! They also make bits for kids, so they can enjoy the product as well!
I carry reusable straws, utensils and a mug with me everywhere I go!
We recycle everything we can! Anything that can be reused, gets reused. We also use toothpaste tablets, reusable water bottles, reusable ziplock bags, beeswax food covers, and compost for our garden to name a few. Water is conserved along with power in our home. We grow a lot of what we eat. We’re a family of 6, with 4 teenage boys! So lots of food! We use natural cleaning products and never use any chemicals on our gardens. The boys use hand-me-down clothes, but when the youngest outgrows them, they either get donated or made into something else. We’re still learning and trying new green techniques.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle! I avidly recycle, and have raised my daughter to do the same. I also reuse as many products as possible to keep our waste to a minimum. I also regularly compost organic matter and grow my own vegetables.
We’ve been using our own shopping bags for years.
We recycle all that our recycling center will allow. We use our own bags when shopping.
I am an avid Gardener something I have done since I was 11 years old I do quite a few things I save old clothes and make quilts and other items out of them upcycled everything from 10 cans to glass bottles even wine corks I have a compost pile I always take shopping bags to the grocery store I do not like plastic at all I also am huge on recycling I think I’m the only person in the neighborhood that has three recycling bins
I recycle, re-use and re-purpose everything that I can. I donate a lot of items that are in good condition. I have been working on reducing my plastic usage/purchases as well.
I have a soda stream so I can make my own sparkling water & sodas to cut down on the us of plastic bottles I also have reusable bags so I don’t use the plastic bags from the store.
i started a branch of the Escarpment project in my small town, we had over 100 volunteers come out to clean up the waterways and paths. The project has over 1000 volunteers who gather annually to clean up 🙂
My 15 year old son and I like to pick a country road to cleanup every spring. It gets very addicting, because you just see more and more litter, and it’s hard to stop at some point. My goal is to organize a “Clean up your neighborhood” event and take pictures of how much trash and recyclables humans literally throw onto our earth. Thank you. 💚
This year I purchased a Nespresso machine for both home and office when they were on sell for less than some other coffee makers. Their pods are 100% recyclable – and I recycle all of them. This has stopped me from going to Starbucks every day – and instead of using disposable cups, I drink all my coffee in Joel Cherrico Pottery mugs!
We recycle our aluminum cans. We also reuse plastic bags that stores give out in our small trash cans. We roll up our paper into a log and use it in our fireplace to heat our home. When ordering from Joel we put in a comment that we do not need the brochure that he sends because we already have one. We have a compost to put our food waste in and to feed the worms. We rake up our pine straw to use as a bedding for our garden and other plants to keep out the weeds. We take our cardboard boxes and other materials to a recycling center. I use my refrigerator water dispenser to refill our gallon water jugs. I take all my old candles and melt them down to make new candles. I collect rain water to use on plants and my garden. I buy beans, rice etc in bulk and put them in glass jars that I bought from yard sales. I use old blue jeans to patch up torn jeans and recycle any material to make a quilt or throw for winter. This is just a small amount of things I do to recycle. There’s more.
I use reusable water bottles and try to reuse or recycle whenever possible
we’ve really gotten big into composting – makes me feel so much better
I teach kindergarten kiddos how to reduce reuse and recycle. We do several projects during the school year. April is our biggest month of activities in class. We bury different materials in soil to see how quickly they return to our earth.
I’ve been gradually switching to reusable alternatives from single use plastics. Like coffee tumblers, shopping bags, Ziploc bags and straws/utensils. I wish I could do more, but it can be expensive to do it all at once however, i figure one thing at a time is certainly better than nothing!
I take my own reusable bags to the grocery store & I brew my own coffee every morning & drink it in my Cherrico mug. 👍☕️😊
I recycle everything I possibly can- weather it be containers from food that we have used or clothing from child to child. We live in a small town that requires us to recycle, but most people mix it in their trash 🙁
I never litter and I quit using plastic straws.
I have begun the switch to chemical free cleaning products using by therapeutic oils instead. I have also switched to cloth grocery bags instead of plastic ones. I recycle cracked unusable pottery dishware into plant pots.
i re use magazine we cut them up for bead and use them for jewelry and use the beads once on the bead are made then if have other thing newspaper the paper come in they use it for paper mac-hie for baloons gift or penyata
To help save the Earth, I use packages from food, pop, and other household items, including junk mail to make Journals. Some become the Covers, some become the pages. Then I Art in them instead of buying “new” journals, which just wastes more trees.
Thanks for all y’all do to save our Planet!
