Y’all, the first days of spring are upon us! As a born-and-bred-Southerner living in the snowy North, I celebrate the very few months a year I get to throw my windows open and sing through my screen door (though I’m not so sure my neighbors are as appreciative of that part!). As we are transitioning to warmer weather and sunny days ahead, here are some suggestions for making some sustainable spring transitions.

Mindful Spring Cleaning Practices

Now that our windows are open and we’re airing out the crevices of closets and attics– we just want things OUT of our house, am I right?! It can be (so, so) tempting to just toss our springtime discards into the trash or thrift store pile… but hear me out. If those too-small jeans or extra silverware have lived happily in the recesses of your home for months or years, another few days won’t hurt to get them to a new home.

Gift to friends, family, & neighbors down the street

You could start a giant text thread with pictures of everything you’re decluttering, begging your loved ones to take them off your hands. But, that’s not a terribly efficient solution to your “stuffitis.” So instead, try leveraging social media to get your “stuff” to the people who will actually appreciate your leopard print leggings or coffee mug from Vegas.

My recommendation? Join your local Buy Nothing Group. The Buy Nothing Project is a global movement to meets needs and wants within “hyper-local” communities. My local group has been a source of much laughter and community-building during a pandemic year. We have exchanged everything from old outlet covers to blow-up swimming pools– and best of all for my minimalist heart, there is pretty much always someone willing to use the “stuff” cluttering your closets and cabinets. I even recently re-homed “the lonely fork”– a lone turquoise fork from my days of packing lunches for work. “The lonely fork” found a new home with a lunch-packing mama… but not before we decided it needed its own Instagram account! (I would have set it up, but you know how spotty my own IG game is…). You can find your local Buy Nothing group here.

(And if you aren’t on social media? The Buy Nothing Project is launching a phone app later this spring… stay tuned for more details!).

And if absolutely no one (even your mama, who dutifully kept every. single. piece. of your childhood artwork) in your life wants it…

From worn-out sneakers and broken jewelry to unused medication, there are re-use options for nearly everything in your life. And best of all? Exactly 0% of these re-use options require you to be personally crafty. You can check out the complete guide to re-homing/ recycling pretty much anything in your life here.

You can also peruse your recycling options with TerraCycle (many of which are free!).

Embarking on some home renovations? Habitat for Humanity’s Re-Store will take everything from appliances to fencing and old cabinetry.

And, because pretty much all of us will be decluttering some clothing items this spring… With many local garment recycling centers closed due to Covid-19, the For Days Take-Bag Bag will let you recycle any brand of clothing, while ThredUp is a low-hassle option for re-sale– plus, they recycle anything they can’t sell.

Up Your Gardening (or Composting) Game

Minus my lone attempt at growing tomatoes and peppers on my back porch a few years ago, I mostly leave this one up to the professionals (and still enjoy delicious organic fruits and veggies courtesy of Misfits Market). But if you’re looking for some gardening advice, Kelsey at My Simply Simple has a fantastic “how-to” post on her expansive garden here. Her garden pictures are just beautiful enough I just might muster the motivation to start my own…

But even if your thumb is a little more black than green, you can get your hands dirty (while keeping the planet clean!) with a compost bin. I use a stainless steel bin to hold my food scraps in the kitchen, then transfer them to this tumbling composter. The composter has two sides, so one side can “rot” while you fill the other– a particularly handy feature in case your banana peels or egg cartons take months to break down.

I like my compost bins like I like my hair: Low-maintenance. And let me tell you, it doesn’t take much maintenance to toss my food scraps in and spin the tumbler a few times a week. But if you’re an apartment dweller or otherwise unable to maintain an outside compost bin, you may be interested in the Lomi. This home composter, created by the founders of the compostable Pela phone case, can break down everything from cardboard to meat scraps and bio-plastics in just a few hours. The Lomi will be on Kickstarter beginning in April, with first ship dates expected in October 2021 (just in time for a Halloween present to myself! Can that be a thing?!).

Make your Spring Celebrations Low-Waste

You mean I have to make Easter Baskets?!

Oddly enough, I don’t remember Easter being much of a “thing” growing up. But, I married into an Easter-loving family and have been dutifully informed that Easter baskets are A. THING. (even if Wild One is too young to remember them!). So if you, like me, have mega-procrastinated in filling your little (or not so little) one’s Easter basket’s, here are some last-minute, low-waste suggestions:

And what about the infamous egg hunt?! My grandmother-in-law still dutifully sends all her (adult) grand-babies and their significant others on an Easter egg hunt every year. We like to roll our eyes and pretend we’re over it, but I’m 99% sure we all secretly enjoy finding brightly-colored eggs with cash and candy hidden inside. If you already have Easter eggs, by all means, use ’em again! But if you’re in the market for hunt-worthy egg options, choose heirloom-worthy wooden eggs— and feel free to paint them if you’re extra crafty! You can fill these eggs with coins/ cash, bulk candy, or candy wrapped in recyclable foil or cardboard boxes. (Want eggs just to paint? These eggs on Amazon are a hit, as are these hand-crafted eggs from Bannor Toys, one of my favorite small shops).

Spring Hospitality, Low Waste (and Social-Distancing Friendly!) Style

Celebrations of all forms are still, a year after the onset of the pandemic, looking different for most of us. With a slate of spring celebrations— including Easter, Passover and Ramadan, as well as both Mother’s AND Father’s Day— coming up, Zoom and outdoor celebrations will still be all the rage. 

If you’re looking to celebrate safely outdoors, don’t resign yourself to throwaway plates and cutlery. You can set a beautiful outdoor table with your best China, or opt for stunning acacia wood tableware or stainless steel camping plates. (Compostable plates aren’t nearly as environmentally friendly as they may seem– these single-use table settings often come wrapped in plastic and require industrial conditions to break down properly. But, if you are feeling particularly concerned about doing guest’s dishes during a global pandemic, I hear you. These compostable plates on Amazon have good reviews).

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*Links may be affiliate links, meaning I receive compensation to support Sustain Initiative at no cost to you (+ as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases). I only recommend things that I truly believe in– but please don’t bring things into your life that won’t benefit your particular situation. It’s a win-win!