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Summertime means more outdoor activities. Sometimes those activities can be pretty wasteful, so I’m going to give you some easy tips to make your outdoor activities more sustainable.
Reusable Water Bottle
One of the easiest things you can do for the most impact is to use a reusable water bottle instead of buying or using single-use water bottles. Less than 10% of plastic is recycled. That means that even if you have good intentions and put your empty bottle in the recycling, it still might not ever be recycled. Even less plastic is being recycled since China stopped taking the world’s plastic.
There are tons of reusable bottle options on the market now. You are bound to find one you like. If you’ve got sports you need to stay hydrated for, you could always get two bottles so you can rotate.
To remember to use your reusable bottle, put it near something you always take with you when you leave the house (like a purse). I have a reusables drawer near my keys/purse that has straws, silverware, bags, etc. that I might want to take with me.
Note: If you live somewhere that the drinking water from a tap is unsafe to drink, just leave this tip for those with access to safe drinking water. (And let me know so I can help fight for safe drinking water with you!)
UPF Clothing & Reef-Safe Sunscreen
I’ve already covered why traditional sunscreen is bad for the environment in another blog post, so I’ll spare you the gory details again. The important takeaway is that you can make your outdoor activities this summer more environmentally-friendly by wearing either UPF clothing, reef-safe sunscreen, or both.
UPF clothing might not be as hot as you’d think. Often UPF clothing is designed to be moisture-wicking, too. It really depends on the color. Black is going to feel hotter than white. If you can find some on sale or secondhand, you can try out some different colors to see what works best for you.
Tennis is my preferred outdoor activity in summer. As a pale person I have to make sure to protect my skin if I’m going to play. I found an awesome long-sleeve UPF shirt on Poshmark & it is one of the best purchases I’ve made.
Bring Your Own Reusables
Single-use plastic seems to pop up even more in the summer and at outdoor events. Most of it isn’t recyclable. If you’re going to an activity where there will be food, you can bring your own reusables to be more sustainable. This could be just utensils, or it could include a plate and cloth napkin. You could also bring your own containers to take leftovers home.
People use single-use plastic because it is easy and convenient, but it’s terrible for the environment. Sometimes we have to be the change we want to see, and that means being the person at an event who brought their own utensils and napkin.
I have a great kit that I keep in my car that’s a large mason jar with bamboo cutlery, a reusable straw, and a cloth napkin in it. I bought this particular kit, but you could easily make your own. Let’s start a trend of people bringing their own utensils! BYOR- Bring Your Own Reusables
Reusable Ice Packs
Obviously we all want to stay cool in the summer, and we want our drinks to stay cool, too. As climate change worsens, one of the effects is extreme drought. Since I’ve lived most of my life in the desert, I’m familiar with droughts and water restrictions. I realize that not everyone is, though.
Droughts are most often thought of as having an effect on plants, agriculture, ski areas, bodies of water, etc. But they can also cause the water table to drop and reduce the amount of water available to cities and towns. This leads to water restrictions. Even when my town isn’t in a drought, we have assigned days & times of day that we can water our grass. Water conservation is going to become more important as the climate continues to change.
We’ve all bought bags of ice to fill a cooler at a convenience store before, probably without much thought about where it came from. What do you do once you’re done with the ice, though? Most people I see just dump it out on the ground. Coming from a place where water is a precious resource, that’s always seemed wasteful to me. Why not get some reusable ice packs to use instead?
I occasionally get a meal delivery service that uses reusable ice packs for shipping. I save them and reuse them instead of ice in coolers. They stay frozen for a long time and I can stack them on a shelf when they aren’t in use. I haven’t bought any reusable ice packs, but a quick search tells me there are lots of options out there! Another option if you have Stashers is to fill them with water and freeze to make your own ice packs.
Sustainable Packed Lunch
If you’re going to be at the ball field all day (or the lake…), you might be packing a lunch. This is a great place to eliminate single-use plastic. You probably already have everything you need, too!
Instead of plastic cutlery, bring the silverware you’ll need from home. Use the containers you normally store leftovers in for packing the food instead of plastic bags. Take a cloth napkin, or rag if you don’t have cloth napkins, instead of paper napkins or paper towels. Pack drinks in reusable containers instead of buying drinks in plastic. Use reusable ice packs, or make your own, to keep the food cool.
A lot of living sustainably is thinking more about the choices we make every day instead of just going on autopilot. Once you start becoming aware of your choices, they are a lot easier to change to ones that are better for the planet.
Let me know in the comments how you make your summer activities more sustainable!
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