As the climate crisis looms ever closer, most of us wish we could come together to help the environment. But as individuals, we often feel paralyzed to rein in the disasters and keep our planet from melting, all while witnessing how corporate polluters only add more fuel to the fire. Thankfully, there is a way to lessen the devastating effects of climate change, and it all starts with our everyday choices.
So let us introduce you to the 'ReduceWasteNow' project. This online purveyor set out on a mission to share advice about simple life adjustments that can help us do our bit to protect the environment. Their 'Old Me vs. New Me' series reminds us that we have a personal responsibility to back away from a wasteful life and mitigate our ecological footprint one meme at a time.
In hopes of a better future, we at Bored Panda have gathered some of their best tips and tricks to spread some environmental enthusiasm. As you scroll down, be sure to upvote the posts you found most useful and share your own eco-friendly solutions everyone must know in the comment section below! After you’re done reading through this piece, check out Part 1 of this feature for even more 'Old Me vs. New Me' goodness.
More info: reducewastenow.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
This post may include affiliate links.
Christmas fabric is 100% reusable. Christmas themed table cloths from the thrift store work great. Even a handkerchief tied with ribbon is better than brown paper.
Graydon Lawson knows that little changes can make a difference. He is the founder of ReduceWasteNow, an impact-focused social enterprise that offers sustainable solutions for people who care for future generations, the well-being of animals, and who want to do their part in the fight against climate change. His mission is to help hundreds of thousands of everyday people make an impact by helping the environment on an individual level. However, he explained that in 2018, he founded his project for the wrong reason.
"I first started ReduceWasteNow solely to build an audience," he wrote on his website. "At the time, I was creating my own reusable coffee mugs with an overseas supplier. The plan was to build an audience on Instagram with my new account 'ReduceWasteNow' by posting content related to environmental issues. Then, I'd advertise the reusable coffee mugs on that account."
But after a few weeks, he began to realize the dire situation of environmental issues affecting our planet and chose to take immediate action. He abandoned his idea to promote reusable coffee cups just three days before the launch. "At that moment, I decided to do everything in my power to help the environment. So I began researching and sharing simple, actionable ways people can help the environment," he noted.
We have cats. Everyone knows we have cats. Yet we keep getting poisonous bouquets of flowers. I know I know I sound ungrateful but it sucks when someone spends what I consider to be too much money for something I can’t keep in the home. My flower loving neighbor is thrilled so it’s always fun to bring them to her. My point….flowers aren’t always a good gesture.
Then, the following began to grow. As of this writing, the ReduceWasteNow Instagram account has accumulated over 361K followers who want to start implementing simple alternatives to move towards a greener Earth. "It was clear to me that people wanted to learn how they could live more sustainably, but something was missing. People didn't just need information, they also needed the right tools to take action," Lawson added. So in 2020, ReduceWasteNow launched its online Zero Waste Shop to provide people with the right tools and knowledge they need to reduce their ecological footprint.
Almost every top I wear came from the goodwill store. Generally pay 5-7 dollars for shirts that would be 40-50 bucks at the mall. Also, all of my glassware and most of my plates and bowls from goodwill. Nothing wrong with saving money.
One of my favorite dress tops came from goodwill for $7 with the store tags still attached saying it was $60.
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The best part of living in romania is the abundance of thrift stores for clothing. Regular clothing items range in prices of $0.20-$3, and the most expensive jacket i've bought in 10 years was a ankle length leather duster, which cost $19. My wife and i go digging through new inventory once a month or so and walk away with half a dozen pairs of pants and shirts, each, for less than $40, and quite often it's the same stuff we see currently selling in the mall. We once found 2 pairs of brand new Doc Marten boots for $15 a pair (both in my size) which are normally $225, though those have been my only exception in buying shoes, i'm happy to pay full price for comfy foot gloves.
This! I tried to go to Goodwill to buy some more office appropriate attire after being transferred to my "corporate" office when I was promoted, and everything is sorted by color only, not size. After spending about 30 minutes going through the racks, I didn't find a single thing in my size that I would want to purchase and gave up. It was a humiliating experience.
