1. Greener Candy
No one wants to be the dreaded house on the trick-or-treat route that hands out fruit or raisins, but luckily, there are plenty of delicious, sugary favors that are also environmentally conscious.
Most gummy candies contain gelatin, which is not vegetarian (or vegan). It's made from boiling animal by-products like bones and ligaments, and can be replaced by vegan alternatives, like agar agar. Search the grocery store aisles for animal- and gelatin-free gummy candies like Annie's Bunny Fruit Snacks, Swedish Fish, Dots, and Sour Patch Kids.
Many popular candy products contain synthetic preservatives, GMOs, palm oil, and other environmentally-harmful ingredients. Look instead for candy from reputable companies with sustainable practices, with the Fair Trade Certified and USDA Organic labels. A few environmentally-friendly candy options include:
- Alter Eco Truffles
- Clif Kids Fruit Ropes, Bars, or Brownies
- Equal Exchange Chocolate Bites
- Endangered Species Chocolate Bites
- Glee Gum
- Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- YumEarth Snack Packs and Lollipops
If buying eco-friendly candy is a little too pricey, choose treats with better packaging, if possible. Plastic packaging accounts for 30% of all solid waste generated in the U.S. every year, which includes all of those miniature candy bags and lollipop wrappers. Look for traditional candy with the least packaging or cardboard packaging, like Nerds, Milk Dudes, Junior Mints, and other candies that come in small boxes – or, opt for candies wrapped in foil, which can be recycled. Mints and other candies that come in tins, like Altoids, also entail less plastic waste.
If your grocery store stocks loose, individually-wrapped candies, scoop those into a reusable grocery bag instead of choosing a bulk bag of them off the shelf.
2. Try Other Treats
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Candy doesn't have to be the only thing handed out on Halloween!
If you're a plant parent, tiny propagated plants – like pothos, aloe, or other plants easy to repot cuttings from – potted in recyclables (pasta sauce jars, parmesan cheese containers, milk cartons, etc.) also make great, exciting favors for kids.
Another waste-free option is making your own candy, cookies, or treats to package in paper bags and hand out to trick-or-treaters. Try this homemade rock candy, or your household's favorite cookie recipe. Be sure to include a label on homemade treats with a full list of ingredients so parents know what's in it. If you go the homemade route, note that not all parents will be comfortable with unwrapped treats for their children, so it might be a better option for those who live in a small neighborhood and know the folks coming through on trick-or-treat night.
3. Pick Your Own Pumpkins and Don't Toss the Guts
While festive, pumpkins are a significant source of waste around the fall holidays – especially when they're transported long distances to make it to your front stoop. Instead of buying supermarket pumpkins, which were probably grown far away, plan a time to visit a local pumpkin patch to pick your own. If you're short on time, many farms sell pumpkins at farmers markets or right out front on site, so you don't even have to traipse around the field to find the perfect one.
1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins are thrown out each year after Halloween, as estimated by the U.S. Department of Energy. Make sure your holiday pumpkin isn't included in the 40% of our national food supply that gets wasted every year.
Use the guts of the pumpkin – or, the whole pumpkin, as long as it hasn't started to visibly decay after carving – to make puree for recipes, like this pumpkin bread from NYT cooking, pumpkin pancakes, or a creamy pumpkin soup. Separate the seeds and toast them with oil and herbs for a party treat, snack, or topping for salads and fall soup.
Compost jack-o-lanterns after the holiday season, either in your own compost bin, or research facilities nearby that can take it. You can also bury them directly in your garden to compost and provide nutrients for next year's flowers. Or, break them into pieces and leave outdoors for furry friends to feast on (if they haven't helped themselves already).
4. Crafty Costumes
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When brainstorming your perfect Halloween costume, consider characters that don't require buying pieces that'll just get tossed or donated after the holiday. Try to put a costume together with items from your wardrobe, and make props or accessories from recycled materials, like cat ears out of a headband and painted cardboard, or bat wings from a broken umbrella. Ask around to see if any friends, family, or roommates might have what you need before buying it new. It might be best to choose a costume that doesn't require wildly-specific pieces, unless you're able to borrow or buy it used.
If you find yourself still in need of accessories or staple clothing items for your costume, check out thrift stores or other second-hand avenues, like Facebook marketplace. Some used clothing stores – like Buffalo Exchange, for one – have costume sections already set up for you to browse. Otherwise, look into costume rental services nearby that can lend you a full, elaborate costume without the environmental cost.
Also, if your costume requires glitter – which is essentially a microplastic itself – make sure to use plastic-free, compostable glitter.
5. Waste-Free Decorations
Instead of loading your cart with heavily-packaged, heavily-plasticized Halloween decorations, get crafty and make your own.
Repurposed materials can be transformed into spooky, festive decorations; use cardboard boxes for tombstones, paper bags for lanterns, wine bottles for candle-holders, and yarn for spiderwebs. Better yet, bring the outside in with hay, pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, pinecones, acorns, or a homemade wreaths of leaves to make your home festive. These eco-friendly decorations can be composted along with your other yard scraps at the end of the season.
Keep old decorations so they can be reused every year – besides the organic stuff, of course.
6. Party Sustainably
jin chu ferrer / Moment / Getty Images
If you're playing the part of Halloween-party-host this year, consider ways to make your celebration more sustainable.
Consider using TerraCycle to dispose of the wrappers from candy eaten at the party. This recycling company can recycle practically anything, and sells boxes that can be filled with waste and sent back, or you can utilize one of their drop-off locations. Have guests toss their wrappers in a bin that you can deal with later; or, buy unwrapped candy in bulk, and serve in a bowl with a ladle, so guests can scoop it out themselves and circumvent the waste entirely.
Instead of disposables, use normal dishware, silverware, napkins, and cups to wash after the guests leave; or, choose biodegradable alternatives if you have an avenue to compost them. It doesn't do much good to send compostable dishware to landfills, which are airtight and don't allow for them to aerobically break down, so send them to a commercial composting facility, if possible. Some compostable dishware can be placed in your own compost bin at home, but many require a commercial composting facility to break down. Look into the specifics for the product you buy.
Make your own snack trays, desserts, and mains for the party, instead of buying packaged, pre-made platters and meals at the grocery store. Better yet, make the event a potluck, and ask each guest to bring an item they've prepared so you don't have to do all the work.
Linnea graduated from Skidmore College in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Environmental Studies, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Along with her most recent position at Hunger Free America, she has interned with the Sierra Club in Washington, DC., Saratoga Living Magazine, and Philadelphia's NPR Member Station, WHYY.
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The chemicals in microplastics have a variety of health consequences for humans, including developmental, reproductive, and hormonal problems. BPA and phthalates are among the most common; these endocrine-disrupters can interfere with fetal development and cause hormone-related cancers. Low estimates of how much plastic the average human consumes each year hover around 50,000 pieces of plastic, but could be as high as 120,000 pieces of plastic.
While some larger-scale steps have been taken to limit microplastics – such as the microbead ban implemented in 2015 for rinse-off body products – simple steps can be taken to cut down on exposure to microbeads in your daily life, and keep them from entering the natural environment.
1. Don't microwave food in plastic.
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A 2019 study found that the plastic ingested every week by the average person is roughly equal to that of a credit card – much of which comes from the food and water we consume every day.
While it might be tempting to microwave leftovers or takeout right in the container, the BPA and phthalates added to plastic leach much more easily when heated. This includes plastic Tupperware, takeout boxes, lids, and pre-made, frozen meals that get microwaved right in the package.
Transfer food to a ceramic or glass container instead, or keep a few dishes at the office to use at lunchtime. Take care not to wash plastic containers in the dishwasher too, as the heated water degrades the plastic.
2. Drink (filtered) tap water.
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It's time to ditch bottled water, which, according to a 2018 study, has roughly double the amount of microplastics as tap water. Instead of reaching for a new plastic bottle every day, fill up a reusable glass, stainless steel, or silicone bottle with tap water. Many of these bottles are also designed to keep drinks cold, and last for many years.
Unfortunately, tap water isn't perfect either. The Spanish company Tapp Water states that microplastics are in as much as 94% of American tap water, but can be filtered out. Purchase a water filter for your drinking water, such as a carbon block or distillation filter, which are both proven to filter out 100% of known microplastics.
3. Cut out takeaway cups.
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Similar to food in a plastic takeout container, paper takeaway cups also release microplastics when exposed to hot liquids. That means your morning cup of hot coffee taken in a disposable cup is adding to your personal microplastic consumption – perhaps on a daily basis. The lining in most of these paper cups are made with HDPE grade plastic – which is considered "safe," but has been shown to leak estrogenic chemicals – and some even contain heavy metals.
Invest in a stainless steel or glass reusable coffee cup to use at your favorite coffee shop. Bringing your own mug also cuts down on waste, and many cafes offer discounts to customers who opt for a reusable.
4. Avoid extra-harmful plastics (3, 6, 7).
d3sign / Moment / Getty Images
While all plastic is harmful, products with recycling codes 3, 6, and 7 are even more damaging than others, and are known for containing phthalates, styrene, and bisphenols respectively (unless they're labeled as "greenware" or "biobased," in which case they're considered safer). Plastics 3 and 7 are also much harder to recycle.
