This past week was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and with environmental issues becoming even more pressing, a lot of people are looking to make changes in their lifestyle to support our planet’s wellbeing.

None of us are perfect. I try my best to live a sustainable lifestyle, I educate myself on environmental issues, and I share my tips and advice on this blog, however, there’s room for environmental improvement in everyone’s life. It can seem daunting to know where to start; there are so many different realms of what it means to live an environmentally–friendly life: do I go vegan? do I go waste-free? do I subscribe to an environmental magazine to keep updated on current events? Everyone will choose something different because we all have unique interests and capabilities, but I thought it would be useful to share my top 10 free resources for living a more eco-conscious life.

1. Find Tap

This is an app where you can find places to refill your reusable water bottle with clean and fresh water. When you open the map you’ll see locations all across the world and you can filter the options to find drinking fountains, water coolers, bottle refills, sparkling or chilled water etc. I find this app really convenient to use especially when I’m traveling, no more running out of water and having to buy a plastic bottle!

2. Daily SmartBrief on Sustainability

This is something that I use daily. SmartBrief has a subscription for a daily newsletter that gets delivered to your inbox with the latest sustainability-related news. They share current events regarding sustainability, new innovations, and companies setting a good example. This is a great way to start engaging with environmental news and with all the resources in this newsletter you can hopefully find something that interests you!

3. Coursera

Here’s a site where you can access university courses relating to sustainability and the environment for free. With schools like Columbia University and University of Pennsylvania offering courses, it’s the place to start if you’re committed to educating yourself on environmental issues.

4. WWF Carbon Footprint Calculator

Our carbon footprints are one of the things that we can change in order to help our planet. This free resource from the WWF allows you to take an easy questionnaire to assess your carbon footprint data and learn how it compares to the 2020 goal.

5. Zero Waste Store Locator

This app gives you a map where you can find stores offering bulk buying and zero waste options near you. It’s super convenient to be able to type in your location and find stores close to you.

6. Eco-Friendly Living Guides

This site has a variety of free sustainability guides regarding different areas such as living, growing, eating, playing, wearing, moving, and giving. The guides are informative and very easy to follow. A good place to start as a beginner!

7. Kathryn’s Top 10 Zero Waste Swaps

This blog post from Going Zero Waste blog, has the author, Kathryn’s, top 10 swaps to become zero waste. Even if you’re not looking to become completely zero waste, some of these swaps are super easy to implement in your day-to-day life if you’re looking to start making a change.

8. Recyclepedia (Recycling Encyclopedia)

Sometimes is can be difficult to know what you can and can’t recycle and how to recycle it. This site has an easy to use guide to what you can and can’t recycle and how to dispose of it. They even have a tool for you to find out the specific rules based on where you live.

9. Loop

How many things do you buy every month that come in single-use containers: shampoos, soaps, bags of rice, cleaning supplies, there’s a lot! This company wants to stop that by delivering your favorite brands in reusable containers (where you pay a deposit). It’s definitely something new to try!

10. UN Sustainability Goal #13

I’m sure most of you are familiar with the UN Sustainability Goals, and number 13 is the goal for Climate Action. The page for this goal is a treasure trove of information with climate reports, free infographics, and important dates, agreements, and facts.

Bonus resource!

Shameless self-plug, but you can find a bunch of sustainability-related posts on the environment section of my site!

I hope this post has given you exposure to the huge amount of resources out there that can help you like an environmentally-conscious life! In my opinion these are the top 10. Are there any others you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments!

See you next week,