Welcome to a new series - The Eco Edit, where I will be posting updates on my journey to becoming more sustainable, green and eco-cautious in my Manhattan lifestyle.


Let's begin with a little bit of background on what caused me to begin my journey toward more sustainable practices. When I moved to New York City, I was in total disbelief at the amount of waste and garbage that the city produced on a daily basis. Coming from a town where one trashcan was picked up once a week, I could not believe that thousands of trash bags were picked up off the sidewalk every single day in Manhattan. I realized that even though I am one in 8 million people within a couple square miles...my actions could still have a positive impact.

Being sustainable and green is not always easy. In fact, being green is not necessarily convenient on a day-to-day basis. I'm facing a lot of challenges, but it's important to me that I do the right thing - not the convenient thing (in many aspects of life). So, I am celebrating the great strides that I have made so far, and I am continuing to take small steps everyday to improve in other areas where I could be more eco-friendly.

Over the past few months, these are some of the things I've been trying to practice religiously...

No more toxic and plastic cleaning supplies.
A few months ago, I purchased "The Clean Up Kit" from Blueland, and I've been thrilled with the results. For just $30, you receive three shatter-proof bottles and three dissolvable tablets to put in each corresponding bottle. There is a bottle for multi-surface, glass + mirror and bathroom (every area of the house!). All cleaning materials are non-toxic and the tablet replacements are only $2 each which means that cleaning just got a lot easier and cheaper and greener. They also have fabulous customer service and all shipping supplies are recyclable.

No more k-cups.
As simple as that. Even though my favorite coffee is available via k-cup at work, it's not worth the single-use plastic. Instead, I take an extra minute to take two shots of fresh espresso and add some hot water to make my own americano.

Bulk buys.
While I will always adore Trader Joe's prices, I don't adore the fact that every.single.thing is wrapped in plastic. I've taken my grocery endeavors to Whole Foods and use the self serve bulk bin area to stock up on: quinoa, granola, nuts, chocolate chips and seeds.

No more plastic produce bags.
Similar to what I explained above, I no longer use plastic bags to hold my fresh produce and herbs. I've been using organic cotton bags to gather these items. When they get dirty, I just throw them in the laundry with the rest of my clothing and they come back good as new. The original cotton bags I purchased are from here.




Things I want to improve upon...

Baking supplies via bulk bins.
Flour, sugar, spices, etc!

Spinach.
I CANNOT seem to find spinach that's not wrapped in plastic. So the search continues...

Hair products.
Since my hair is colored, I'm looking for shampoo and conditioner bars that are colored-hair friendly.

Laundry detergent.