As many of you already know I love organizing and I’m always trying to improve systems in my home to make our lives easier and more functional.

About 10 years ago I started to look at professional organizing as a career and embarked on a journey of studying, attending conferences and helping my first clients make their homes and businesses more functional.

Looking back I feel that so much has changed, not just on my personal journey, but the industry as a whole when it comes to making your home functional and organized.

Back when I first started, I remember purchasing all kinds of organizing gadgets, containers, you name it. I also didn’t pay attention to what kind of materials I was using, which means most of them were plastic. How times have changed thankfully!

I personally take a more sustainable and minimalist approach to organizing these days, and I’m so glad that this movement is well received by so many people who are conscious about the impact of their choices on the planet, and who want to make sure their actions have a positive effect in their homes, families and communities.

What does eco-friendly home organizing mean?

The first thing I want you to know when it comes to organizing your homes in an eco-friendly way, is that you don’t want to create more waste, and instead repurpose and use what you currently have first.

For example, if you recently found out about the impact of plastic use in our oceans, landfills and for our health, you might feel the urge to dispose of all your plastic straws asap, or get rid of any plastic containers and drinkware you currently have.

This is definitely something to keep in mind for the next time you need to purchase straws for instance, but in the meantime getting rid of these items will only create more waste in landfills.

So in eco-friendly organizing, instead of going out and replacing your storage containers from plastic to glass for example, we use what you already have, and replace only what is necessary. Next time you buy a container, purchase the sustainable option then.

If something really bothers you to have around, I encourage you to find a home for it asap, either by donating it or repurposing it. For instance, when I went vegan, I couldn’t stand to wear my leather jacket anymore. Even though it was in perfect condition, I could not bear the thought of wearing cow skin, so I donated it.

How to get started to organize sustainably

I absolutely love boxes and glass containers, and I can easily go crazy with saving too many of these. I do have a method now to make sure I don’t become a hoarder of containers, which is I have a specific area dedicated to them, and when it’s full, I can no longer collect anymore.

So I would suggest you start collecting jars (from food containers, candles with lids, etc) as well as paper boxes, such as shoe boxes, ceramic containers, tins, etc. All of these can become great accessories for organizing your home sustainably. They can be used in drawers to separate small items, to store food in the pantry, or even art supplies for the kids art area.

Having a few of these containers on hand is a great way to get started but not necessary.

You might currently have plastic containers, baskets and other boxes already in your home that could be used for different purposes. Therefore take a look around your house and see if there’s anything you can repurpose. Be creative!

Creating your sustainable home

The process of creating a sustainable home can take time, and it’s important to be gentle with yourself and do a little at a time, so you can fully embrace each change. Otherwise you might experience major burnout and avoid it all together.

As I previously mentioned, there’s nothing wrong with using the things you already have, even though they might not be eco-friendly. Take your time to phase them out, and be ready to purchase an eco-friendly replacement when the time comes.

Keep in mind that there might be more involved in the process of becoming more eco-friendly than simply just purchasing a new item.

For instance, if you phase out paper napkins in your home for cloth napkins, you will now have extra laundry to deal with. Yes it’s a tradeoff that might not seem convenient, especially if you hate doing laundry like me, but it can help if you are aware ahead of time of what’s to come.

And remember, when it comes to being gentle with yourself in this process, this can mean that you have both cloth and paper napkins for a while, and gently transition as you make the cloth napkins a part of your daily life (with the extra laundry).

This actually reminds me of when my son was in diapers; we did cloth diapers but there were times that I was so busy and couldn’t fathom doing another load of diapers, and I would buy disposables and use them for a week. It gave me the break I needed and a week later I was ready for the cloth diapers again.

Making the transition

Here are some ideas of more sustainable options for you home, and as I mentioned some are modifications you can do right away (such as bringing your own bags to the store) and others might take some time to be implemented. Either way keep these in mind as a future goal for your sustainable home.

• Cloth shopping bag
• Cloth napkins
• Reusable produce bag
• Reusable snack bag
• Glass jars
• Reusable containers
• Stainless steel or glass water bottle
• Reusable straw
• Stainless steel lunchbox
• Bamboo cutlery set 
• Tea infuser or teapot
• Reusable tea or coffee cup
• French press
• Soap bar
• Shampoo bar
• Toothpaste tablets
• Bamboo comb
• Natural fiber rugs
• Bamboo baskets
• Hemp pillows
• Bamboo toothbrush

I think that living sustainably is a process because we all have used such conveniences for so long, and most of us without any thought or concern for their impact on the planet. But better late than never! We are all on our own unique journeys and as we become more conscious consumers, it will become more natural to all of us.

I’m a true believer that living green and sustainably can be luxurious and enjoyable just the same. There might be tradeoffs, but not all are as bad as they seem. For instance, you may now have to wash and fold those cloth napkins, but that might give you time to listen to a podcast you would not have otherwise.

Embracing this lifestyle is much bigger than us, and exposing our children to the possibilities that living this way is doable and enjoyable, will have a lasting impact on how they live their lives in the future.

I would love to hear your thoughts and what changes you have made so far in your journey.

Much love,

Angélica Renée

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