Avoid these plastics when possible – especially when it comes to food. Compare recycling codes on the bottom of packaged products at the grocery store and make an informed decision about which to choose. And, instead of storing leftovers in plastic containers with these codes, opt instead for glass, silicone, or aluminum foil. Of course, harmful chemicals exist in other types of plastic as well, so it's best to avoid all of it, if possible.
Scientists especially warn parents of young children to avoid these types of plastic, as kids are prone to putting soft plastic in their mouths.
5. Change your laundry routine.
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Switching up your laundry routine can significantly reduce the number of microplastics making their way into the natural environment from your home.
Sixty percent of all clothing material is now made up of nylon, polyester, acrylic, and other synthetic fibers. These fabrics are popular for their versatility, affordability and durability that offers protection in cold-weather clothes and breathability in athletic wear; yet, each item made from these materials releases hundreds of thousands of microplastics per wash, with acrylic fabrics releasing more than 700,000 every cycle. A 2017 report found that a whopping 35% of all microplastics that enter the ocean come from synthetic fabrics.
Besides avoiding synthetic fibers in your clothing and opting for natural materials like wool, silk, and hemp – and generally consuming less clothing, as even organic cotton clothing has an environmental toll – some products also help limit the release of microplastics in the laundry.
Installing a fiber-catching filter in your laundry machine will keep microplastics from washing out with the spent water. External microfiber filters vary in price and size, and can reduce the amount of fibers in wastewater by 80%. However, if you share laundry facilities in an apartment building or use a laundromat, installing a filter might not be an option for you. Instead, invest in a microfiber laundry bag – like the popular Guppyfriend bag – which is made from a fabric similar to fishing line that doesn't disintegrate when washed. The bags trap microplastics to keep them from washing away with the wastewater.
Alternatively, laundry balls like the Cora Ball keeps microfibers from breaking off of clothes in the first place, and collects those that do so they can be properly disposed of. Both are simple, affordable options for those without their own private laundry facilities, or washing machines that can't accommodate a filter.
Air-drying clothes also reduces microplastic production. Lint filters are already installed in most conventional dryers, but the tumbling action might reduce the strength of fibers so more shedding occurs in the wash next time. Stretch a clothesline in your yard or laundry room, or use a travel clothesline or drying rack if you're tight on space.
6. Use plastic-free cosmetics and microbead-free beauty products.
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Microplastics are even present in the products we use to wash our bodies and brush our teeth. Some lotions use plastic to promote absorption, as do many toothpastes and facial/body scrubs.
The use of microbeads – visible plastic particles usually used for exfoliation – in rinse-off cosmetics was banned in 2015, but companies have found ways around the rule. Look at the ingredients lists on products to makes sure that plastic isn't included, including terms synonymous with plastic like "acrylate copolymer," among others. Opt instead for microbead and plastic-free options, or natural products with biodegradable alternatives to microbeads.
Harmful chemicals also exist in these plastic-laden products. Body products with fragrance often have phthalates, so look for products that say "fragrance-free" (not merely "unscented) or "phthalate-free" when purchasing face wash, toothpaste, and other frequently-scented items. Check the Environmental Working Group's list of phthalate-free products before heading to the store, or use Beat the Microbead's product search tool.
7. Limit seafood consumption.
Kinga Krzeminska / Moment / Getty Images
We've all seen the image of a fish with its stomach sliced open, displaying a pile of colorful plastics that it has ingested over time, forcing us to confront the fact that what they eat, we eat.
Microplastics have been found in 386 aquatic species, more than half of which are used commercially; and, as ocean plastic pollution grows, the situation is expected to worsen. Evidence suggests that microplastics and nanoplastics – which are even smaller – can move from the stomach of fish into their muscle tissue, which is what humans typically eat.
Avoiding seafood is an important step to limiting the microplastics we ingest. Switching to a vegan diet also cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions, and is considered to be one of the most environmentally beneficial lifestyle choices one can make. Abandoned fishing gear like nets and ropes – called "ghost fishing gear" – represents about 10% of all trash in the ocean, so avoiding fish also keeps plastic out of the ocean as well as out of our bodies.
8. Replace tea bags with loose-leaf tea.
One recent study found that, when a plastic tea bag was brewed, 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics were released into the drink. Most teabags are made up of roughly 25% plastic, and even those marketed as paper are usually glued together with polypropylene, which is a type of plastic.
Try replacing tea bags with loose leaf tea, and using reusable, refillable linen tea bags or tea balls for steeping. Consider making your own homemade tea as well.
9. Dust and vacuum regularly.
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Besides eating and drinking, microplastics also make their way into our bodies through the air.
These miniscule plastic pieces are so small, they're often mixed up in the dust under our beds, in household corners, and floating in the air. Regular dusting and vacuuming can keep these microplastics from accumulating and becoming inhaled by household inhabitants. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to clean; otherwise the small particles just blow out the other end instead of getting trapped inside.
These measures are especially important if there are babies or young children crawling around at home.
10. Support policies that seek to limit single-use plastics.
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We can limit our own use and exposure to microplastics, but large-scale solutions are needed to truly combat plastic pollution. Fight for a more transparent system from the EPA – who has control over the chemicals allowed in plastic - and use your vote to put politicians in office that will prioritize the health of their citizens and actually address the plastic pollution crisis.
Linnea graduated from Skidmore College in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Environmental Studies, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Along with her most recent position at Hunger Free America, she has interned with the Sierra Club in Washington, DC., Saratoga Living Magazine, and Philadelphia's NPR Member Station, WHYY.
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Making foods from scratch is often a much more sustainable option, and more time-intensive recipes can replace practically every processed or packaged food in your cabinets.
Here are a few of the most basic kitchen staples you can easily, quickly make yourself to cut down on plastic packaging in the kitchen.
1. Flour Tortillas
Wanwisa Hernandez / EyeEm / Getty Images
Store-bought flour tortillas come in plastic bags, and are often laden with preservatives. Luckily, this simple recipe will get fresher, tastier, waste-free tortillas on the table in under thirty minutes.
Combine 2 cups of flour with ½ teaspoon of salt, then stir in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and ¾ cup of water. Turn the mixture onto a floured surface and knead 10-12 times until the dough comes together and has a smooth consistency, adding additional flour or water as needed. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (rolling the dough into a log and cutting into halves three times makes dividing equally easier). Roll out each of these pieces on the floured surface into a roughly 7-inch circle. Grease a skillet and cook the tortillas for one minute on each side over medium heat; air pockets will form and the dough will begin to brown. Serve immediately, or wrap in a tea towel to keep warm will cooking the remainder.
For a healthier option, try these whole wheat flour tortillas, which are just as easy to make for a last-minute meal.
2. Bread (and Bread Crumbs)
There are many recipes for easy bread to choose from, but this Foolproof Bread from @fitgreenmind is a keeper and an excellent place to start.
Start by mixing 1 ½ cups warm water with 2 teaspoons of instant yeast. Add 3 cups flour (or 1 ½ if you'd rather use whole wheat) and 1 teaspoon of salt, then mix with a spatula. Cover the dough in a bowl with a tea towel and let rest for 2-3 hours. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, dust with a bit more flour, then fold in the sides. Transfer to parchment paper and reshape a bit, then place the paper with the dough in a preheated pot (30 minutes in the oven at 450ºF). Bake for 30 minutes covered, then 15 minutes uncovered at 450ºF.
Making your own breadcrumbs is even easier, eliminates the need for those big plastic bags they often come in, and offers a second life to stale bread. Either add chunks of bread slowly to a food processor, or smash dry bread in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. The bread crumbs can be toasted in the oven or a toaster oven if the recipe calls for it.
3. Herbal Tea
Richard Drury / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Not only does making homemade herbal teas save on packaging, but you're able to create your own blends with your favorite ingredients and avoid the expensive store-bought varieties. Grow and dry your own herbs and flowers, or purchase fresh or dried ingredients from a grocery store or farmers market.
Most herbal teas follow a basic structure: a base (3 parts), compliment (1-2 parts), and an accent (1/2-1 parts); follow a recipe, or create your own blends using your preferred flavors.
For zero-waste brewing – avoiding the single-use teabags that often contain microplastics, which in turn release into your hot beverage – use linen tea bags or infusion baskets to fill and steep in the hot water.
4. Frozen Fruit and Vegetables
Frozen fruits and vegetables are great to have on hand to make healthy meals; they allow you to shop less frequently, cut down on prep time, and prevent waste from fresh produce that goes bad if not used quickly enough. The packaging, freezing, and transportation of frozen fruits and veggies, does, however, carry an environmental toll. Save both money and plastic by freezing your own fruits and veggies.
First, you'll need to blanch the vegetables (cook them very quickly in boiling water) to destroy any bacteria, and slow the enzyme action that causes loss of color, flavor, and texture. Wash and sort the vegetables to remove any debris or imperfections, then trim and chop into the size you'd like. Boil water – one gallon per pound of vegetables, or two gallons per pound of leafy greens –add veggies, and cover. You can also choose to steam blanch by suspending a steamer basket in a pot filled with a few inches of water, or use the blancher/strainer that fits directly into some pots. Blanch according to the time required for the vegetable at hand, then transfer using a slotted spoon (or remove the blancher from the boiling water) to a bowl of ice water. Leave them in the bowl for the same amount of time they were blanched, stirring occasionally.