In my job I have to print many things throughout the day. The printers all default to printing one sided. I can’t figure out how to change the default so each time I print I manually change it to two sided printing. I was amazed at how much paper I saved. At least a ream a week!
And I’ve also made the switch to homemade beeswax wraps for food storage.
When I go shopping I use my own bags for my groceries, I recycle ♻️, I don’t waste precious water. I teach my daughter to conserve and to not pollute the Earth. I show her how to recycle and to reuse things. I take her out on nature walks to show her and explain that we must take care of our planet because this is the only one we have. When we go to the beach we always pick up trash and anything that may pose a danger to the marine life. I believe we must teach the next generation to heal and take care of the earth. We were out here to maintain not destroy and sadly that’s exactly what I’m seeing. Must save what we still have and reverse what has done. Thanks for doing your part too.
I love that you guys uses reusable material. My daughter was so excited at a received STEM event when she got to proudly name a business that uses dissolvable packing peanuts. Not only that, but since I saved them her teacher was able to uses them in a lesson later with the kids without purchasing more. Thanks Cheerio for all you do for a better world.
I recycle my aluminum cans, plastic, cardboard (will cut off labels from boxes shipped to me) and use a reusable cup with a straw for my tea/coffee or whatever else I decide to put in it.
Love your videos and pottery. Still hoping to get a piece soon.
I have a water cooler in my house for me & I collect rain water for my plants. I let the creeping charlie, clover, dandelions and perennials take over my lawn to keep the pollinators busy! I grow my own veggies & forage when I can. I shop local as much as possible & recycle. I also buy beer in a can so I can donate the empties to my local animal shelter!
You’re a wonderful human!!❤❤
One new thing that I do to be more environmentally friendly is recycle used coffee pods. Instead of throwing empty capsules into the rubbish, I place them into a separate container so that I can recycle them at my local Nespresso store – this way they get a new lease on life and I get to reduce my environmental impact.
It doesn’t directly have to do with waste reduction, but I use the clothesline when ever possible to reduce dryer use.
I follow the old adage my Granny taught me: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
Only buy what you need to live. Because all the junk we buy just ends up thrown away in a landfill.
I try to purchase most of my shoes and clothing from sustainable companies.
I live in a 200 sq ft tiny cabin. I buy only what I need, as I can’t fit anything else. I try to buy products with as little waste as possible because even my trash can is tiny.
Love this! Proud of your self control!!❤
I think it’s important to recycle and to donate clothes and food to the needy. Because that extra can of soup or extra sweater in your closet that you aren’t using can make a huge difference for someone who is suffering. Homelessness is a huge problem just in general.
I think it’s important to recycle and to donate clothes and food to the needy. Because that extra can of soup or extra sweater in your closet that you aren’t using can make a huge difference for someone who is suffering. Homelessness is a huge problem just in general.
I became a vegan, in part, because I wanted to help the environment. I also only use reusable straws and shopping and produce bags.
With two kids we accumulate a lot of *stuff* – we’ve gotten in the habit with the kids of donating boxes of toys and clothes whenever they get new ones (e.g., around holidays, birthdays, etc.). It helps keep the house tidy, but also gives the kids a great sense of community, sharing, and finding new use for old things.
I think it’s incredibly important for ALL of us to do what we can to live more sustainably if we want our kids and grandkids and so on to have flourishing lives on this earth. Since our government hasn’t deemed it necessary to take critical action it is up to all of us to make the changes. I have moved my diet to less meat & more vegan options, as well as replacing my household goods with renewable and reusable options. Even just these easy small choices make a difference every day.
We recycle everything that we can. Old clothes go to Salvation Army. Food goes in a compost. Coffee grinds go in plants.
Wow! I read many of these comments and even what others are doing has inspired me! I got on to see of I could get a free mug and left happy with the knowledge of all that you for the environment and all that others do.
I am in a state that does not require reusable bags but I use them all the time. I live in an area that people ask me why I use them and am able to share my passion for recycling.
I cannot tell you what a blessing this article was! Thank you for all you do at Cherrico Pottery! Also, I do love your work!!
There are many ways we have started to help the environment. Reduce, reuse, recycle as much as possible. Started our own garden to start and donate excess to our local food bank when possible. Replaced bounce sheets with wool balls with essential oils. Replaced all lights with LED. After reading previous comments I’m going to start using cloth towels to replace paper towels. And source out some shampoo & conditioner bars as well. Thank you Cherrico Pottery for giving us a chance to win one of your most coveted mugs. I’ve always wanted one but can never afford it. Good luck too everyone. 🙂
We use canvas bags for all our shopping, including reusable mess bags for produce. We keep them in each vehicle. We take home containers to restaurants to put leftovers in to bring home. We compose our food waste. We have minimized our clothing, wearing pieces longer and purchasing used clothing. We purchase several items in bulk, including cleaning supplies body care supplies and food items.
