Earth- Smart Ideas

Little changes go a long way. Make these five today.

Put an extra wastebasket (or any basket) in your bathroom to hold recycling. “Most people only have one recycling bin in their home, usually in their kitchen,” says A. Tianna Scozzaro, the director of the Gender, Equity, and Environment program at the Sierra Club, a national environmental nonprofit. “So when you unwrap or use up a product in the bathroom, you put it in the trash without thinking.”

Buy local. In an ideal world, you could track the route of every face oil to your bathroom sink—and perhaps even walk it. (Products that arrive on planes are often packed in layers of Styrofoam and plastic.) If you can’t buy goat’s milk soap from a local shepherd, try shopping locally rather than online— it reduces shipping burdens and cuts down on Bubble Wrap, boxes, and bags if you bring your own tote.