Then, spread the pieces on a cookie sheet so none are touching. Place in the freezer until frozen, then transfer to a freezer bag or reusable container; this step ensures that the vegetables won't freeze and stick to one another in a large mass, and you can take out only what you need over time. Employ this step with fruit as well, after thoroughly washing, trimming, and sorting – there's no need to blanch fruit.
You can even create your own blends: if you make a smoothie frequently with the same fruits, or like to roast certain vegetables for a recipe, combine these in a freezer bag for easy cooking.
5. Veggie Burgers
haoliang / E+ / Getty Images
Replacing traditional burgers with veggie burgers is already a great step towards a lower-impact diet. However, most vegetarian meat alternatives still come heavily packaged in plastic.
Making your own veggie burgers can be very simple, and they can be frozen just like their store-bought counterparts. Generally, a burger will taste delicious and hold together when it follows a basic structure of cooked vegetables, legumes, grains, spices, flavor/texture builders, and a dry base. Try one of these plant-based burger recipes, or experiment with ingredients you already have at home:
- Easy Grillable Veggie Burgers
- NYT Cooking's "The Ultimate Veggie Burger"
- The Perfect Veggie Burger Formula (to use what you already have)
- Best Veggie Burger (with mushrooms)
- Favorite Veggie Burgers (with sweet potatoes, quinoa, and black beans)
6. Salad Dressing
Unfortunately, you can't assume that your plastic salad dressing bottle will be recycled – even if it's put in the recycling bin. Luckily, there is most likely a recipe somewhere online for your favorite dressing; have the necessary ingredients on hand to whip up a quick batch when needed.
Make your own simple Italian dressing by mixing olive oil, white wine vinegar, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, and dried basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Prepare up to one day ahead of time and store covered in the refrigerator. Some recipes also call for Dijon mustard, maple syrup, honey, or parmesan as well. Ranch dressing is also rather simple to make at home with sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, lemon, and fresh herbs. Of course, many of these ingredients also come packaged in plastic; try to use things you already buy for other purposes in your dressings – like sour cream, mayonnaise, or dried herbs – and look for loose, unpackaged fresh herbs at the grocery store or a farmers market.
7. Vegetable Stock
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Save clean peels, stalks, stems, tops, and bottoms of vegetables in a container in the freezer over time to make your own vegetable stock. Once the container is full, add the scraps to boiling water and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Strain the liquid to remove scraps and particles (make sure to compost them!), then store the stock in the refrigerator for 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
8. Pesto
Pesto is a staple for pasta sauces, sandwich spreads, salad dressings, etc., but often comes in small quantities in disposable containers. To make a basic basil pesto, add ½ cup of toasted pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper to a food processor and pulse. Pulse again after adding 2 cups of fresh basil leaves. As the processor runs, add in ¼ cup of olive oil, then (optionally) ¼ cup of parmesan cheese.
The best part about pesto is its versatility; replace half of the basil with a cup of arugula, kale, zucchini, a roasted red pepper, a few artichoke hearts, half an avocado, or half a cup of cooked kale stems (a good way to use these up instead of tossing in the compost). The pine nuts can also be swapped out for other nuts, and honey, maple syrup, red pepper flakes, or nutritional yeast can add to the flavor.
9. Granola
Ditch the plastic bags or cartons and the preservatives by making your own granola. This versatile breakfast/snack is simple to prepare at home, and can be made much healthier without the additional sugar in store-bought granola.
Recipes can be customized based on your favorite flavors or what ingredients you have in the cabinet. A basic rule of thumb is to maintain a 50-50 balance of oil and sweetener to coat the oats. Whisk together your preferred oil with honey or maple syrup, adding cinnamon if you wish. Stir in about 3 cups of oats and any nuts or seeds you'd like. Spread in an even layer on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, clumping the oats if you prefer granola clusters to a looser cereal. Bake for 20 minutes at 300ºF, stirring halfway through, and removing when the nuts are toasted and the oats are golden brown. Add any dried fruit if desired, then tamp down (clumping again for granola clusters), and allow to cool. Store the final product in an airtight container and enjoy for up to one month.
10. Snack Packs
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For kids' lunches or snacks on-the-go, make your own snack packs to avoid the waste of single-serving store-bought snacks. Buy your favorite snacks in bulk – crackers, pretzels, nuts, dried fruit, cheese crackers, etc. – and package them yourself in reusable, sealable bags or small Tupperware containers. You can even make your own trail mix by buying nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate candies in large quantities and mixing it according to your preferred ratio. Keep these in the cabinet to easily grab for a snack.
Linnea graduated from Skidmore College in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Environmental Studies, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, Linnea worked at Hunger Free America, and has interned with WHYY in Philadelphia, Saratoga Living Magazine, and the Sierra Club in Washington, DC.
Linnea enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors, reading, practicing her German, and volunteering on farms and gardens and for environmental justice efforts in her community. Along with journalism, she is also an essayist and writer of creative nonfiction.
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I didn't know it would be one of the most important things I'd do with my life, or that I would begin advising everyone I met who found themselves in the situation I did – unemployed, unsure – to do the same.
~ ~ ~
It's hard to pinpoint when WWOOF first came to my attention; it seems like the kind of thing you always hear about in circles of young, unattached people – an opportunity for college kids looking to fill their summers or gap years, or a backburner activity for a hypothetical future when you have the time. When I, like many Americans, lost my job in early 2020, I started relying on short-term, freelance, and gig work; without a true full-time position, I found myself with rare, exhilarating, and daunting amount of freedom. It (finally) felt like the right time.
WWOOF – Worldwide Opportunities (formerly Willing Workers) on Organic Farms – is essentially a network of national organizations that each facilitate homestays on farms. One-hundred and thirty countries have their own, separate branches of WWOOF, all with the goal of supporting sustainable, ecological farming through an educational work exchange.
Linnea Harris
The arrangement – at least for WWOOF-USA – is rather straightforward: WWOOFers (as participants are informally called) seek unpaid work on one of nearly 1,700 participating farms across the country in exchange for housing and meals. Beyond that, the details vary wildly. Some farms grow vegetables, while others produce herbs, fruit, flowers, mushrooms, or hemp. Some raise cows, chickens, and other livestock for milk, eggs, or meat. Many focus on value-added products like soap, medicinals, wine, maple syrup, and cheese. Some sites are large, established farms; some are community gardens or homesteads. Some seek WWOOFers for a few weeks of work; others for an entire growing season.
Anyone can search the website for host sites, but to see the names of the farms and contact them about a visit, users need to create an account for a $40 yearly fee. Potential volunteers then set up their profile, answering questions about their capabilities, interests, qualifications, etc.; hosts set up a similar profile, detailing all sorts of information about the farm and their expectations for workers.
Linnea Harris
Visitors are able to filter for hosts by all sorts of qualities: location, languages spoken by the farmers, farming methodologies, types of animals raised, type of housing offered, whether WWOOFers may bring children or pets, diets that can be accommodated, and preferred length of stay. Visitors can filter for only BIPOC or LGBTQ+-owned farms, or the maximum number of workers allowed at the site. During the pandemic, new filters were added, such as whether a host could accommodate folks working or schooling remotely.
Farmers can be contacted through the website, and, if it seems like a good match, the rest of the details – specific dates, transportation, etc. – are decided from there.
On the website's map of hosts, I zoomed in on Colorado. I found a farm that grew vegetables and raised chickens, sent a message showing my interest, and heard back from the farmer within a few days. We set up a time to chat, and he called me while driving home to Mancos from Durango, describing the scenery around him and what they were looking forward to on the farm this season. I packed two bags and took the cheapest flight out of Newark.
Linnea Harris~ ~ ~
From my discussions with other folks who have WWOOFed, I've learned that it's futile to compare experiences; no two will share many similarities besides your purpose there being to farm. WWOOF as an organization has very little to do with the ordeal beyond facilitating that initial conversation between WWOOFer and farmer (although they can provide resources for emergent situations). Once you're on the farm, it's your relationship with the host that matters; your experience is entirely in your hands.
For the months of June and July, I lived and worked on a small market farm in Southwest Colorado. We grew vegetables on a few acres of land and in some small greenhouses, raised a couple hundred chickens and a handful of goats and pigs, and then sold the produce, eggs, and sausage at two weekly farmer's markets. Three Great Pyrenees theoretically kept the animals in check, but would often trot up to you in the fields with a smile on their face after, yet again, escaping from a rogue hole in the fence.
Linnea Harris
I lived in a trailer along the edge of a creek, downhill from the main house, accompanied by an old blue school bus, a few other stationary trailers, and a green VW van, all home to other farm folks and a few surprisingly friendly cats. We shared a firepit, some indoor-turned-outdoor furniture, and an open-air kitchen with a propane stove that would singe your eyebrows clean off if you weren't paying attention.
We started working after 7 a.m. – before the sun got too strong – and ended the day between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., or whenever the task at hand got done. During the early part of the season, we did a first pass at weeding all the beds that had already been planted, the greens and turnips in full swing and the onions and squashes just beginning to grow in earnest. There were raised beds and a new greenhouse to be built, eggs to collect and wash, compost to be spread, and crops to be harvested and cleaned and weighed for market on Thursdays and Fridays. As the summer carried on, harvest days became longer, and late-season crops were transplanted – and, of course, there was more weeding to be done.
