Fun and Easy Ways to Help Save the Earth!

April 19, 2018 1 Comment

Thank you everyone who sent us tips on being green during our St.Patrick’s Day Campaign! At Dare Fashion we take the health of Mother Earth seriously and are committed to green and sustainable practices. To know that our customers share the same values not only brightens our day, but gives us the courage to move forward with our eco-sustainable initiatives. Thank you again, Dare fashionistas! ❤️

This year, many of your tips were about fun activities and neat products that can help save the Earth. We split them up into five categories: Garden and Compost, Shopping Locally, Crafts and Re-Use, For the Home, and Out and About.

 

Garden and Compost 

Oh how we wish we had more time (and space) to garden! Bravo to those of you who compost with eggshells, food scraps, and coffee grounds. We would love to see photos of your gardens! You can email them to us or tag us on social media with @darefashionusa.

 

“I recycle old fruits and vegetables to use as compost for my little garden, I never throw away anything that is recyclable, I take it to where they do recycle the materials and I never throw anything into the ocean, I pick up the garbage and throw it away. And now since my island was hit by a horrible hurricane I am trying to help re-grow the vegetation as well as the trees.” -Jennifer

“I have started seedlings in my living room so that I can grow the vegetables I love! Squash, tomatoes, cauliflower, asparagus… yum! Plus - use your used coffee grounds and eggshells to enrich the soil.” -Amber

“Ok so, instead of throwing away veggie ends, I save these in freezer quarts, & then use the varieties for various soup stocks. Then, after I achieve my desired soup stock, I drain, mix veggie scraps with used coffee grounds & egg shells, & compost this mixture in my garden. My zucchini alone is worth the effort because the smallest one is usually around 2 ft long & 6 in round. Largest one, so far, was 3 1/2 ft long & 8 in round. Lol.” -Tina

“Since water is such a precious commodity, I turn off my shower whenever I’m not actively rinsing any soap off of me. I also use a large bucket to hold the water as it turns a comfortable temperature and use it for watering my fruit trees and herbs. Whatever fruit that falls or is extra, I use to compost. I also regularly give my surplus to the homeless people in my area.” -Jenna

“You can use coffee grounds as fertilizer instead of throwing them away, that means less waste and happy plants. :)” -Anna

“I have a small yard, but I’ve planted as many trees as I could possibly fit. I am definitely a tree hugger.” -Diane

Shopping Locally

We may not have time to garden, but we do have time for trips to the farmer’s market! Our customer Jaime said it best: “To go green, vote with your dollar and buy produce and animal products from responsible local farmers that use organic growing methods.”

 

“I purchase all of my meat, sheep’s milk cheese, and eggs from small local sustainable farmers here in Wisconsin. They also have a food share program and I purchase a “share” of their crops for a fee as well as growing my own herbs and vegetables. EVERYTHING my family eats is homemade… nothing prepackaged or pre-made from the store. Supports our local economy and is environmentally friendly.” -Sue

“To go green vote with your dollar and buy produce and animal products from local farmers that use organic growing methods. By supporting local sustainable farming we are taking money away from the large agribusinesses that are polluting the environment and our communities. The more people get on board, the sooner we will see change in agriculture, and lessen the environmental degradation that occurs from irresponsible farming.” -Jaime

Shopping locally also applies to products, like Dare Fashion clothing.😉 We proudly support our local sewing factories by making everything in our home city of San Francisco!

Crafts and Re-Use

Many of us desire to be minimalists, but don’t you sometimes feel like the moment you throw something away, you end up finding a use for it right after?! We almost think our new mantra should be “Keep Everything & Stay Organized”. If you do get rid of items, be sure to donate. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

 

“I collect all toilet paper roll cores made of cardboard from my home and work before they land in the garbage and take them to the kindergarten, where they make beautiful handicrafts for special occasions (Easter, mother’s day, Christmas for example).” -Ingrid

“If you eat frozen food you can recycle the box. I use mine as index cards or scrap paper. You know the disinfecting wipes from Lysol and such? I’ve been using them to store plastic bags in my car and home. Very handy! I also recycle prescription bottles. I craft them as emergency aides such as: sewing and first aid. I sell these at craft events. They go quick. I add a magnet to them for students lockers, etc.” -Andrea

“Save Your Pill Bottles: I am a crafter - jewelry, scrapbooking, chotchkies, etc, and most of my crafting supplies are small little bits and pieces. The packages they are sold in are not intended for storage, you have to destroy most of them to get to the items. Instead of buying “craft” storage I reuse my prescription bottles. They are see-thru, they seal so you run less of a chance of losing what you put in them, they stay out of the trash where most end up even though they can be recycled, and are basically free. I soak mine in warm water with a few drops of dish soap to remove the labels. You can use opaque bottles from OTC meds too; use a sharpie to write the contents on the lid or put a label or duct tape on the side and put the description there :)” -Daunell

For the Home

There are many easy solutions we can implement in our homes to save nature's resources such as water and energy. And as an additional bonus, they often save money as well! It's a win-win! 

For example, our customer Sunshine recommends neat sheep’s wool dryer balls that can be used over and over again, and will save you lots of money on disposable dryer sheets:

“My green tip is a product available on amazon. They are dryer balls made of sheep’s wool, made in New Zealand. They work in place of dryer sheets, have no chemicals, make loads of laundry dry faster, and keep clothes static-free! They last hundreds of dryer loads. I feel safer drying my delicate/precious garments (including my Dare tops!!) with them as I can use lower heat for a short time and they come out perfect! A couple of companies make them and they are a great eco find & save you money due to how long they last!!” -Sunshine

 Has anyone else used these? Comment in the section below. 

“My comment is elementary. I gently wash my garments by hand and let them dry in open air. This contributes to a cleaner atmosphere and less chance of machine damage to clothing that I really value.” -Jayne

“Our last apartment building had no way to recycle. When we made our move, a building with a recycling program was a must, and our current building is great about it. Once we moved in, we also replaced all the incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs and are careful in how we use water and electricity, including when it comes to heating and cooling. A mild winter has even meant I can mostly get by with just a heated blanket, rather than heating the whole apartment.” -Anne Mira

“I plug as many appliances as I can into power strips. Things like TVs, DVD players, Printers – all draw power even when they are off. So I plug them into the power strip and then shut the whole strip off – using less energy.” -Faye

“We reuse our plastic grocery bags as trash bags and don’t buy any items containing plastic can/bottle holders. I’m also in the process of changing out my plastic food storage containers for reusable glass containers.” -Michelle

Out and About

“I rinse out my straws and reuse them.” -Angela

“Ask for no straw with your drink! So much plastic is saved by simply not getting one-use straws. Invest in some cute reusable straws instead.” -Robin

“Bring a container to the restaurant! Leftovers? Put them in your own container and save on plastic or styrofoam. Haven’t had any restaurants that wouldn’t let us do it!” -Jason

Are you feeling inspired yet? For even more eco tips, read our Earth Day blog post from last year. Together, we can make EVERY day an Earth Day!

 

 

 

 

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