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I've been a thrift shopper my entire life... I was teased mercilessly by all the kids in school.. who knew I was so ahead of my time?? I still love thrift stores :)
You can also demand fashion stores to stop trowing away perfectly good clothes :D
I go on holiday soon and pretty much all my clothes in my case are second hand but excellent condition - £4 for Ralph Lauren shorts still with tags ain’t bad!
My daughter is almost four and growing like a weed. I went to the Goodwill to buy her summer clothes, and I got 5 shirts, 5 pairs of shirts, 2 dresses, a nightgown, and a pair of shoes the next size up from what she’s wearing now - all for about $20. If I’d bought all that new from Walmart, it would have cost me upwards of $75 - for things she’ll wear for a few months then grow out of.
Wearing goodwill clothing allows me to recycle the remnant bio signatures of the previous owner. Gladys' precious love of kittens can now be shared by many, due to her intense passion and penchant for excessive skin cell shedding. This is why it's best to wear the clothes before washing them.
I actually prefer to wear second hand clothes from goodwill. Something about encapsulating the bio signatures left by the previous wearer in the fabric brings me joy. On Tuesdays I feel like 45 year old Sharon from retail, on Wednesdays, Mrs Brannigan from the greenhouse. Weekends I prefer jerseys and jock straps.
Can't get to an op shop, as they are only open during working hours, and when one does open up on weekends, it's usually over priced, stocked with stuff that stinks and is only is sizes too small or too big. Big department stores sell clothing a lot cheaper than most op shops.
Every piece of clothing I own ( except underwear and socks) had come from thrift stores that actually give back to my community. Not Goodwill. It's a win/win. I've now dress in named brands . Never could have imagined wearing a pair of lucky jeans until I found a used pair for 5$.
I shop clearance racks 50% of or more only and coupon needs to be able to be used. Actually I don't pay full price on anything ever.
90% of my wardrobe is from the op shop. Bras, underwear and socks are the only things I buy new.
Most of the time I get new clothes cheaper then second hand. I shop clearance racks
Also, use the tape that's strong enough for it's purpose. I received a parcel with nice plastic free paper tape on it. Only the tape had broke on the way, half of the content had gotten lost, postal services had fixed the parcel with plastic tape, and the sender needed to ship another parcel to replace the missing items.
As a woman, I was skeptical of doing this myself, but honestly, I do not regret switching to a safety razor at all! It is so much better than the disposable ones.
The founder of ReduceWasteNow told us in a previous interview that he has been operating his social project alone ever since he started it. "I create all of the social media content, write the weekly blog posts, and manage the store — all while trying to balance school at the University of Victoria," Lawson told Bored Panda. "It's a lot of work, but every second is worth it. People seem to be really grateful to learn simple, actionable ways they can help the environment, and I love helping them do exactly that."
And aloe is such a fast growing plant. Don't be afraid of breaking off pieces to use. They will grow incredibly fast.
Dry the herbs. You're wasting oil. And, apparently, storing herbs poorly in the fridge.
Lawson mentioned that social media is a great tool to educate people about the climate crisis and what small steps can help us fight it. "A lot of people use it every day, and if you want to see how you can be more eco friendly, all you have to do is visit ReduceWasteNow and you have access to hundreds of different ways you can help the environment," he said and added that social media is also a perfect place to talk about your interests with your friends. "So if someone really likes this Instagram post about sustainable products that save you money, they can just tag their friends in it, and maybe that inspires them to try some of the tips and be more eco friendly as well."
As you’re scrolling through the 'Old Me vs. New Me' meme series, you’ll notice they touch upon a host of environmental topics. It addresses responsible consumption, recycling, excessive plastic use, food waste, and many other themes. It also explains how to build healthy and environmentally-friendly habits and move toward a more sustainable lifestyle. And at the very least, it reminds people to consider the impact their choices will have on the environment. Lawson told us he gets most of his ideas from his company's followers and always pays attention to what they comment on across ReduceWasteNow’s social media accounts. That way, he understands the demands of everyday people and knows he's sharing information about what's important to them.