Linnea Harris
While I retreated mid-afternoon to hike, or read, or cool off in the river, the farmer continued working; when we finished dinner in the evening, he went back into the fields with a headlamp. Work on a farm was never finished, I soon learned; it didn't happen between set hours, but all the time, until the work was done – which, of course, it never is.
When you search for a host on the WWOOF website, the farm profiles display photos of lush pasture, wicker baskets of cherry-red tomatoes, smiling goats and bins of freshly-harvested produce. It's true that the buckets of kale and lettuce looked almost suspiciously lush, and watching the sunset from the hill overlooking the farm and valley felt practically ethereal, but to live and work on a farm is to dispel a bit of that pure idealism – to learn the reality of a place that grows things without industrial machinery or pesticides that allow for such neat, uniform rows of crops.
Linnea Harris
You learn the reality of weeding the same acre for three months for two short weeks of harvesting; of black widows crawling from the piles of pulled bindweed and wild amaranth that you kneel on between the beds, and no-see-ums biting the tips of your ears until they swell. You learn how dry dirt gets into the crevices of your overalls and never seems to come out, and on the first day of monsoon season, you learn that your trailer isn't as watertight as you'd expected. Your body learns to wake up when the sun does, and go a little longer between showers than you'd prefer.
If you're lucky enough to WWOOF in Southwest Colorado – and if you're an east-coaster, like me – you'll learn for the first time what drought really feels like. The cracks in the ground were wide enough to drop quarters into. The creek running through the farm was hardly more than a trickle, the crawdads dragging themselves towards the last crevices of water, which became mere patches of mud as the weeks went on. Most of the Southwest has been in a chronic drought since 2000, and climate change is the unmistakable culprit; farmers in Colorado and the rest of the region have been forced to make painful changes, including major cutbacks on crops for lack of water.
Linnea Harris
Our days were almost entirely dictated by weather. A heatwave rolled through during my first week as we were erecting a new greenhouse; the temperature dial on the side of the tool shed had crept to nearly 100ºF before noon, and we retreated into the shade until the sun began to set and the temperature to drop before returning to the task. The irrigation water was shut off towards the middle of the summer, and all we could do was wait for monsoon season. Evidence has suggested that, even when the rains do come to offer some relief, climate change has made them less helpful. They came in late June, and I learned that the smell of it is different – stronger, and more metallic – and that the ground sucks it up within seconds, the dirt as dry as if rain had never come.
But you also learn about a different way of life.
WWOOFing – or any experience that takes you out of your own world, and what you view as the norm – opens a window into the everyday lives of other people; it allows you to see a world that exists outside of your own. I learned when it feels like to live in a town of 1,000 people and know the majority of those you pass on the street by name. I learned how jobs like farming aren't just careers, but an all-encompassing way of life. I learned about the culture and attitudes of people in a different part of the country. I learned how it feels to live in nature, away from the city that moves a million miles a minute, even during a global pandemic.
Linnea Harris
There are a lot of different lives to live, which we can't truly understand until we see them.
While every WWOOF experience will be different, they will all have this in common.
~ ~ ~
Like most life-changing, view-altering experiences, WWOOFing really is a giant leap of faith. You read the reviews, look at the pictures, zoom in on the closest town on Google Maps, talk to the farmer and ask all your questions – but you'll never know exactly what will happen. It could be a disaster, or it could be wonderful. It does take a great deal of courage, and a willingness to live in less-than-glamorous circumstances. It requires meeting entirely new people, doing physically and intellectually demanding work, and launching yourself into an entirely unknown situation.
I didn't really know what the next few months of my life would look like when I got off that plane and into that red pickup truck. I didn't know what people I would meet on the farm and in Mancos, or that they'd become such staples and joys in my everyday life. I didn't know that I'd go to a wedding of ex-WWOOFers on this very farm where they met, or learn (the hard way) that I'm a terrible mountain biker, or climb up to 13,500 feet on a mountainside of scree. I didn't know that I would learn how to properly throw a dart, or form unexpectedly meaningful relationships. I certainly didn't know that I would fall in love with farming, but that happened too.
Linnea Harris
You build a new life from the ground up – especially when you're planning to stay for a significant amount of time – that you eventually have to leave, which is far harder than all the rest.
Many WWOOFers – as I learned from other transient types in Colorado, and from the farmers who had a slow-moving, revolving door of WWOOFers come work for them – will set up a schedule for themselves, booking short, back-to-back visits on farms as they travel across the country. While taking advantage of this unique opportunity for housing and companionship is great, I advocate for the way I did it: staying in one place long enough to become a part of the community, and form some real, lasting relationships with the people there.
Another major consideration for many when choosing a host site is the number of WWOOFers housed at a given time; the difficulty of moving to a strange, faraway place is eased knowing that there will be others there to share it with. I had the experience of being both a lone WWOOFer and one of a group, my time split in half. Working alone with the farmer for my first month, I was able to get a lot of individual mentorship, learn about the things I was interested in, and form a closer relationship with him and others on the farm than I might have if I shared the time with lots of other workers.
Linnea Harris
As my second month rolled around, two other WWOOFers joined me, and besides the benefit of having more hands as the harvests got bigger, we formed a special kind of friendship: we shared a life experience together – one that no one could ever really understand besides each other. I have no doubt that they will remain a part of my life, even after going our separate ways.
In the end, togetherness was the crucial piece to the puzzle. We all worked together, cooked together, ate together, took weekend hikes and swims and played Tuesday night bar trivia together. Of all the wonderful benefits of WWOOFing – working outdoors, exploring the mountains, traveling – the community you form is the most important part.
For many, WWOOFing is a way to support yourself on a shoestring budget, with your food and living expenses paid for. But it's also clear why the majority of participants are young, unattached people: without an income, making student loan, rent, or mortgage payments is extremely difficult, and only possible if you've been able to save money for some time beforehand. Most people can't just step away from their lives and dependents to move away and work for free. It's yet another example of how privilege factors into our ability to have certain experiences.
Our lives have changed a lot in the past year and a half – in ways that, hopefully, might make experiences like this possible for more people: student loans payments are on hold, remote work and school are prevalent phenomena, and for some – myself included – stimulus payments and enhanced unemployment benefits have granted more financial freedom to pursue different kinds of work.
After losing my own job in 2020, I shuttled between temporary and part-time gigs, trying to find something that would stick. As COVID dragged on, I'd started to give up on finding passion and joy in anything. The days and months blurred together, and it felt like the "most important" years of my life were quietly slipping away. I lost all sense of what I wanted from my life, and found myself looking around, wondering how I got here.
During that time, when I needed something to hold on to – some hope for a pre-pandemic future – I pictured a different kind of life: working away from a screen, somewhere in nature, doing something with my hands. I didn't know what kind of life I wanted to live, but I needed to find out – and WWOOFing gave me the chance to.
Linnea graduated from Skidmore College in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Environmental Studies, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, Linnea worked at Hunger Free America, and has interned with WHYY in Philadelphia, Saratoga Living Magazine, and the Sierra Club in Washington, DC.
Linnea enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors, reading, practicing her German, and volunteering on farms and gardens and for environmental justice efforts in her community. Along with journalism, she is also an essayist and writer of creative nonfiction.
Chemical insect solutions are bountiful, but have a range of dangerous consequences for human health and the environment. Insecticide exposure is linked to respiratory and neurologic symptoms, disruption to hormonal balances, and both birth defects and compromised immune systems in infants. These chemicals also impact local ecosystems and destroy delicate balances within food chains; they often kill non-target species as well, and contaminate the air, water, and soil.
As pesky as flies and ants are, it's important to keep them out of our homes through natural means to protect both ourselves and the environment. Here are a few ways to deter and eliminate pests in your home without reaching for chemicals.
1. Mint
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Use mint to keep ants, mosquitoes, spiders, and mice away.
Mix 10-15 drops of peppermint oil with 8oz of water and put in a spray bottle – or, keep a mint plant (indoors or outdoors) to make a homemade spray. Crush 1 cup of mint leaves and add to two cups of boiling water. Stir for a few minutes, then allow the mixture to cool before straining and pouring into a spray bottle. Spray the mixture where these species are spotted, focusing especially on entry points like vents, doorways, and windows. Bags of mint tea are also quite effective.
2. Neem Oil
Derived from the seeds of the neem tree, neem oil is safe for humans and animals, but kills more than 200 species of insects. It's also found as an ingredient in cosmetics, toothpaste, soap, and some shampoo.
House plants plagued with thrips, aphids, or white flies will benefit from a spray of the oil every once in a while. It can also be used as a fungicide to combat many common houseplant diseases.
Try using neem oil in the garden as well if pests are harming your outdoor plants.
3. Vinegar
Vinegar both repels and attracts insects, which you can use to your advantage.
If lines of ants trekking across the floor or kitchen counters are a common sight in your home, use vinegar to destroy the scent trails that they leave behind. Wipe down surfaces with white vinegar where ants are seen, as well as points of entryway like windows and doors. Acetic acid in vinegar is also harmful to spiders; mix water and vinegar in a 1:1 ratio and spray in areas of the home where spiders linger, like baseboards and out-of-the-way corners.
