Earth Month is every April — but the habits that actually make a difference are the small ones we build into ordinary days. Here are 10 simple, practical ways to live a little lighter on the planet, from composting and swapping paper towels for reusable Swedish dishcloths, to rethinking the greeting card. No lifestyle overhaul required.
Earth Month is every April. Earth Day is April 22. But if we're being honest, one day — or even one month — isn't enough. The habits that actually move the needle are the small ones we build into ordinary Tuesday afternoons. The ones that don't feel like sacrifice.
I grew up with a dad who cared about the environment way before it was cool. He created slideshows for conservation presentations, and one in particular was about the littering problem in Door County. Someone told him the photos would be more interesting with people in them. So I was instructed to stand near the trash while he took my picture. I thought I was a model. Really, the trash was the subject. As a six year old I was thrilled to be part of his presentation, even if my role was just to make a pile of garbage look more interesting.
These are ten things I think about now, some I've always done, some I've learned along the way. None of them require a lifestyle overhaul. All of them matter.
1. Find your local compost drop-off.
Most people assume composting means an area in the backyard and a lot of effort to maintain it. It doesn't have to. Many cities and counties have composting drop-off sites that are free and genuinely easy to use. A quick search in your local area will show you what's available in your community. You might be surprised how close it is.
2. Learn what can actually be composted.
This one surprises people. Beyond food scraps and yard waste, you can compost: PIZZA BOXES, paper towels and napkins, cardboard egg cartons, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags (remove the staple), paper bags, newspaper, and yes, Soak iT Up Swedish dishcloths and Clards when they've reached the end of their life. They're made from natural cellulose fiber. They go back to the earth.
What you cannot compost: anything with plastic, glossy paper, meat, or dairy in a home or community compost setup. When in doubt, check your local guidelines, they vary by city.
OR: My favorite trick is to cut an well used Swedish cloths into small pieces and work them directly into potting soil. The natural cellulose fibers help retain moisture around your plants — and they'll break down right in the soil.
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3. Do a clean-up in your community.
Twenty minutes. A bag. Your neighborhood park, a stretch of trail, the edge of a parking lot. You don't need to organize an event or recruit a team. Just go.
My dad documented litter in nature for years because although it was not a state law, there were local laws prohibiting it, he believed that if people saw it clearly, they'd care. He was right. There is something about picking up trash with your own hands that changes how you appreciate and how you treat land afterward. It's one of the most direct things you can do.
If you want to make it official, litterati.org lets you log what you find and contribute to a global data map of litter. Great conversation at your next dinner party.
4. Swap your paper towels for a reusable cloth.
The average American family uses about one roll of paper towels per week. That's roughly 52 rolls a year, most of which are made from virgin paper and go straight to the landfill after a single use.
Soak iT Up Swedish dishcloths are made from natural cellulose and cotton. They're super absorbent, quick-drying, and can replace up to 1,500 paper towels. Wash them in the dishwasher or washing machine. When they're worn after 6-8 months, compost them.
We make ones designed for the kitchen, for camping, and for gardeners who want something they can actually get dirty. One cloth. Months of use. Zero guilt.
5. Rethink the greeting card.
Every year, 60 billion greeting cards are produced and most of them end up in a landfill within days of being received. I know because I spent years in print production watching paper become waste.
Clards® are greeting cards printed on European sponge cloth. Write your message, give it, and the recipient gets two reusable, compostable cleaning cloths that last for months. Every time they use one, they think of the person who sent it.
It's a greeting that doesn't end with a recycling bin. That's the whole idea.
6. Stop buying laundry detergent in plastic jugs.
This one is easy and the difference adds up fast. The average household goes through 30 or more plastic laundry jugs in a lifetime. Most of them are not recycled — the pumps and caps are typically non-recyclable even when the jug itself is.
Laundry detergent sheets dissolve completely in water, clean just as well, and ship in minimal cardboard packaging. We sell Sheet Happens eco laundry sheets at Soak iT Up. They take up almost no space, travel easily, and eliminate the jug entirely.
7. Think about plastic when you're at the store.
You don't have to be perfect. But you can be aware.
Buy eggs in paper cartons you can compost, not styrofoam ones that will outlive you. Choose the item with less packaging when there's a real option. Bring a bag. Skip the straw. These are not radical acts. They're just slightly more conscious versions of what you were already doing.
The goal isn't zero plastic today. It's a little less plastic every time.
8. Shop at your farmers market when you can.
Local food travels fewer miles, uses less packaging, and supports the people who actually grow it. Farmers markets also tend to have far less plastic than grocery stores — produce comes without the clamshell container, bread comes in paper, eggs come in cartons you can compost. Better yet, bring them your old cartons to fill up.
Beyond the environmental case, there is something genuinely good about handing money directly to the person who grew what you're eating. You get bigger smiles at farmers markets.
9. Bring real plates and utensils to your next picnic.
Before single-use plastic existed, people brought plates to picnics. Real ones. They washed them when they got home. It wasn't considered inconvenient, it was just what you did.
My mom did this. Most of our mothers did. Somewhere along the way we decided that convenience was worth the trade-off, and now we're swimming in it.
A set of mismatched plates in a basket, a handful of real forks wrapped in a cloth napkin — it takes maybe three minutes more to pack and unpack. The food tastes better off a real plate. And nothing ends up in a bin at the park.
10. Send a note to someone who shaped you.
This one isn't obviously environmental. But bear with me.
One of the most wasteful things we do is buy a card, write two words in it, watch someone read it for thirty seconds, and then likely it ends up in the trash, hopefully the recycling bin. We do this millions of times a year because we want to connect with the people we love and we reach for the easiest tool available.
What if the tool was better?
Write something specific. Tell them what they actually did for you. Use a Clard so they have something useful that keeps doing something long after the message is read. It spreads the idea of using less while creating joy!
Earth Month is a good time to start. But the habits that stick are the ones that feel less like obligation and more like values you already have, finally getting some room to breathe.
My dad knew that. He just needed a seven-year-old to stand next to the garbage to prove it.
Happy Earth Month.
Carla Scholz is the founder of Soak iT Up, a Minnesota-based woman-owned brand dedicated to sustainable joy. Shop Clards, Swedish dishcloths, and Sheet Happens laundry sheets at soakitup.shop.