However, the fact that laws, international agreements, and systematic changes to how corporations operate are required to prevent the devastating effects of global warming is nothing new. That's why some people disapprove of individual efforts and believe that changes we implement into our daily lives are meaningless. But Lawson thinks this is far from the truth. "If more and more people vote with their dollars, try their best to live more sustainably, and continue to use their voice as well as their vote, change will come," he expressed his belief in the power of the community.
But vinegar comes in a plastic container... You're not helping anything..
If you have a clothes line why use a dryer at all? Living in an apartment now clothes have to dry on a closed in balcony, I so miss being able to dry them outside.
does anyone know where to buy a good lint roller? I can't find a single good quality, reusable and affordable one.
"Cooper, one of my best friends, made a great point about this as well, and I 100% agree with him. He said, 'Due to the rise in popularity of social media, it has become easier for individuals to voice their opinion, and to have their opinion heard and shared. As a result, corporations are facing the largest amount of social pressure in history, which has the potential to create real change. The power of numbers has never been so great.'"
Lawson added that nowadays individuals can speak louder than ever before and that we can create real change "by using our collective voice to tell the big corporations what we want. All we have to do is step forward, and speak up."
Don't use hot water for blood, just a fair warning it won't come out as easy
What's wrong with compost? Then next year you have good dirt for growing your own greens.
Sorry, no. In our house, those are used for first aid, and I'm not compromising our health to save on a few ounces of garbage. Some things take precedence. It can be made up in other ways.
Note: this post originally had 77 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
This post is a really good example of how environmental responsibility is put on the individual, when it belongs to corporations who are responsible for creating the waste in the first place. Half of these tips are about what to do with plastic packaging, when the question should be; how does the manufacturer change their packaging so that it is made from fully reusable or biodegradable products?
Couldnt agree more , 100 companies are responsible for 71% of the pollution. Consumer level recycling is not making a dent in this and never will.
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I'm sure this is a wonderful person but I wouldn't want them to serve me a chilled beverage. Ice cube roulette.
Load More Replies... Old me: runs a huge corporation that polluted the environment. New me: shuts down the corporation that pollutes the environment, starts a new one that doesn't pollute. Those are the people who need to be making changes. An individual faffing around with reusable this and that is just being kept busy so that they don't have the mental bandwidth to engage in activism.
I can see the pros and cons of making changes in one's habits. If I understood correctly, it can be a distraction to prevent people from committing to activism to change policies, laws, regulations. It also lets corporations off the hook. The one possible pro is that someone starting with their own life may be more open to activism (organizing campaigns, research etc.). I don't know that shopping carefully to reduce consumption sucks a lot more mental energy than carefully shopping for the latest gadget.
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Ok agreed... I'm all in when it comes for us simple folks to do our part for the environment.. But. A huge but. I feel that we've come to a point where we feel guilty when we are not mainting this lifestyle 24/7. You know what? We shouldn't be feeling this way when there's about 10 major companies in the worls that are literally ruining the earth as I'm writing this. They've made us believe that is up to us and we're evil if we don't comply. I call big time bs
Wow. Everything old is new again eh? Been doing this stuff for more than 40 years now, myself. But you kids gotta start somewhere. Go for it !
My thought exactly. When I read these posts I'm torn between "this hype detail is going to have 0 impact on the environmental situation" and "of course there are recyclable garbage bags, where do you live? Of course you line dry your clothes whenever possible, is this news?"
Load More Replies... Main thing I've learned is, wow, I had no idea how many people were storing food so poorly. (Second, frugality is finally "cool", so I've been cool my whole life! Who knew? ;-P )
My thought exactly. The main issue with that is that seems to be a hype of the moment, so it is likely to pass...
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I just picture freezers full of ice cube trays with everything but plain old ice
You just made my day. I laughed so hard and I wasn't supposed to.