On the other hand, the smell of vinegar is attractive to fruit flies and aphids. Create a trap for the bugs by filling a bowl with apple cider vinegar, cover with plastic wrap, and poke several small holes using a pin, the tip of a lead pencil, or anything of a similar size. The flies and aphids will fly into the trap and be unable to escape, eventually drowning in the vinegar. This efficient solution can be employed both indoors and outdoors where the pests are present.
4. Basil
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This especially pungent herb is a natural, aromatic fly repellent.
Basil is easy to grow both inside and out; position plants on windowsills or other points of entry, or on the outside of your home to deter flies.
If you aren't able to grow your own, put dried basil in muslin pouches and place them in problem areas around the house. The pouches are also easily moveable if the problem persists in other spots.
5. Lavender
Along with being a beautiful addition to your garden or indoor dried-flower bouquet, the scent of lavender repels fleas, flies, mosquitoes, and moths.
Grow lavender in pots inside where you notice the pests, or around the perimeter of your home, especially near entry points. Alternatively, purchase dried lavender (or dry your own) to fill pouches, and put them in closets where moths might live.
Like all essential oils, lavender oil is quite effective at killing insects. To make your own lavender spray, mix 5-10 drops of lavender essential oil with water. You can also use fresh lavender, but remember that fresh stems are far less concentrated than dried, so you'll have to use more to get the same effect. Muddle the lavender and mix with water in a spray bottle after passing it through a mesh strainer.
6. Cucumber
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Ants, strangely enough, have an aversion to cucumber. The bitter vegetable is also effective against silverfish, moths, and mites in the home.
Leave fresh cucumber slices or peels near entry points, but be sure to replace them very frequently, since decomposing matter will only attract more bugs.
7. Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is made from fossilized algae, which is then ground into a powder. Food-grade diatomaceous earth is safe for humans, but lethal for insects with an exoskeleton like stink bugs, spiders, earwigs, bed bugs, flies, beetles, and ladybugs, which die of dehydration within 48 hours of exposure. Look for the product in your local hardware or garden store, and sprinkle small amounts in affected areas.
While effective, diatomaceous earth products are processed and packaged, and thus carry a greater environmental impact than items you might already have around the house.
8. Citrus
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Lemons, limes, oranges, and other citrus fruits repel spiders, ants, and mosquitos.
In a spray bottle, mix water with lemon or lime juice (store-bought concentrate works, but try fresh fruits for a waste-free option). Use it to wipe countertops, windowsills, and other areas where bugs tend to congregate, or spray in the air. Or, simply rub the peels on problem areas.
You can also tackle grease and grime in the kitchen at the same time by making your own surface cleaner with vinegar (also an insect deterrent) and lemon. As you use lemons for their juice or zest, add them to a large jar in the refrigerator filled with vinegar, shaking every day. After at least two weeks, remove the lemons and pass the mixture through a towel or piece of cheesecloth to remove any residue. Mix the vinegar-lemon mixture with water in a 1-1 ratio, and store in a spray bottle. The solution is excellent for cleaning countertops, bathroom surfaces, and greasy stovetops, although avoid marble and stone, as the acidic lemon might cause pitting in the surface over time.
9. Cinnamon
Along with cinnamon's strong scent, the eugenol – a naturally-occurring compound found in cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and basil that's used in many commercial insect repellents – will also keep the bugs away.
To control dust mites, try cinnamon bark oil. Create a 1:1 mixture of water and denatured alcohol, then add a few drops of the oil. Use the spray to deter mites on carpets, bedding, etc.
Sprinkling cinnamon or laying cinnamon sticks (which usually have a stronger scent, especially when microwaved for a few seconds) around the kitchen will also keep ants away. If you can locate their trail, lay a line of cinnamon through it, which they won't cross. Cinnamon should also protect against earwigs, cockroaches, bed bugs, fruit flies, silverfish, and spiders.
10. Dish Soap
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Dish soap isn't always "natural," but is less harmful than insecticide and is likely already in your kitchen cabinet, ready to be used.
Combat fruit fly problems in the kitchen with a simple dish soap solution. Instead of deterring the bugs, create a homemade trap by filling a glass or jar three-quarters of the way with vinegar (white or apple cider), then adding 6-8 drops of dishwashing liquid. Fill the rest of the bowl with warm water and set in the affected area. Flies will get trapped in the mixture over time; pour out the bowl periodically and remake.
Ladybugs – another common household pest – tend to gather in groups, and can be combatted with a soapy-water spray. This will kill some of the bugs and the scent will keep them from returning.
11. Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus oil both repels and eradicates some household pests. Mix ¼ teaspoon of the aromatic oil with a cup of water, and spray in areas affected by gnats, flies, and ants (or directly on garden plants, if the problem also exists outdoors). Alternatively, apply a few drops eucalyptus oil on a cloth, and leave it in areas with lots of flies.
The oil is often lethal to scale insects like mites and aphids. Combined with water and a small amount of dish detergent, a eucalyptus oil spray can be applied directly to affected indoor and outdoor plants.
While largely safe, eucalyptus can be toxic if ingested in large amounts, and the oil is highly flammable; use with caution and make sure there is proper airflow in rooms sprayed with the oil.
12. Catnip
Catnip – a plant that got its name from the cats that are attracted to it – is, surprisingly, more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET, according to a 2018 study from Scientific Reports. Growing catnip in the garden is an easy way to keep mosquitos away from your backyard or patio.
Apply catnip oil to surfaces in mosquito-filled areas of the home, or create a spray much like those for lavender and mint. Apply directly to the skin as well if spending time outdoors in a mosquito-laden area.
13. Protect Your Home
Perhaps the best way to combat pests is to prevent them from entering the home in the first place.
Consider how to better seal your home against insect invaders. Mice and squirrels often come in through holes in siding or where electrical wires and pipes come in, and insects sometimes hitch a ride on things you bring inside, like firewood. Use weather stripping and caulk to close gaps around doors and windows, inspect baseboards for holes, and install window screens during the warmer months.
Organizing and dusting is very effective at keeping insects from nesting. Spiders and other bugs like hiding in dark, cluttered spaces; clear out cardboard and other debris, and keep your home clean and uncluttered. Also remove any potential breeding areas near/under your home, like piles of mulch, grass clippings, or other yard waste. Wood piles should also be a bit away from the home.
Linnea graduated from Skidmore College in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Environmental Studies, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, Linnea worked at Hunger Free America, and has interned with WHYY in Philadelphia, Saratoga Living Magazine, and the Sierra Club in Washington, DC.
Linnea enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors, reading, practicing her German, and volunteering on farms and gardens and for environmental justice efforts in her community. Along with journalism, she is also an essayist and writer of creative nonfiction.
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Yet, the practices surrounding tea drinking have become increasingly wasteful. A study in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Environmental Science and Technology found 11.6 billion microplastics (miniscule plastic particles) and 3.1 billion nanoplastics (1,000 times smaller than an algal cell) were released by a single plastic tea bag when brewed. Most teabags are now up to 25% plastic, using a plastic polymer to seal and maintain the shape of the bag when dipped into steaming water – even those marketed as paper tea bags.
The ingredients inside the tea bag also carry environmental concerns, including pesticide use for non-organic products, and the long distances ingredients must travel to get from the farm to your mug.
While plastic-free teabags can be tossed in the compost, there is an even more sustainable solution: making your own herbal tea.
Here are a few tips for getting started on creating your own blends from scratch.
Buying (or Growing) Your Herbs and Flowers
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Choose fresh, organic herbs from the grocery store – or, better yet, check out your local farmers market. If you have the space to grow your own herbs, however, you'll save a great deal of plastic packaging and money by avoiding expensive store-bought herbs. Some of the most common herbs for tea are mint, lemon balm, lavender, basil, ginger, chamomile (a daisy-like herb that can be grown inside), rosemary, thyme, sage, jasmine, and lemongrass.
Luckily, you don't need much room – or even any outdoor space – to grow your favorite herbs; a windowsill, sunny balcony, fire escape, or front stoop will do.
You can grow your herbs from seed, or purchase nursery plants (also known as starts) from a local grocery or garden store, or from a local farm. Fill pots that are between 6 and 12 inches deep with organic potting soil (normal garden soil will compress over time and leave little room for proper aeration), or space plants out in a long container. Plant seeds according to the instructions on the seed packet; usually, a few seeds should be placed on top of the soil and covered with a small amount of potting mix. The dirt should be kept moist until sprouts appear – covering the pots with plastic retains some humidity, so cover with a plastic bag if the soil seems to be drying out too quickly.
Alternatively, fill the bottom 2-3 inches of the pot with soil and carefully transfer nursery plants. Gently tease apart the roots and fill the remaining space with soil.
Make sure the plants are in a place where they'll get at least six hours of sunlight a day, or provide a grow light to grow them anywhere in the house. Herbs should be watered only when the soil is dry an inch or two under the surface. Soil tends to dry out more quickly in the winter when heat is turned on, so they might need to be watered more frequently.
