IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

But we can help! If real-life barriers are holding you back from living your eco-friendliest life, read on.

- HANNAH BAKER

PROBLEM: You go through paper towels like it's your job.

SOLUTION: According to the EPA, Americans generate about 3.8 million tons of paper towel and facial tissue trash a year (whoa). Not only can paper towels be wasteful, but they're often bleached with chemicals, says Heather White, founder of One Green Thing, a nonprofit focused on the mental health impacts of the climate crisis. "Switching to cloth towels reduces landfill mass and toxic chemicals in our environment," she says. White suggests reusable towels from The Useless Brand ($20 for 12; amazon .com) or Zero-Wastely ($36 for 24; amazon.com). The trick is to make them convenient to use, she says. "If your washing machine is far from the kitchen, put the dirty towels in a bowl or bin and drop them off in the laundry room each night." Keep a stack of clean ones at the ready, and tuck the paper towels, which you'll want for certain jobs, in a harder-to-reach spot.

PROBLEM: Your reusable water bottle gets kinda gross.