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They aren't claiming there is anything bad about composting. They are suggesting that making a vegetable stock out of those scraps prior to composting them extracts more value from the energy that went into producing them and the cash that went into buying them.
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total c**p, only going for house owners, that are either too rich (and thus damaging much more than a plastic scrub, or too poor and hard to accuse and doing most of these things already. also, a trade trap for the 'bio' market that is dumbly expensive since the evil makes profit even from good, a feel good mask for those doing the damage (see the dude covering the c**p in the comments section) and unrealistic solutions, like filling your fridge with even more plastic to save half avocado once in few months, arbitrary savings for some resources instead of others, even more important (like water, time and electricity), insignificant effects and overlooking of more important ones, irrational examples (like where to find so many soapnuts? also, instead of composting, shouldn't we also replant them?), food or fuel dilemmas etc. In brief, a way to ease the guilt for those provoking the ecological hell. enjoy the avocado grown in a tree in your own pot on a window in Minnesota!
Um, I did these all my life, and spent a lot of it in apartments, rented. That said, the fetish for putting everything in ice cube trays is really unnerving me.
Load More Replies... Not sure I have the time or mental energy to do many of these, but what I like about nearly entry on this list is that they save money. Buying expensive "energy-saving" gadgets and spending a fortune on "green" products usually doesn't actually do much for the environment; if something "green" costs more, it's probably very un-green "upstream." For instance, those celebrities weren't directly helping the environment by choosing Tesla Roadsters over "gas guzzlers" (although they probably indirectly helped by building up a car company which now produces cars with a lower cost-of-ownership than gas guzzlers). Also, cheap food is often very unhealthy. But if going green means "reduce, reuse, recycle," moving away from conspicuous consumption, or developing a simpler lifestyle, you're probably being truly less harmful to the environment.
I’m never sure if switching to some things that seem better actually are. I suppose reducing any plastic waste is good, and using all your leftovers makes sense, but replacing things with other products might result in more water usage, more air miles or other issues.
What is it that annoys you about the list? Do you feel that the choices that consumers make to reduce consumption are insufficient? Is it that changes should be made at a higher and more widespread level (such as laws against plastic bags)? I'm asking on the off chance that I might learn something.
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So basically just garbage content meant to push the blame on individuals for climate problems and not big corporations plus private jet owners being the problem
It isn't an opposition to composting. It is an opposition to wasting food.
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Wasn't this post just a huge list of things this webpage uses to promote their super eco-friendly-extracool products?
We should also try to take the car as little as possible. Also don't leave the engine running when you stop the car even for 5 minutes (it happens a lot here in Greece). Don't blast the AC to freezing conditions in the summer. Don't throw garbage in the recycling bins (also happens a lot in Greece).
Many towns are spending $$ on throwing away what you thought was recyclable. Make sure you know what your town is currently accepting
Thank you Frank, I think we all know there is a problem and instead of the big bully on the playground getting in trouble we all desperately look for ways to avoid him while still having fun. Can we all stop hiding behind the big box tree and all point our fingers at the corporate bully and say "bully bully your a bully" so he is shamed and goes to sit in the corner and think about what they have done wrong?
It's interesting how so many of the ideas have comments that reject the environmental suggestion made. Why not filter positive feedback for each idea to reinforce its value?
Please Take a Look at my Insta Page. There you can See a Lot more Wastelesshero ideas 🥰instagram.com/wasteless_hero
Alot of these seems to be solved if you grow your own herbs and only take what you need.
Old them bought too much. New them still buys too much but instead of composting, repurposes the scraps.
As with anything, take what you can from this to apply to your own life and leave the things that won't work for you. Having said that, some of these tips are nonsenserubbish lol
I gave up on gift wrapping a few years ago. Now I take the not-wrapped gifts out of a big bag and the not-very-censored one-liner out of my mouth. No one's complained yet about the lack of wrapping. If anyone ever did, they'd get a bonus one-liner, "Oh dear, I didn't know you wanted some wrapping paper and a ribbon as a gift."
