Read time: ~10 minutes

Lauren Plug, founder of Copy by LP in a blue and white striped sweater sitting on a stool

One of the reasons I became a sustainability copywriter is because I’m passionate about (trying) to live a more sustainable lifestyle. When I first began my own journey of making my own easy eco-friendly swaps, I found it extremely difficult to find eco-friendly and sustainable products — and good ones.

Between the greenwashing on product labels, in the graphics, and overall message that was far from welcoming, my way of making a difference towards a healthier future is by helping small, sustainable businesses tell their story. 

These days I help sustainable and small brands create great website content, blog content and drive consistent, meaningful traffic via a custom SEO strategy ultimately connecting them to the people looking for them. 

“In a 2010 study, TerraChoice investigated the claims of 4,744 “green” products carried in stores across the U.S. and Canada, finding that more than 95 percent of these products were guilty of at least one of what they call: The Seven Sins of Greenwashing.” — EcoWatch

Whose responsibility is it to create a better future?

It sucks a little bit though right? As the everyday consumer, we don’t make the plastic packaging, we’re not pulling out of promising to decrease plastic production, we’re not inventing new single-use products. No, but we’re buying it. 

The market responds to what consumers want. We have the power to take things into our own hands as a collective by putting our money into eco-friendly products and supporting brands with eco-friendly initiatives we can drive the market. Why do you think there’s so much greenwashing? 

Big brands know consumers want it! 

So whether you’re a small business checking out my writing or you’re a consumer wondering how you can start living sustainably without stressing yourself TF out — welcome. 

We’re all human and as long as you’re trying that’s a great start. You don’t need to completely overhaul your life, but rather take small steps incorporating these ideas into your routine.

Whatever you do, don’t get rid of everything you have to fit a ‘sustainable aesthetic’. 

  • The real sustainable aesthetic is using what you have until it’s unusable.
  • It’s re-wearing the same pieces of clothing until they just don’t work anymore.
  • It’s ignoring the emails and the urge to buy something just because. 
  • It really is rethinking what we know, why we buy, and how we buy.

So start small. Make a few changes and once you’re comfortable with those, do a little more. You’d be surprised at how quickly you adapt to a new situation and how small, eco-friendly changes can rapidly turn into larger ones.

These are all changes that I’ve incorporated over time to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle and they’re all a part of my daily routine now. I hope they work for you and help make your own journey simpler! 

1. Replace Your Toothbrush With An Eco-Friendly One

  • Try a bamboo toothbrush
  • Preserve (found at Whole Foods) recycles yogurt cups into toothbrushes. You can mail back your used toothbrush for continued recycling or recycle it at most local bins. 
  • Terracycle is working hard to recycle plastics and keep them out of landfills and oceans. My only issue here is there’s a huge waitlist to be able to send your products back. Best to find an eco store in your community who’s already a member. 
  • Eco friendly electric toothbrushes — I just bought a Suri (I’ll let you know how it goes). And my friend Abbie over at The Filtery wrote a great post about non-toxic & eco-friendly toothbrushes.  

2. Update Your Toothpaste & Mouthwash To Eco-Friendly Options

Listen, if you can’t (or won’t) switch up your toothbrush, no judgment here. Real talk — I actually HATE bamboo toothbrushes. So skip it and move on.

Eco-friendly Toothpaste

  • Toothpaste Tablets — Literally just toothpaste in tablet form! You bite into it, add some water, and form the paste in your mouth. Some are better than others so I recommend starting with Bite. 
  • Toothpaste Powder — turns out, not a modern invention and still effective.
  • Eco-friendly tubes — brands like Davids are making completely recyclable toothpaste tubes. 
  • And you can always try to DIY it — I don’t make my own toothpaste so I’ll send you to Pinterest. Keep in mind you may need to play with the ingredients to see what works best for you.

Plastic-free mouthwash

Something about mouthwash bottles has always bothered me, even before I started researching eco-friendly changes and focusing on a sustainable lifestyle. Maybe it was how big the bottles were or how quickly we used and replaced them, but I have always had a hard time bringing myself to buy them.

Fortunately there are more sustainable options! 

  • byHumanKind — they’ve taken mouthwash and made it into a tablet you can drop in water. For any of us who liked dropping Alka Seltzer in water as kids, now’s our time to shine and do it everyday, without the indigestion!
  • Olas — made by a surfer dentist, each bottle is packaged in a recycled whiskey bottle and formulated without harsh ingredients.
  • Non-toxic mouthwash from The Filtery — my friend Abbie has done it again. She also mentions which ones are plastic-free or low plastic. Look for Bite, Huppy, and Fat and the Moon.

3. Update Your Floss to the Eco-Friendly 21st Century

If you’ve never gone down the rabbit hole of plastic floss – I highly recommend doing so. I never gave floss a second thought prior to making eco-friendly changes, but once I went there… there’s no coming back.

A big problem with single-use products is that many of them don’t actually get recycled or end up in the landfill. This leaves the floss, and other single use items, floating around entangling wildlife and marine life.