I recycle aluminum & other metal items, plastic bottles, reuse glass items & plastic items, recycle paper for a press, recycle metal items from a local chicken house farm. I buy used items, like clothing, instead of new. I’m recycling porcelain & glass items for mosaic & tile work.
I recycle glass, plastic, tin cans, boxes….every week.
Use a reusable water bottle made of steel n use reusable straws.
Make fun art projects with my grandchildren using egg carts, boxes, packing supplies, envelopes, and all kinds of supplies that we can repurpose.
I save your packing materials for personal storage or gift packaging. Thanks for the great reusable packaging materials in your shipping.
Good article n the Ted Talk was very interesting.
The company I work for has recently started charging for plastic bags to deter people from using them and to encourage reusable totes. This alone has helped me change my “single-user” plastic habits. Since January, I keep about 10 totes in my car for grocery shopping, I purchased a Brita water bottle to reduce my water bottle waste (I was going through a case of water a week, now zero), and I have switched my food storage containers to glass. I have started cleaning up trash and cigarette butts littering the grounds of my apartment complex and the Mardi Gras beads littering the roads in my neighborhood. It saddens me to see so much wasted plastic.
I recycle what we can’t reuse. Compost food and yard scraps that go baby into the garden. I try to find used furniture instead of buying new
I reuse containers that perishables come in, I don’t litter, I pick up litter when I see it. I used reusable coffee filters.
Recycling. Not something I’ve always done and still not a recycling master but I think I’ve made some good progress. I’m also a “reuser”. I’m somewhat of a reducer but this is an area I can work more in.
Even before it was a trendy thing to do, we always reuse and repurpose things. Plastic bags are reused, plastic food containers cleaned and used again for different storage or for crafts or stuff like that. Around here just about everything gets a second life/purpose.
I save 1000 gallons of water a year by turning the faucet off while I brush my teeth.
We’ve always reused or returned our plastic bags from the grocery store. Two years ago we stopped buying water bottles. that one was hard as even with multiple filters our water is a little icky, but we did it. We’re always looking for new ways to reduce our impact.
I use reusable water bottles and bring my coffee cup to Tims or Starbucks ! Kids use reusable containers and I’m just purchasing the reusable wrap to try it out and own bags to all stores !
We are almost paper free. No paper towels,plates, bowls, etc. Reusable as much as possible. Always looking for new solutions to single use/limited use products!
I have made a move in the past year to use environmentally friendly products. From natural hair products (in reusable or recyclable bottles), to switching to a more natural and sustainable wardrobe, to reusable bags, water bottles, straws, etc. Anything big or small you can do it a contribution towards a better future.
Ive been reusing everything I buy since I was a child. I am 43. My mom was a hippy so this helped me learn a lot about helping mother earth. I use cloth grocery bags, I make my own cleaners from essential oils. I make my own paper and use when appropriate. I make my own paints for me and my girls to make art with, and a ton of other things. I’m teaching them all the ways to reduce our footprint and leave something better for the future. They are 12 and 8 and love our mother as much as me. We adore your art! Thanks for this opportunity.
I stopped using single use products (water bottles, utensils, straws). Everything helps.
We take reusable bags to the grocery store every time we go, I make reusable grocery bags out of old tshirts, and we recycle and repurpose everything that we can
I’ve been making small changes in our home from getting rid of all the toxic “cleaning” stuff to nature friendly ones, working on changing all plastic containers to glass, taking small steps to being self-sufficient (starting to grow fruits & vegetables, having our own chickens & ducks, storing water & having a filter so we won’t have to buy bottled again), using reusable bags/boxes as opposed to plastic bags, oh man, I’m trying to change our whole life around(😭🖤). My husband has started to call me a hippie🤦🏻♀️ but I guess I don’t mind if it means it’s better for us & our planet🤷🏻♀️.
Been using cloth bags for shopping and for gift wrapping for many years.
I teach my kids to be kind to the earth and always pick up trash on the ground which my kids call litter bugs.
As a family we’ve done beach clean ups and ‘Upcycle’ activities! But I think the best thing we’ve been teaching our kids- is to leave a place better than we found it!
At 9 and 7 years old our kids are really starting to get that! Weather we go to beach and pick up trash as we leave, recycling at home, not being wasteful, and having a heart for service.
I’m proud to be a parent raising conscious kids, we all have a responsibility to better this planet.