Some are just too much like take the water from your shower for your plant (which are dead anyways). It only takes 7 seconds to heat up. I would be too slow too. I gave away all the gift wrapping supplies I had because I decided not to gift anymore. I use Mason jars to keep some of my stuff in the fridge to last longer - it does work, contrary to what people think. I buy what's on my list - I made a menu before going shopping - and when I prepare the meals I use up what will spoil first in the fridge instead of waiting at the last minute. I also freeze all my meat in individual containers so my prep is half done since I'm also adding all the spices and the add-ons like the veggies. For ex. if meatloaf is on the menu, I prepare it without cooking, then freeze it. My husband and I have been doing this over 30 years and we get ~1-2 small bags or organic out per month, tons of recycling. We set the garbage out every 2 months (2x 30l bags); they don't smell BTW.
This post is a really good example of how environmental responsibility is put on the individual, when it belongs to corporations who are responsible for creating the waste in the first place. Half of these tips are about what to do with plastic packaging, when the question should be; how does the manufacturer change their packaging so that it is made from fully reusable or biodegradable products?
Couldnt agree more , 100 companies are responsible for 71% of the pollution. Consumer level recycling is not making a dent in this and never will.
Load More Replies... I'm sure this is a wonderful person but I wouldn't want them to serve me a chilled beverage. Ice cube roulette.
Load More Replies... Old me: runs a huge corporation that polluted the environment. New me: shuts down the corporation that pollutes the environment, starts a new one that doesn't pollute. Those are the people who need to be making changes. An individual faffing around with reusable this and that is just being kept busy so that they don't have the mental bandwidth to engage in activism.
I can see the pros and cons of making changes in one's habits. If I understood correctly, it can be a distraction to prevent people from committing to activism to change policies, laws, regulations. It also lets corporations off the hook. The one possible pro is that someone starting with their own life may be more open to activism (organizing campaigns, research etc.). I don't know that shopping carefully to reduce consumption sucks a lot more mental energy than carefully shopping for the latest gadget.
Load More Replies... Ok agreed... I'm all in when it comes for us simple folks to do our part for the environment.. But. A huge but. I feel that we've come to a point where we feel guilty when we are not mainting this lifestyle 24/7. You know what? We shouldn't be feeling this way when there's about 10 major companies in the worls that are literally ruining the earth as I'm writing this. They've made us believe that is up to us and we're evil if we don't comply. I call big time bs
Wow. Everything old is new again eh? Been doing this stuff for more than 40 years now, myself. But you kids gotta start somewhere. Go for it !
My thought exactly. When I read these posts I'm torn between "this hype detail is going to have 0 impact on the environmental situation" and "of course there are recyclable garbage bags, where do you live? Of course you line dry your clothes whenever possible, is this news?"
Load More Replies... Main thing I've learned is, wow, I had no idea how many people were storing food so poorly. (Second, frugality is finally "cool", so I've been cool my whole life! Who knew? ;-P )
My thought exactly. The main issue with that is that seems to be a hype of the moment, so it is likely to pass...
Load More Replies... I just picture freezers full of ice cube trays with everything but plain old ice
You just made my day. I laughed so hard and I wasn't supposed to.
Load More Replies... They aren't claiming there is anything bad about composting. They are suggesting that making a vegetable stock out of those scraps prior to composting them extracts more value from the energy that went into producing them and the cash that went into buying them.
Load More Replies... total c**p, only going for house owners, that are either too rich (and thus damaging much more than a plastic scrub, or too poor and hard to accuse and doing most of these things already. also, a trade trap for the 'bio' market that is dumbly expensive since the evil makes profit even from good, a feel good mask for those doing the damage (see the dude covering the c**p in the comments section) and unrealistic solutions, like filling your fridge with even more plastic to save half avocado once in few months, arbitrary savings for some resources instead of others, even more important (like water, time and electricity), insignificant effects and overlooking of more important ones, irrational examples (like where to find so many soapnuts? also, instead of composting, shouldn't we also replant them?), food or fuel dilemmas etc. In brief, a way to ease the guilt for those provoking the ecological hell. enjoy the avocado grown in a tree in your own pot on a window in Minnesota!
