I do not consider myself an expert on the environment by any means, but I do know a few things. Something that I didn’t fully realize until recently is that each person produces so much waste that can negatively impact the environment. Our waste, even if disposed of properly, can pollute our oceans and heavily impact the marine life that inhabits them. So, what can you do to help? Even though it may seem that your carbon footprint is not very large, you might be surprised to exactly how much waste you are producing, even from simple day to day tasks such as brushing your teeth. Since I recently became more conscious of this aspect of my life, I have taken some steps to try and do my part to save the world. Maybe there will be an idea here that you had never thought of, and would be worth a shot!

1. Change up your toothbrush

I discovered, in an article online, that over 2 billion plastic toothbrushes per year end up in landfills. That number is crazy to me, and especially since plastic never truly biodegrades, this can be extremely impactful on the environment. So, are you just supposed to stop brushing your teeth? There is, in fact, an alternative option to the classic plastic toothbrush. The bamboo toothbrush is just as hygienic and effective as a plastic one. The entire toothbrush is made out of plants. The brush, as well as the packaging it arrives in, is 100% biodegradable. Bamboo is also one of the most quickly growing resources we have access to, and therefore is very sustainable. I ordered this on Amazon ($15.99 for 4 toothbrushes- not bad.) So far, I have been using the toothbrush for a couple of weeks, and I am very impressed with how it works. It is just as effective as my old plastic one, and I feel so much better about using it.

2. Rethink your period

According to the Huffington Post, on average a woman will go through 9,120 tampons in her lifetime. So, each woman will spend about $1,773.33 total on tampons. And this doesn’t include pads that may be used along with tampons. As one might imagine, this option is not very good for the environment. I am not a math major, but I know that with these numbers, that’s a lot of tampons in a landfill. So, you obviously can’t stop or control your period on demand (contrary to popular belief), what can you try? One option I have found is the menstrual cup. A very popular option is the Diva Cup, however, I opted for the cheaper one, the Athena Cup. Disclaimer: This may not be the best option for everyone; some women may have trouble inserting it. However, when I asked my doctor, he said that there didn’t seem to be any cases when a menstrual cup got stuck. One reusable menstrual cup (mine cost $15 on Amazon) can be used from period to period as long as you sanitize it properly. Supposedly, it can last for up to 10 years. I will admit, it took a lot of googling to figure out how to use it, but once I wore it for a few hours there were NO leaks. This is a wonderful option. I haven’t fully gotten the hang of it, but once I do I plan on relying solely on the Athena Cup.

3. DO NOT USE K-CUPS.

These are not recyclable, and so they go directly into landfills. Using these daily, let alone at all, can be very harmful to the environment. An alternative so you can still get your single serving of coffee and use that shiny Keurig? Buy a reusable k-cup. All you have to do to make your coffee is put the desired amount of coffee grounds (about 2 tbsp) into the reusable cup, pop out your k-cup holder, pop in the reusable k-cup, and brew. It’s super easy, and so much cheaper than k-cups. A bag of coffee grounds will last you much longer than a package of 9 k-cups and costs about half of the price.

4. Buy a reusable water bottle and fill it up

In my opinion, bottled water absolutely terrible. First of all, most of the tap water that just comes straight out of the faucet is 100% drinkable. It might be a bit different if you live in a third world country, but if you have clean water right out of the tap for cheap, why on Earth would you pay for individual bottles that have an excess of plastic packaging? You are just wasting money and filling oceans with plastic that will never biodegrade completely. What I did was buy a nice water bottle (Nalgene, $12, Target) and continue to fill it up and use it. In most places, there is accessible free tap water, and most likely water fountains and/or filling stations. Take advantage of these free, public resources. Do yourself and the planet a favor.

5. Bring your own coffee mug/cup

This is a similar idea to getting your own water bottle- sometimes, it might not be the most convenient or readily available thing. So if you can’t bring your own coffee cup, try to go to coffee shops that use compostable or biodegradable cups only. The Earth will thank you.

6. Skip the plastic bag

In some places, stores are charging extra for plastic bags with purchases- or even banning them entirely. I am not saying that paper bags are necessarily great either (what with deforestation and all) but at the very least paper biodegrades. The next time you go to the grocery store, ask for paper. Or- better yet, bring your own reusable shopping tote. Also, if you make a small purchase that you can just carry in your hands,consider skipping the bag entirely.

7. Recycle, for goodness’ sake.

In a lot of communities, especially college campuses, recycling is a very simple and accessible option. Not a week goes by where I am not finding plastic bottles disposed of in the garbage can… which is directly next to a recycling bin specifically for bottles. This is honestly one of the most simple efforts you can make; it might take a few extra seconds per bottle to throw it in the recycling, but in the long run you can take a minute away from Netflix to care about your planet.

In the words of Edward Everett Hale, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” You might think that the one thing you change to help save the environment is insignificant, but if everybody changed just one thing that would make a huge impact on the world. Don’t be afraid to try something in your life that could help save the planet.