Many flower shops and grocery stores use pesticides or other chemicals to grow and preserve flowers, so if you want those floral notes in your tea, you'll need to grow flowers on your own. Purchase seeds or starts for those you'd like to include, and grow in containers or in your garden; or, find pre-dried flowers at a grocery store if growing both herbs and flowers isn't possible for you. Some local farmers might grow organic flowers that are safe to eat, but be sure to discuss this with farmers market vendors before purchasing.
Drying Fresh Herbs and Flowers
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Both fresh and dried herbs and flowers can be used to brew tea. If you aren't ready to use your fresh ingredients right away, you'll need to dry them before creating your blend.
Depending on the plant, there are four easy options for drying: air drying, or drying in an oven, microwave, or dehydrator.
First, if growing your own ingredients, harvest outdoor herbs and flowers in the mid-morning after the dew has dried, but when the sun isn't too strong yet; you'll want to harvest before the afternoon sun begins bleaching the essential oils out of the petals. If you're air drying herbs with branches – like thyme, mint, basil, oregano, and rosemary – make sure to keep enough of the branch to hang them. Rinse the herbs carefully to remove dirt or insects, if necessary.
Air drying requires the least attention, but is considered one of the best options for preserving flavor. This method also takes a bit more time (anywhere from one to three weeks), and works best with thicker, waxier leaves, like rosemary. Gather the herbs with the cut branches facing the same direction, and bind together with rubber bands, string, or wire. To prevent dust or debris from gathering on the herbs – especially if you live in a dusty climate – wrap a paper bag with ventilation holes or cheesecloth around the bundle. Hang the herbs from the stems, preferably in a cool, dry room. Drying time varies based on humidity levels in your home; the herbs will dry much faster in dry climates. When they lose all pliability and easily break/crumble in your hand, they're ready to be taken down, stripped from the branches, and stored.
If you'd rather speed up the process, drying herbs in the oven is a common and relatively easy method, but requires an oven that can be set at 135ºF. If the lowest setting on your appliance is higher than this, prop the door open slightly and monitor the temperature. The process can be pretty quick – often well under an hour – so keep an eye on the herbs and remove once they start to get crispy and crumble easily. If you'd rather use the microwave, wrap the herbs in paper towels and microwave for one minute. Allow the herbs to cool for 30 seconds, then microwave about for 30 seconds. Repeat this process until fully dry.
Dehydrators are expensive, but perhaps worth the investment if you'll use it to dry more than just herbs. Lay the plants on the trays with some room between them, set the temperature to 135ºF, and allow to dry in the machine for about 12-24 hours. Let the dehydrator cool for a few hours before removing the herbs and storing.
If you're adding flowers to your blend – like roses or hibiscus – clip the plant right underneath the crown of petals. Gently wipe the petals clean with a damp towel, spread on cheesecloth or a bamboo net, and place in direct sunlight. Place a cooling rack or something similar on top of the petals so they don't blow away, and rotate them every few hours until completely dry. The petals should crumble off the crown easily. Soft-leafed herbs like mint, parsley, and basil can also be dried this way.
Store all dried herbs and flowers in airtight containers until you're ready to use them.
Create Your Blend
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Once you have your chosen herbs and flowers dried and ready, it's time to create your tea blend. Dried blends have the advantage of longer shelf stability; if you're using fresh ingredients, chop up the larger pieces if desired, mix them together, and use right away.
Most herbal teas follow a basic structure that employs three main flavors: a base (3 parts), compliment (1-2 parts), and an accent (1/2-1 parts). Create your own blends, or follow a recipe. For some sweetness or a citrusy punch, add honey and dried orange or lemon peels, or other spices from the cabinet like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorn, cayenne, and turmeric.
For relaxation, try adding lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, or basil; for a cold, try lemon, ginger, honey, cloves, mint, cinnamon; and for supporting your immune system, include turmeric, lemongrass, hibiscus, peppermint, echinacea, or elderberry.
Here are a few ideas to start with:
- Chamomile, lavender, and mint
- Rosehips, lemongrass, lemon peel, and cinnamon
- Lemon verbena, thyme, and lemongrass leaves
- Chamomile, lemongrass leaves, and rose petals
- Mint, fennel seeds, and ginger
- Basil, chamomile, lemon balm, and lavender
- Fresh lemon, rosemary, and honey
- Orange or lemon peels, cardamom, and turmeric
Herbal blends can also be mixed with caffeinated tea; add black or green tea to the dried mixture for an extra kick.
Store blends in glass jars or another airtight container.
Tip: Homemade tea blends make great sustainable gifts!
Brew Your Tea
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Before brewing your new blend, consider your waste-free brewing options. Reusable linen tea bags can be washed and refilled, and act just like the single-use teabags we're used to. Tea balls and infusers can also be filled with homemade tea – both fresh and dried – and are very easy to wash.
Whichever method you decide upon, add approximately 1 teaspoon of dried blend per cup of boiling water; for fresh ingredients, use 2 teaspoons per ¾ cup of water.
Steep dried tea for 3-5 minutes, or 5-10 for fresh. Stay on the shorter side for any blends you've added green, black, or other caffeinated tea to so the beverage doesn't become bitter.
Enjoy!
Linnea graduated from Skidmore College in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Environmental Studies, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, Linnea worked at Hunger Free America, and has interned with WHYY in Philadelphia, Saratoga Living Magazine, and the Sierra Club in Washington, DC.
Linnea enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors, reading, practicing her German, and volunteering on farms and gardens and for environmental justice efforts in her community. Along with journalism, she is also an essayist and writer of creative nonfiction.
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Many processed foods – especially those that are heavily processed, like packaged snacks frozen meals, and sugary drinks – have negative consequences for both the environment and our health. Such products usually come in plastic packaging, which eventually ends up in landfills and waterways. As a food item is processed, it also loses a good deal of nutrients, wasting that energy and resulting in a less nutritious product. Take corn for example: fresh corn from the cob is rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and nutrients. As the corn is processed further away from its original form – as it's canned, frozen, and bagged, or made into highly-processed foods like chips and cornflakes – it loses many of those vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Processed foods also usually contain more salt, sugar, and saturated fat than whole foods, as well as additives and preservatives, to extend their shelf life and preserve taste.
Eating less processed food is, of course, a privilege; access to fresh food is often limited by location, cost, and other factors, and marginalized communities are more likely to have limited access to whole foods.
If you are able to alter your eating habits, here are a few realistic ways to cut back on processed foods in your daily life.
1. Replace Refined Grains With Whole Grains
Refined grain products – like white pasta, rice, and bread – are stripped of most of their vitamins and minerals during processing, leaving a far less nutritious product behind.
Whole, unrefined grains, however, are higher in fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and protein, keep you full for longer, and are proven to lower your risk of various conditions including stroke, heart disease, and type-2 diabetes.
Try replacing refined grains in your diet with whole grains by swapping out white rice for brown, and buying whole wheat pasta, bread, and tortillas.
2. Drink More Water
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Sugary drinks are usually highly caloric but provide very few nutrients. Soft drinks like soda, sports drinks, lemonade, and powdered drink mix often come in single-use bottles as well, contributing to the massive amounts of plastic waste generated each day in the United States.
Sometimes you'll crave a sports drink or can of soda (we all do), but shaking the daily habit is a relatively easy way to cut back on highly processed products in your diet. Infuse pitchers of water with fruits and herbs – perhaps trying some new creative combinations – to enjoy throughout the day in place of soda or sugary juice, or invest in a sparkling water maker for a package-free carbonated drink.
3. Take Smaller Shopping Trips
If you have frequent access to the grocery store, try shopping every few days (or even every day) for only the things you need. That way, you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables without worrying about spoilage, or running out of produce before the next time you head to the store.
Shopping for only a few items at once also saves money; you won't be tempted to stock up on things you might not actually need.
If shopping more frequently isn't possible for you, buy frozen vegetables to have on hand, or save money and plastic by freezing your own: broccoli, spinach, fruit, or your favorite combination of vegetables to easily toss into the pan.
4. Make Your Own (Healthier) Snacks and Staples
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You don't have to give up all the foods you love! Replace processed foods with homemade kitchen staples and your favorite snacks.
Try making your own veggie chips, crackers, popcorn, granola bars, and trail mix; they'll be healthier, nutrient-rich, and preservative-free. Package snacks in reusable Ziploc bags or Tupperware so they're just as convenient to grab on the go as store-bought alternatives.
Take stock of your kitchen and the staples you always have around – like nut butters, flavored yogurt, ice cream, and salad dressing – and try making some of your own. Or, if you're short on time (or don't particularly enjoy spending time in the kitchen), replace the processed option with an un-processed one. Try swapping sugary breakfast cereal for oatmeal, or flavored yogurt for plain with fruit.
5. Add More Fresh Foods to Meals
To keep heavily-processed food off your dinner plate, fill it up with vegetables.
Add some easy fruits and veggies to meals for extra nutrients: spinach into eggs or breakfast potatoes, bulkier vegetables into casseroles or taco filling (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.), and sliced fruit to breakfast oats. These fresh foods will take up more space in your meal and replace refined grains or other less-healthy ingredients.
Greens like kale, bok choy, chard, or spinach can be prepared as an easy side (or wilt it into the main dish, like a pasta sauce). Keep these frozen vegetables on hand to easily toss into the pot.