Um, I did these all my life, and spent a lot of it in apartments, rented. That said, the fetish for putting everything in ice cube trays is really unnerving me.
Load More Replies... Not sure I have the time or mental energy to do many of these, but what I like about nearly entry on this list is that they save money. Buying expensive "energy-saving" gadgets and spending a fortune on "green" products usually doesn't actually do much for the environment; if something "green" costs more, it's probably very un-green "upstream." For instance, those celebrities weren't directly helping the environment by choosing Tesla Roadsters over "gas guzzlers" (although they probably indirectly helped by building up a car company which now produces cars with a lower cost-of-ownership than gas guzzlers). Also, cheap food is often very unhealthy. But if going green means "reduce, reuse, recycle," moving away from conspicuous consumption, or developing a simpler lifestyle, you're probably being truly less harmful to the environment.
I’m never sure if switching to some things that seem better actually are. I suppose reducing any plastic waste is good, and using all your leftovers makes sense, but replacing things with other products might result in more water usage, more air miles or other issues.
What is it that annoys you about the list? Do you feel that the choices that consumers make to reduce consumption are insufficient? Is it that changes should be made at a higher and more widespread level (such as laws against plastic bags)? I'm asking on the off chance that I might learn something.
Load More Replies... So basically just garbage content meant to push the blame on individuals for climate problems and not big corporations plus private jet owners being the problem
It isn't an opposition to composting. It is an opposition to wasting food.
Load More Replies... Wasn't this post just a huge list of things this webpage uses to promote their super eco-friendly-extracool products?
We should also try to take the car as little as possible. Also don't leave the engine running when you stop the car even for 5 minutes (it happens a lot here in Greece). Don't blast the AC to freezing conditions in the summer. Don't throw garbage in the recycling bins (also happens a lot in Greece).
Many towns are spending $$ on throwing away what you thought was recyclable. Make sure you know what your town is currently accepting
Thank you Frank, I think we all know there is a problem and instead of the big bully on the playground getting in trouble we all desperately look for ways to avoid him while still having fun. Can we all stop hiding behind the big box tree and all point our fingers at the corporate bully and say "bully bully your a bully" so he is shamed and goes to sit in the corner and think about what they have done wrong?
It's interesting how so many of the ideas have comments that reject the environmental suggestion made. Why not filter positive feedback for each idea to reinforce its value?
Please Take a Look at my Insta Page. There you can See a Lot more Wastelesshero ideas 🥰instagram.com/wasteless_hero
Alot of these seems to be solved if you grow your own herbs and only take what you need.
Old them bought too much. New them still buys too much but instead of composting, repurposes the scraps.
As with anything, take what you can from this to apply to your own life and leave the things that won't work for you. Having said that, some of these tips are nonsenserubbish lol
I gave up on gift wrapping a few years ago. Now I take the not-wrapped gifts out of a big bag and the not-very-censored one-liner out of my mouth. No one's complained yet about the lack of wrapping. If anyone ever did, they'd get a bonus one-liner, "Oh dear, I didn't know you wanted some wrapping paper and a ribbon as a gift."
Some are just too much like take the water from your shower for your plant (which are dead anyways). It only takes 7 seconds to heat up. I would be too slow too. I gave away all the gift wrapping supplies I had because I decided not to gift anymore. I use Mason jars to keep some of my stuff in the fridge to last longer - it does work, contrary to what people think. I buy what's on my list - I made a menu before going shopping - and when I prepare the meals I use up what will spoil first in the fridge instead of waiting at the last minute. I also freeze all my meat in individual containers so my prep is half done since I'm also adding all the spices and the add-ons like the veggies. For ex. if meatloaf is on the menu, I prepare it without cooking, then freeze it. My husband and I have been doing this over 30 years and we get ~1-2 small bags or organic out per month, tons of recycling. We set the garbage out every 2 months (2x 30l bags); they don't smell BTW.
