With all the activities and adventures that await us during the summer, sometimes it can be hard to keep sustainability a top priority. To help out, we’ve compiled a few easy tips that can lessen your environmental impact this summer while enjoying and caring for Mother Nature.
1. Sun Protection
The sun is out all summer long and you are too, so protecting yourself and family with sunscreen becomes crucial! Unfortunately, many sunscreens available in the market pose risks to aquatic ecosystems. Avoiding toxic chemicals and spray-on sunscreens can limit the environment’s exposure to these harmful products. Of course, finish any previously purchased sunscreen first and opt for covering skin with UPF rated clothing, like the Recover Sport Sun Hoodie (25 UPF), when possible to be the most sustainable. But for future purchases, consider physical sunscreens that come in plastic-free packaging!
2. Responsible Recreation
When engaging in outdoor activities, it’s important to practice responsible recreation! Organizations like Leave No Trace raise awareness for minimum impact practices for people recreating outside, like respecting wildlife and sustainable camping. If adventuring on public lands, giving back is also a great way to ensure the land will be enjoyed for generations to come. Donating or volunteering for your local environmental advocacy group are additional ways to help take care of the public land that you use!
Recover proudly supports a wide variety of environmental non-profits in our own backyard like Catawba Riverkeeper, East Coast Greenway, NC Coastal Federation, MountainTrue, SORBA, Sustain Charlotte, TreesCharlotte and more. |
3. Minimal-Waste
As you hydrate this summer, keep single use plastic waste in mind! Opt for reusable water bottles and cups to avoid excess waste. Plastic Free July is a sustainable summer challenge that encourages people to ditch single-use plastic for July by providing ideas and resources! Making zero waste switches for other picnic and cookout essentials like utensils, plates, napkins, and paper towels can also further limit your waste!
Did you know... People globally currently produce more than 350 million metric tons of plastic waste per year (Most of this is from consumer products and packaging!) |
4. Low-Impact Foods
When hosting your backyard BBQs this summer, there are a number of ways to be more sustainable! Preparing seasonal, local, or organic produce can help limit environmental impact. Limiting meat consumption or switching to a low-impact meat, like poultry or pork, from local, regenerative or organic farms, like Refuge Farm, can also be a great choice.
Recover featured Refuge Farm on an episode of our Be the Impact Podcast, where we discussed the importance of sustainable and regenerative agriculture! |
5. Composting
Starting a compost, if you don’t already have one, is a fun and sustainable outdoor summer project. This way, you can turn your food scraps into nutrient-filled soil builder instead of throwing them away! You can use this soil for your garden, lawn, and veggie pots!
Did you know…every year in the US, people waste 92 billion pounds of food, 38% of all the food produced. |
6. Sustainable Summer Clothing
As it’s time to buy new bathing suits, sandals, shorts, tees, or tanks, choose to shop sustainably and responsibly! Make sure the apparel companies have supply chain transparency for environmental and social impact to help avoid purchasing fast fashion items. To start your summer sustainability journey, check out some of our sustainable styles!
As we enjoy the warm weather outside this summer, it’s important to remember that every small step counts in our journey to help the Earth Recover. Hopefully you get to try out some of these summer sustainability tips and share your sustainability story with others!
Recover hopes you have a fun, cool, and eco-friendly summer!