6. Read Labels
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Of course, we all still buy packaged, shelf-stable products at the grocery store. Be sure to read the labels on what you pull from the shelf, comparing ingredients of products before choosing which one to put in your cart.
A good rule of thumb is to look at the first three ingredients on the label, since they'll tell you what the majority of the product is made of. The 3S's – salt, sodium, and saturated fat – are a pretty good indication that the product is highly processed and not very healthy, whatever convoluted name they might take. Hydrogenated oils (also called trans-fats) and refined grains are usually a red flag as well. Be sure to also check the serving size; the Daily Values and calorie count might seem low, but the serving size could be deceptively small.
7. Be Wary of Advertising
While checking out those labels, be wary of false or misleading statements on packaging.
When it comes to grains, don't let phrases like "multigrain" or "made with whole grains" fool you; two types of grain (potentially refined grains) still counts as "multi," and there might be very few whole grains mixed in. "Low-fat," "low-carb," and "low-calorie" foods can still be highly processed and contain other unhealthy ingredients (like sugar) to compensate. "Gluten-free" and "organic" also don't necessarily mean the product is healthy (organic sugar is still sugar).
If whole foods aren't included in the first three ingredients, it's likely that they're in very small quantities.
8. Meal Prep
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Cooking and eating at home is a good way to avoid processed foods – but, preparing three meals a day isn't always realistic, and fast food or pre-made meals can be tempting when you're short on time.
Prepare staples ahead of time that can be mixed and matched throughout the week for meals, such as brown rice, roasted vegetables, homemade pasta sauces, and fruit salad.
If frozen dinners are your go-to on busy nights, freeze entire meals to treat like those you might buy from the grocery store. Package meals in microwavable Tupperware to cut down on dishes too. You'll be able to enjoy much healthier, minimally-processed meals without cooking every day.
9. Ease Into It
Don't implement major changes to your diet all at once. If you eat a significant amount of processed food throughout the week, instead of going totally cold-turkey, try modifying aspects of your diet incrementally. Start by swapping out your sugary cereal for oatmeal a few days a week before making it a daily habit, or tackle your snacking tendencies before moving on to dinner foods. Making these changes all at once is hard, and can be a recipe for discouragement.
Diet and health looks different for everyone; don't compare your eating habits and desires to those around you. Listen to your body and what it needs – which will sometimes be white pasta or chips – and develop habits that are right for you.
Linnea graduated from Skidmore College in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Environmental Studies, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, Linnea worked at Hunger Free America, and has interned with WHYY in Philadelphia, Saratoga Living Magazine, and the Sierra Club in Washington, DC.
Linnea enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors, reading, practicing her German, and volunteering on farms and gardens and for environmental justice efforts in her community. Along with journalism, she is also an essayist and writer of creative nonfiction.
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As much as 40% of our national food supply is wasted, but there are plenty of ways to keep these rinds out of the trash.
1. Spice Up a Beverage
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To add some extra flavor and zest to tea, liquor, or wintery mulled beverages, dry your own lemon, orange, tangerine, or other citrus peels to add to the mix.
Peel the fruit, leaving the pith – the bitter white substance between the peel and the fruit – behind. Leave the strips on a plate in a warm, sunny area with their insides facing upwards until crisp (about 2-3 days). If you're short on time, the peels can also be dried in the oven. Spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes at 200ºF.
The dried peels can be used for all sorts of beverages; to make a citrusy tea, mince the peels, then mix with black tea and other desired spices such as cardamom, lavender, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. They also add excellent flavor to mulled wine or cider.
Wrap a fresh peel around the end of a wooden spoon to make classic citrus twists to garnish cocktails, or make your own cocktail bitters with dried orange peels. Make the alcohol infusion in a pint-sized jar with grain alcohol and desired botanicals (including dried orange peels), shaking daily for 14 days. Strain the infusion and add to aromatic water, made by simmering the same orange peel and botanical mixture, straining, and letting rest for 5 days, shaking daily. Add caramelized sugar to the alcohol and water mixture, strain one last time, and store for up to one year.
2. Make Candied Peels
Making succade – or candied citrus peel – is an easy way to preserve and repurpose peels.
Remove the peel from 2 oranges – including the pith – and cut into strips. Boil for 15 minutes, drain, rinse, and drain once more. Meanwhile, combine 3 cups of water and 3 cups of sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the peels, bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes until the peels are soft. Toss the coated peels in another cup of sugar, then separate on foil to dry for a day or two.
The final product can be eaten on their own as a snack, used to garnish a dessert or cocktail, or chopped up to use for baking.
3. Use in Homemade Cleaning Products
D-Limonene – a natural compound found in citrus peels – is a very effective cleaner.
Make your own simple surface cleaner with only vinegar, water, and lemon. As you accumulate leftover lemon rinds, store them in a jar in the refrigerator filled with vinegar. Let the mixture sit for at least two weeks once it's full of rinds, shaking it daily. Remove the lemons and strain the infused vinegar to take out any stray particles. Pour the solution directly into a spray bottle, or create a 1:1 ratio mixture with water for a less potent cleaner. Use the spray to clean greasy kitchen counters, bathroom surfaces, etc., but take care to avoid using on marble or stone, as the acidity in the lemons can cause damage.
While this surface cleaner can be used to clean out the inside of a microwave, for a more immediate solution, fill a bowl with water and lemon peels and microwave for about 5 minutes, or until the water is boiling. Allow the steam to fill the microwave for a few minutes before opening the door and wiping down the surfaces with a cloth.
To de-oderize a kitchen dish disposal, freeze peels in an ice cube tray with water and when it's time for a clean, toss one down the drain and flip the switch, or freshen up the fridge by simply leaving a small bowl of peels on a shelf to spread their scent.
4. Build Citrus Fire Starters
Orange peels, surprisingly, make excellent fire starters – and will leave your house smelling citrusy and fresh!
Simply leave the skins on a cookie sheet until dry, then toss into the fire with the rest of the kindling. The oil on the skins fuels the fire and can replace paper as a waste-free fire starter.
Store the peels in a paper bag with a silica packet if you aren't ready to use them right away.
5. Add Flavor to Dishes
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With so much flavor in the rind of citrus fruits, it would be a shame to waste it.
Add the peels or slices of already-juiced fruits directly to the pot/pan to infuse their flavor into a meal while it's cooking. Try adding limes to taco filling or rice, oranges to roasted root vegetables, and lemon to pasta dishes. Remove the peels from the pan before serving. If you don't need the rinds right away, freeze them whole for future use.
Zest is the most common way to add citrusy flavor to dishes. Use a citrus zester, Microplane, the side of the grater with the smallest holes, or a vegetable peeler to season baked goods, dressings, and side sauces.
6. Make Your Own Essential (and Non-Essential) Oils
Oranges work especially well for making essential oils. Remove as much of the pith as possible, allow the peels to dry for a few hours, cut into small pieces (or grind them into a dry paste in a food processor, if you have one), and place in a jar with vodka. Shake the jar a few times a day for at least three days before straining the liquid, then leave the jaw uncovered to allow the alcohol to evaporate, which should take roughly 12 hours. You'll be left with about one ounce of essential oil to use in a diffuser, rub directly onto the skin, add to bath water, etc.
Alternatively, infuse cooking oil with orange or lemon zest to easily add flavor to dishes; this can also be done ahead of time when you have extra peels on hand, and saved for the future. Combine three tablespoons of zest with a cup of your favorite cooking oil in a glass jar. After two weeks (shaking occasionally), strain the zest, and use the oil for dipping bread, tossing a salad, or cooking on the stove.
7. Freeze or Dry Zest for Later
Rather than buying a whole lemon every time you need zest, freeze or dry it ahead of time to have on hand when you need it.
Before juicing a lemon, zest the peel onto a plate. Freeze the zest in a container or an ice cube tray for convenient use later on, popping out single portions that can be thrown right into the pan.
For recipes that call for zest as a garnish, keep a stock of dried zest that can be sprinkled on top. Spread the fresh shavings on a cookie sheet and allow to dry completely somewhere with low humidity. Store in an airtight container in a dry, cool place. The zest will keep for a long time, but is more potent the sooner it's used.
8. Make Lemon Sugar and Salt
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Use fresh lemon zest to make simple lemon sugar or salt.
Lemon sugar can be used in tea and fruity dessert recipes (like cake, scones, muffins, and cookies) to add some bright flavor. For every 1 Tbsp. of lemon zest, use 1 cup of sugar. Simply mix the two ingredients in a bowl and massage with your hands until completely combined and the oil is released from the zest, creating that wet-sand-like texture you're looking for.
To make lemon salt, let the zest dry overnight before mixing it with an equal amount of course salt. The resulting citrusy salt is a complementary additive to vegetables, soup, pasta, rice, risotto, cocktails, etc.
9. Beat Back Pests
The d-Limonene that helps clean grease from your counters also helps repel pesky garden insects, including soft-bodied bugs like aphids, mealy bugs, slugs, and fungus gnats, and ants or cockroaches when spray directly on the bug.
