Happy Earth Day

We know it, you know it, your dog knows it—we can all be a little better to our planet, and that’s exactly what Earth Day is all about. No, I don’t mean being better to the earth for ONE DAY. It’s about taking that day to remind ourselves what we can do ALL YEAR to make small, impactful changes in our daily routines that will not only better our lives, but hopefully the lives of everyone and everything around us as well! We’ve got some awesome tips for you to implement this Earth Day, so read up and share these around, only good can come from it!

RECYCLE, REDUCE, REUSE

Ok, we’ve all heard of this one: Recycle, Reduce, Reuse (“...and close the loop!” Recycle Rex, Anyone?), but do we really practice it as much as we can? Let’s back up. This handy little phrase actually would make much more sense if we start it up in a different order: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

So, number one—reduce. Reduce the amounts of plastic containers and one-time plastics you buy during your regular trips to the market. Do you have the option of buying your mayo in a glass jar instead of a plastic one? DO THAT. Can you stop buying Ziploc bags altogether and send your little one to school with treats and sandwiches in reusable baggies like this one instead? DO THAT TOO. Do you forget to bring your reusable shopping bags, reusable tumblers and travel mugs with you when you’re out running errands?! Well, STOP DOING THAT! And don’t even get me started on plastic straws! Plastics take over 400 years to decompose, so for every piece of plastic that’s used, another one is made to take its place, and meanwhile, the first one ends up in a landfill somewhere or even in our oceans. The fewer plastics we buy, the fewer have to end up in plastic graveyards.

Up next—reuse! If you do find yourself with an overabundance of plastics at home, try to find creative ways to reuse them as much as possible before going out to buy more. Reuse plastic produce bags to store unused portions of veggies! Reuse plastic bottles as mini planters or if you’re crafty enough, for any one of these brilliant ideas! The more mileage we get out of every plastic item means less time it’ll spend in a landfill or a whale’s belly, and less time before a new one needs to be produced to take its place.

Finally—recycle. Once we’ve cut down as much as possible on the amount of plastics we’re bringing into our homes, and reused the heck out of the ones that are still around, the final step is recycling. We all know how to recycle, and most every place has made it easy for us to do so. Take those few extra steps to the recycling bin, take the time to read and sort properly, take responsibility and do your part. As I’m sure we’re all aware, not only plastics but also aluminum, paper, cardboard, and glass can all be recycled. Check out this awesome easy guide on the dos and don’ts of recycling here.

SURFRIDER FOUNDATION

This Earth Day, Miki Miette has chosen a foundation that’s near and dear to our hearts to help spread the word about saving our world’s oceans and beaches. Every summer, we spend countless hours on the beaches of LA county, soaking up the sun and drawing inspiration from the waves. Based in our shared home of sunny Southern California, the Surfrider Foundation has chapters all across the country and specifically along the coasts, dedicated to carrying out the foundation’s mission to protect and preserve our beaches, waves and coastlines. We’d like to thank and support them this Earth Day. Feel good about your purchases this weekend—10% of all sales are going directly to this awesome group of humans and together we’ll continue the effort to defend and conserve the gorgeous coastline we get to call home.

Shop for your little surfer dudes and surfer gals this weekend and feel free to check out the Surfrider Foundation website below!