At Sqwishful, our mission is to make the world a cleaner, healthier, and happier place. Our cleaning essentials celebrate the small, daily rituals that make up our lives—like doing the dishes. We believe change is about the little things ✌︎
A small act of kindness has powerful ripple effects. A meal made with regional fare sustains local communities. And doing simple things for the environment can make a difference.
In this blog, we’re sharing simple ways to help the environment from a place of playful curiosity and appreciation, using our values as inspiration.
Here are some simple things we can all do to find meaningful ways to contribute to a more planet-positive future.
Practice Minimalism
Having a "less is more" mindset is one of the most impactful things we can do for the environment. Why? Because current consumption trends are unsustainable, and if we don't slow down—we risk carelessly draining our planet of resources before satiating our desire for more.
While online shopping and same-day delivery have made purchasing anything a mere click away, they've also created the perfect storm for over-consumption. As stores lower prices to compete for customers—the quality of products has fallen to match the lower cost of production, giving rise to our present-day throw-away culture.
Over-consumption and the resulting glut of cheaply made consumer goods come at a hefty price.
As a society, we lose sight of the value of things and lose touch with the reality that we exploit the planet’s resources to quench our thirst for stuff. But living with less shouldn't feel like a sacrifice.
Living with less has benefits.
Let's consider for a moment:
🌿 Less stuff to stress about
🌿 Less money spent on stuff
🌿 Less time and energy shopping
🌿 Less inner and outer clutter
🌿 Less impact on the environment
So how can we practice minimalism and begin our less is more journey? It helps to start with understanding our needs. What kinds of things do we really need? What are we using, and what is sitting unused in our homes?
Every day, we're bombarded by a constant stream of ads that blur the line between what we need and what is sold as the next on-trend necessity. Some choices are easier to make than others that require us to dig deep and ask, do I really need this?
From a place of awareness, we can make better buying decisions. When we choose to buy from small, local brands, minority-owned businesses, or businesses with a cause, we participate in activism with our purchases.
By aligning what we buy with our values, we contribute to creating change.
There are many simple ways to help our planet with every trip to the store. Find what works for you and make it a habit.
Stay Positive
Positivity is a simple yet powerful tool that can bring about real-world change.
By thinking positively about our relationship with the environment and the outcome of our actions, we can start to participate in building a better future.
But with the current state of the world—it can feel naive to be hopeful. According to a recent survey, 84% of Americans are worried about the future. News around climate change can feel scary and discouraging—especially when coverage is narrowly focused on the destruction happening in the world. But remaining hopeful despite adversity is one of our greatest strengths.
Humans universally imagine things being better. We're wired to. This is good news because we can't create a better future without imagining it first. And those experiencing the worst consequences of climate change—can't afford for us to fall into climate despair.
So instead of letting our grief get in the way of future-making, we can use it as a tailwind to motivate action. Whether it's signing petitions, voting with our wallets, cleaning up beaches, eating less meat, or giving composting a try—people are doing incredible things for our planet every day. And they deserve mention! Mention the good stuff the next time you have a climate-related conversation. (Looking for talking points? We share lots of positive climate news on the gram ✌︎)
Let’s bring attention and awareness to highlighting good things and those doing good while cultivating hope and sharing it with family and friends. No one benefits from feeling powerless.
Empower someone to see that we are all participants, however small, in creating change.
Embrace Community
One big challenge our planet faces is our conditioned belief that we are separate from each other and nature—instead of a balanced network of complex, interconnecting, and interdependent relationships. Many of our problems today stem from this disconnect between us, our communities, and the natural world.
A small and impactful thing we can do for the environment is to embrace our community. Meet in the park, volunteer at community gardens, support local businesses, or visit area schools and nursing homes.
There are myriad ways to connect and learn from our neighbors and cultivate sustainable living within our communities.
Some of our favorite, inspiring activities are organizing street cleanups, clothing swaps, or a community fridge. There are endless things we can do in our communities. Leaning on our communities also helps us to achieve our goals. Studies show that 70% of those who sent weekly updates to friends completed their goals. Got a climate goal? Share it.
Our Goal Is To Inspire Mindful Living
If you're reading this blog, then you probably already know that. Every Sqwishful cleaning essential is designed, crafted, and packaged with these values in mind. Our natural materials, minimal packaging, and low-waste small business are all about empowering you to help the environment by doing the simplest thing of all—your dishes.
The power to create change is in the small things—in our everyday thoughts, choices, and actions. We hope you feel inspired to find new and meaningful ways to create change for yourself and within your home and community. And to participate in making a more planet-positive future—where everyone is healthier and happier too.
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