HOWEVER, there are plenty of alternatives out there now that don’t contain harmful coatings, are eco-friendly, and still get the job done perfectly.

Ingredients you’ll want to look out for are:

  • Bamboo
  • Silk (Cruelty-Free)
  • Corn-based materials
  • Glass or Cardboard Tubes — Since traditional floss is nylon, wrapped around plastic, wrapped in plastic, you’ll of course want to be on the lookout for floss that comes in eco-friendly packaging.

4. Easy Eco-Friendly Soap Swap

Soap is a great and easy way to make some eco-friendly changes in your home.

Fun fact about me — I’m a scent junkie. One of my favorite hobbies is smelling things and (pre-pandemic) I could usually be found in the soap and shampoo aisle smelling, well, everything.

I’m very happy to report that there are just as many fun smells when it comes to natural bar soaps, making it a really fun eco-friendly product! I LOVE soap bars. I love gifting them, I love giving them, I love buying them from small businesses.

Finding soap is the fun part! This is where you can get creative.

  • Check out any local soap makers in your hometown — I try to grab some whenever I visit my parents.
  • Check out bulk stores near you:
  • Make sure to give Etsy some screen time as well.
  • Another favorite of mine is Chagrin Valley (one of the OG sustainable brands)
  • Chicago has some great local soapmakers, Soap Distillery is one of my favorites. 

Lastly, if this seems overwhelming, try starting with Dr. Bronner’s bar soap. It’s sold in most stores and NOT wrapped in plastic.

Lastly — get creative. I bought some shampoo bars at one point that didn’t work on my hair but I used them as shaving soap and it worked super well.

5. Sustainable Shampoo & Conditioner Bars

Plastic waste is being dumped into the ocean at an equivalent rate of 1 garbage truck full of plastic every 4 minutes. Gross. And that’s estimated to increase to 2 trucks per minute by 2030 if we don’t make any changes.

I hate that for us. 

Shampoo & Conditioner bars are everywhere now and there are so many different brands you can research to find one (or a few) that work best for you. They also make great gifts! 

When I started looking in 2018 for shampoo & conditioner bars, there were like 3 brands. And none of them worked in my thin, fine hair. Now, you can search anywhere and you’ll find some! Here are some of the places I recommend you start looking:

  • ZeroWasteStore has amazing ones with an abundance of scents!
  • byHumanKind — They are an all around great company with lots of plastic free products!
  • Haipažaža Pȟežuta — An indigenous brand out of the West Coast making shampoo & soap combo bars. This is where I get all of mine! 
  • Chagrin Valley — The OG’s when it comes to sustainability. 
  • Local to Chicago — Soap Distillery
  • Local to Chicago — you already know the eco stores have spent a lot of time vetting and searching for brands that align with their values.

If you’re not quite ready to ditch a bottle, here are some great bottled alternatives!

  • Plaine Products — Founded by women, their concept is zero waste by refilling the bottles. You choose what you want, the bottle (& pump) is mailed to you, order your refill when you’re getting low, keep the pump, and mail back the old (washed) bottle to be reused. Bonus points if you have a refill shop in your city.

6. Dish Soap Bars & Supplies

The year is 2025. We do not need Dawn dish soap anymore. There are honestly a shit ton of alternatives, many of them plastic-free, many of them supporting small and local businesses.

And the best part? They really work! 

Here are my favorite and most recommended eco kitchen supplies: 

Dish soap bars: 

Kitchen tools: 

7. Your Mindset

Choosing to consciously change a habit (like shopping) takes a mindset shift. How big that shift is, is totally up to you. 

  • Your sustainable journey is going to be frustrating. 
  • You’re going to get tricked.
  • You’re going to learn new information.
  • You’re going to look back on past actions and realize it wasn’t the best one. 

Keep going. Not because it’s YOUR responsibility to save the planet.

  • Because your future self deserves it.
  • The future inhabitants of Earth deserve it.
  • Humanity as a whole deserves it (although I know it can often sometimes seem like they don’t).

And because you can make it fun! I promise when you start spending money with local businesses who appreciate it. When you have a few extra dollars to purchase something from your local eco-store, they feel it. 

When you start meeting small business owners and going to events with other people who also messily care about sustainability you open yourself up to a community. You see that you’re not alone, but that your money, your time, and your attention matter. 

Maybe this is a personal conspiracy but why do you think ‘big tech’ is trying so hard to keep us distracted all the time? Because with free time we have choices, when we communicate, we collaborate and take action, and when we talk to each other, we empathize.  

Let me just leave you with:

If you’re truly looking for ways to make a difference and you can’t take personal action, or don’t think your actions matter — get involved. Find a local non-profit, an organization, someone interested in sustainability or a specific topic (fashion, human rights, etc) and sign up to volunteer. 

If you don’t like it, move on and keep looking until you find something. The more we interact, the more we realize humanity is worth saving. We really are stronger together.

7 Easy Eco-Friendly Swaps You Can Make Right Now: Tips From An Eco Conscious Copywriter