Thanks! -Jess and Sean Mackay
Recycle bottles!
I simple try to recycle all I can. I go the extra step to find where I can take plastic bags to be recycled. And I reuse where possible.
Like many, I bring my own shopping bags to the store. I use them to collect my groceries as I shop. If I can’t fit it in a bag I brought with me, I don’t get it. Keeps me from over-buying things on an impulse as well.
I use mason jars for packing my lunches & leftovers instead of “reusable” plasticware that I could never seem to find the right cover for. I keep a set of utensils at work to use daily and wash instead of plastic that gets tossed afterwards.
The biggest thing for me is that I learned last year that you can textile recycle. I had no idea. In the past, when I had old socks, jeans, tshirts, sneakers, etc. that I was getting rid of, they always went in the trash when they were beyond being donation-worthy. Now it goes in the textile recycling bin. Best of all, if they decide it is in good enough condition to be donated, they will donate it, rather than recycling it.
Our household makes about 95% of meals (and drinks!) at home reducing one of the major contributors to waste being the fast food industry. Planning goes a long way in this action. Meal prepping at home also stops the excess waste from overbuying. And our secret weapon is our ceramic crock pot!
I bought stainless steel straws. Try to recycle the things I can. Not always perfect though.
In our home we shop local, make our own meals or purchase meals from local businesses who shop from local farmers. We recycle and reuses all that we can. Living outside the city we are able to grow some of our our food and share it with neighbors as well.
I take recycling seriously and try to reduce what goes in the garbage by donating items.
I’ve tried to reduce my plastic waste over the last few years. There’s lots of thing a I’ve done, from switching to reusable straws and cups ONLY to bags for shopping. I try to shop in bulk to reduce my plastic packaging purchases too. My favorite, though is I just recently started to grow my own tea, which is so amazing!
I do best to help reduce my economic footprint by working out outdoors! When I do workout at a gym, it is at a solar powered gym !
I use cloth pads. I also try to use reusable glass or ceramic bottles and cups whenever possible.
I am a very environmentally friendly person. I do all the usual stuff everyone mentioned in their posts above, but more importantly I make it a point to educate and teach my kids the importance of doing their part in preserve their environment. I teach and show ways to be enviromentally friendly.
I’m trying to walk/ride my bike more for errands, waste less food (eat all I make), and reuse/repair items around the house. I bring cups/water bottles to work and don’t use disposables. Keep heat down and lights off. Turn the faucet off when brushing my teeth and take short showers. Clothes washed in cold
In addition to reusing and recycling I am an avid composter and user of the compost. I include used paper towels and Kleenex as well as the usual carrot tops, apple cores and potato eyes. I also wash rather than peel most vegetables. I am about to start planting vegetables in my three raised beds and the raspberry canes are already showing promise. Best of all, I’ve eliminated all but a small patch of lawn and have planted low water use plants and lots of flowering plants for the bees and butterflies. We can’t expect Nature to love us if we don’t love Nature.
Hi Joel!
My name is Katie, I currently am a student at UMass Amherst. I chose umass because of its incredible environmental programs. My major is Natural Resource Conservation, with this major I am able to learn so much on conservation and sustainability. UMass being so amazing for sustainability uses all compostable plastics in dining halls and areas. What I have done to take this one step further was purchase one of your cosmic cups. This was the cheapest option for me as a college student, although when used for hot drinks as I typically did on campus during cold months, because I could not afford the mug with a handle at the time I crocheted a sleeve for the cup. This way I was able to use the cup on campus and help reduce my waste! For future travel I realized using the cup and the crocheted sleeve I made is extremely useful and minimizes the risk of a handle breaking and I could not be happier with my purchase! Thank you so much!
*edit* during the cold months, the mug was a bit too hot to the touch. This is why I decided to crochet the sleeve in order to hold the cup more comfortably 🙂
I have eliminated almost all of high water use lawns; only a small patch remains. I plant bee and butterfly friendly plants and mulch to retain water. 24% of household water in the Okanagan is used for lawns. I put a bucket in the sink to catch water from cleaning vegetables and washing dishes and use it to water outdoor plants. We can’t expect Nature to love us if we don’t love Nature.
I recycle everything that I can now! I cut the plastic circle pull tabs from our coffee creamer and the plastic rings from a 6pk of beer or soda cans. My family and I have a compost pile outside. When my laundry pile gets too high(I loathe doing laundry😅) I make sure to wash in cold water. I make my iced coffee at home now using a tumbler instead of going through 2-3 plastic cups with plastic straws every day. I have also switched to silicone and paper straws. It makes me feel good knowing that I am making a difference in the world.