Boil 500mL of water and add to a glass jar with orange peels. Allow the mixture to sit in a warm spot for 24 hours, then strain and add a few drops of castile soap (Dr. Bronner's peppermint-scented castile soap works especially well). Mix thoroughly and transfer to a spray bottle using a funnel. To ward of soft-bodied pests, spray the affected plant completely; for ants and roaches, spray the bugs directly. Strengthen the solution with other bug-deterring natural ingredients like garlic and cayenne pepper, if you wish.
10. Brew Lemon Extract
Make your own lemon extract to have on hand for recipes.
Add ½ cup of vodka (80-100 proof) to the zest of 2-3 lemons in a glass jar, making sure the zest is completely covered. Keep the jar in a dark place – like the back of a cabinet or a basement shelf – for about two months, shaking the jar weekly. Strain out the particles and store the extract in a clean glass vessel, where it will stay fresh for several years.
11. Make Marmalade
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Use juiced orange halves or peels to make this delicious orange peel marmalade. The scraps are blitzed in a food processor until coarse, then mixed in a 1:1 ratio with sugar and boiled over low heat. Use the marmalade to dress up a pound cake, a bowl of yogurt, a slice of toast, or a charcuterie board.
The same process can be applied to grapefruit, lemons, limes, or any combination of citrus fruits.
12. Use for DIY Cosmetic Products
Lemon juice has a range of benefits for skin, hair, and nail care, but the peels have many advantages too.
Avoid buying products with microplastics by making your own body scrub with citrus peels. After drying out the peels, grind them in a food processor until fine. Add to your favorite soap or body wash, or to a homemade sugar scrub.
Linnea graduated from Skidmore College in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Environmental Studies, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, Linnea worked at Hunger Free America, and has interned with WHYY in Philadelphia, Saratoga Living Magazine, and the Sierra Club in Washington, DC.
Linnea enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors, reading, practicing her German, and volunteering on farms and gardens and for environmental justice efforts in her community. Along with journalism, she is also an essayist and writer of creative nonfiction.
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Waste associated with grocery shopping happens on multiple levels: packaging and bagging groceries, choosing between the many options available, and actually using all the food once it's made it home, to name a few.
Luckily, there are many ways to reduce waste and shop greener; from ditching single-use grocery bags, to decoding plastic packaging labels, to choosing produce more deliberately, our choices in the aisles make a significant impact.
1. Bring Your Own Grocery and Produce Bags
Plastic never truly decomposes, but breaks down into microplastics in a process that can take hundreds of years in landfills.
Roughly 100 billion single-use plastic bags are used by Americans each year, which are difficult to recycle and often make their way into waterways after being discarded, where they are consumed by wildlife and send further microplastics up the food chain.
Forgoing this source of waste is as simple as collecting a few reusable bags (no need for anything fancy) and keeping them easily accessible for grocery trips. Leave a few in the car in case you forget them, and check out packable bags to keep in your purse, backpack, or pocket for impromptu grocery runs.
Instead of putting produce in plastic bags, invest in an inexpensive set of reusable produce bags as well, which you can use to hold loose fruits, vegetables, and herbs, opting for the package-less option in the fresh foods section.
2. Buy in Bulk
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Plastic packaging is a major source of waste, especially regarding food; packaging and containers alone account for more than 23% of all waste in landfills, according to the EPA.
To avoid contributing to this deluge of plastic, take advantage of the bulk sections found in many grocery stores, where customers can fill containers with loose, unpackaged goods, and pay by weight. Better yet, you can use your own reusable produce bags, and skip the plastic entirely.
Buying in bulk is a convenient alternative to items traditionally wrapped in plastic – especially dry goods like coffee, beans, nuts, and grains – and can reduce food waste in your home by supplying exactly the amount needed, as opposed to the pre-determined quantities of packaged foods, which might be more than you can use.
You can also research all-bulk grocery stores or filleries – stores specifically designed to sell foods in bulk without packaging – in your area to buy even more unpackaged items like spices, butter, crackers, oils, baking ingredients, pasta, eggs, and cleaning solutions.
3. Ask Your Grocery Store About Taring
Some grocery stores are also set up to support taring: weighing reusable containers brought by customers to fill with bulk goods, sometimes including liquids and other items that can't be put in a reusable bag.
Taring allows you to fill any vessel you already have: glass jars, upcycled plastic containers, Tupperware, etc. Most stores will require that customers pre-weigh the vessel and take note of the weight before filling it, which will be accounted for and subtracted from the total weight at checkout.
Even if your grocery store is not set up to support taring, ask an employee if you can take note of the weight of your container and subtract this from the total weight and price of your purchase.
4. Shop Local and In-Season
All food needs to get transported before it ends up in the grocery store aisles; often by boat, truck or plane, emitting carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane into the atmosphere.
Shopping locally if you are able cuts down on food miles – the distance a product traveled from the farm to your plate – while also supporting local farmers. Not all areas will have equal access to affordable local products, but research nearby farms that sell products or offer CSA memberships, or visit a local farmer's market to learn your options. Some farms will also sell wholesale to grocery stores, so you can purchase their crops just as easily as conventional products.
Similarly, if you're buying something out of season, it's likely to come from somewhere far away where it is in season. Check out the USDA's Seasonal Produce Guide to learn when in-season fruits and vegetables hit the grocery shelves, and try to shop according to the growing season.
5. Research Where Your Food Comes From and How It's Produced
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It's not always possible to shop locally or in-season, but you can still make a well-informed decision about what to put in your cart.
Find out who grew/manufactured the item and what their practices are, including whether they have ethical standards for raising meat, use pesticide-free pest management practices, etc.
Looking for labels is very helpful, especially USDA Organic and Fair Trade Certified. USDA Organic is a stringent certification, and guarantees that the farm has followed certain standards for pest management, additives, animal raising, etc. Similarly, if a product has been vetted by Fairtrade International, the product fulfills certain economic, environmental, and social criteria to ensure that trade is equitable and producers are paid fairly. Don't be fooled by illegitimate certifications and phraseology like "pasture-raised," "certified sustainable," or other claims that aren't based on actual, verifiable standards.
Commercial seafood production in particular has devastating consequences for oceans. Destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling – in which massive nets are dragged along the ocean floor – destroy delicate ecosystems, disrupt aquatic food chains by removing large amounts of one species, and often ensnare species (sometimes endangered or protected) that were not intended to be caught, called bycatch.
Look for the Aquaculture Stewardship Council or Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) seals on seafood to know it was produced responsibly. Seafood Watch also provides consumer guides for purchasing seafood in every region, a search tool to find the best options for a seafood product, and an app to help you find ethically-sourced seafood in your area.
6. More Fresh, Less Processed
Without the additional production and packaging undergone by processed foods items, fresh foods are often considered to have a smaller environmental impact, but this can be difficult to determine.
The sustainability of a food item depends on its entire life cycle: the processing, storing, preserving, and refrigerating needed to bring it from farm to plate. For example, buying minimally-processed foods – such as canned vegetables or dried fruit – might result in fewer emissions than fresh food that has to be prepared at home. Similarly, if eating processed foods results in less wasted food (since they last longer in the cabinet than perishables in the fridge), this might make them a more sustainable option for some.
However, many ultra-processed foods (those that contain little or no whole foods, and are mostly or entirely made with substances derived from foods and additives) contain palm and soy oils, which are associated with deforestation, degradation of natural habitats, and environmentally destructive large-scale agriculture.
Replacing ultra-processed foods with fresh, plant-based, local, whole foods is preferable, which produce relatively few emissions and retain more of their nutritional content. When grocery shopping, stick to the perimeter of the grocery story – where the fresh foods are generally kept – as much as possible.
7. Shop Ugly
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If produce is perfectly edible, yet cosmetically imperfect – carrots with multiple stalks, non-spherical apples, asymmetrical bell peppers – it'll often be rejected by grocery stores or left on the shelves, untaken by consumers.
Ugly produce subscription boxes have offered an alternative to consumers – although their ethics and place in ending home- and store-level food waste has been questioned – but you can always opt for the "uglier" options on the grocery store shelves, ensuring that they don't eventually get tossed by the store.
8. Plan Your Meals and Make a List
You might often find yourself at the grocery store without a grocery list or meal plan for the week, which inevitably leads to impulse-buying and speculating about what you might need. An average American wastes about 21% of the food they buy – equal to roughly $1,800 a year – much of which could be avoided by buying only what you know you need.
Make a list before every grocery trip, checking the fridge and cabinets to make sure you don't buy anything you already have. If you generally buy the same items, create a generic grocery list to print out each week and mark what is needed.
9. Check the Plastics
Of course, you might not be able to ditch plastic entirely when grocery shopping. Check out the labels on items packaged in plastic before buying, and choose those that are less impactful and more easily recycled. HDPE and PETE products are generally easier to recycle, so purchasing items packaged in these kinds of plastic have a better chance of actually making it to the recycling plant.
Linnea graduated from Skidmore College in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Environmental Studies, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Most recently, Linnea worked at Hunger Free America, and has interned with WHYY in Philadelphia, Saratoga Living Magazine, and the Sierra Club in Washington, DC. Linnea enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors, reading, practicing her German, and volunteering on farms and gardens and for environmental justice efforts in her community. Along with journalism, she is also an essayist and writer of creative nonfiction.
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