5 Easy and Applicable Ways You Can Help the Environment Today

Field Grand Flannel in Pecan Plaid

In our fast-paced world, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to think about how to make a positive impact on the environment. With climate change and pollution dominating headlines, many of us wonder: “What can I do?” The good news is that helping the planet doesn’t require drastic lifestyle changes or major sacrifices. In fact, there are simple, actionable steps you can take right now to contribute to a healthier Earth. From small daily habits to mindful purchasing decisions, these five easy practices not only reduce your ecological footprint but also inspire those around you to join the movement. Let’s dive in and discover how you can make a difference today!

Reduce Single-Use Plastics

In the U.S. alone, single-use plastics accounted for nearly 17 million tons of waste in 2018, with numbers likely increasing in recent years. Single-use plastics often end up in landfills or oceans, where they can take hundreds of years to decompose. This contributes to pollution and harms wildlife that may ingest or become entangled in plastic waste. Secondly, the production of plastic requires significant amounts of fossil fuels, water, and energy. This staggering amount highlights the urgent need to reduce single-use plastic consumption to mitigate its environmental impact.

Reducing plastic use helps conserve these valuable resources and decreases greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastic manufacturing. Two specific and easy changes to help in this area would be to swap out plastic bags for reusable ones and avoid bottled water.

Grand Flannel in Coastline Plaid

The production of bottled water generates millions of tons of plastic waste annually. By choosing a refillable water bottle, you can save an average of 167 plastic bottles per person each year. By bringing your own reusable bags to grocery stores, you could prevent the use of hundreds (or even thousands) of plastic bags each year. 

How'd we convert this concept to flannel production? Every MuskOx Flannel now uses buttons made with recycled ocean-bound plastic.

MuskOx Recycled Poly Bag & Paper Mailer

In terms of plastic bags, our poly bags, used to keep the flannels safe from the elements during shipping, are made from 100% recycled material. By joining our efforts & using your own reusable bags, you could prevent the use of hundreds (or even thousands) of plastic bags each year. For example, if one person uses five plastic bags per shopping trip and goes grocery shopping once a week, that adds up to about 260 plastic bags annually. Imagine the impact we could make collectively

Conserving Energy and Promoting Self-Consumption

Energy production requires natural resources, including coal, oil, and natural gas. Reducing energy consumption decreases the demand for electricity, which is often generated from fossil fuels. This helps lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduces air pollution, contributing to a healthier environment

Two easy ways to help in this area would be to turn off lights and unplug devices when not in use. You could also consider switching to energy-efficient LED bulbs to save electricity.

These small changes won’t only help the environment, it also has some personal benefits. Turning off lights and unplugging devices can lower your electricity bill. It can also help reduce wear and tear, potentially extending their lifespan and reducing the need for replacements. These small changes in your daily habits can lead to significant savings over time. A penny saved is a penny earned!

MuskOx is committed to conserving energy. Our production facility in Portugal is a vertically integrated factory and is certified through the Global Recycled Standard and Global Organic Textiles Standards. The campus occupies over 300,000 M² and utilizes 7,250 solar panels for an annual self-consumption production of 4,500 MWh, representing a saving of more than 20% in electricity consumption and a reduction of about 2,000 tons annual CO² emissions. They have planted over 1000 trees on their campus, and for context, their solar use has the equivalent impact of planting 15,000 trees annually.

When In Doubt, Bike It Out

MuskOx Grand Flannel in Seagrass

Being based in Detroit, we know what brutal winters look like, but we also know we still got time to savor the beautiful Autumn weather. There are far too numerous benefits biking for us not to encourage you to continue biking well into fall.

Cycling produces significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to individual car travel. This helps combat climate change and improves air quality. Riding your bike also reduces the number of cars on the road, helping to alleviate traffic jams. This leads to shorter travel times and a more efficient transportation system.

There are also some added health & cost benefits. Biking is a great form of exercise, contributing to better physical health. It can improve cardiovascular health, boost mood, and reduce stress. Biking can also save money on fuel, parking, and vehicle maintenance. It’s often a more affordable option for commuting.

2024 marks the 5th year that we will be at the Iceman Mountain Biking Race.The Iceman Cometh Challenge is a point-to-point mountain bike race held traditionally on the 1st Saturday of November in Traverse City. We've found the mountain biking community to be warm and inviting and would encourage you to join! But even if trails are not your thing, grab a group of friends, plan a weekly ride, or pick a day of the week to bike to work instead of drive.

Compost Organic Waste

Composting significantly reduces the amount of organic waste that ends up in landfills, where it can produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Start a small compost bin for food scraps and yard waste. This reduces landfill waste and provides nutrient-rich soil for your garden. Compost adds valuable nutrients back into the soil, improving its structure, fertility, and moisture retention. It also helps decrease the need for chemical fertilizers, which can pollute waterways. Compost improves soil’s ability to retain moisture, reducing the need for frequent watering and promoting more sustainable water use in gardening and agriculture.

Improve Your Recycling Practices

By improving your recycling practices, just take a look at the calculable impact you can make:

Paper Recycling: Recycling one ton of paper can save approximately 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, and 4,100 kilowatts of electricity. This translates to reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to one car’s annual emissions.

Aluminum Recycling: Recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a laptop for about 3 hours. If you recycle just 100 cans, that’s equivalent to saving enough energy to power a TV for 3 hours and prevents 1,200 pounds of bauxite from being mined.

Plastic Recycling: We already shared the impact here, but recycling 1 ton of plastic can save about 30% of the energy needed to create new plastic from raw materials. For example, recycling just 10 plastic bottles can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for over 3 hours.

Glass Recycling: Recycling glass can save 30% of the energy used in making new glass. Recycling one glass bottle can save enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes.

Overall Waste Reduction: If you recycle 1 ton of mixed recyclables, it can prevent about 1.17 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from being released into the atmosphere.

Take a few moments to learn your local recycling rules to ensure you're sorting materials correctly. Clean and rinse recyclable items, like bottles and cans, to avoid contamination. Set up designated bins at home for recyclables, and make a habit of recycling items like paper, cardboard, glass, and plastics.

As mentioned prior, we pride ourselves our recycling efforts. From our buttons to our boxes, we love being able to provide top notch flannels delivered in 100% recycled material.

Support Local and Sustainable Products

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Yes, we said 5, but what’s one more for good measure? Buy from local farmers or markets, and choose products with minimal packaging or those made from sustainable materials to reduce transportation emissions and support eco-friendly practices. Just like us.

Supporting local and sustainable businesses often means supporting ethical labor practices and animal welfare, aligning purchases with personal values. Sustainable practices prioritize environmental health, minimizing the use of harmful chemicals and preserving natural resources. They promote biodiversity by using methods that protect ecosystems and encourage responsible land use. Supporting these products helps ensure that farming and production methods remain viable for future generations.

Our flannels are 100% cotton made sourced from sustainable farming communities in the US. The farmers we partner with, through the Better Cotton™ initiative, work to promote biodiversity, water stewardship, soil health, fair & decent working pay and conditions, and an effective management system for farmers.

Lastly, buying local supports small businesses and keeps money within the community. This helps create jobs and strengthens the local economy. It also fosters a sense of community and connection between consumers and those who grow or create their products.

Relaxed Flannel in Sedona Red & Summit Knit Beanie

It’s clear that making mindful decisions for the environment is crucial, and the benefits are equally compelling. Every small action contributes to a larger movement, demonstrating that change often begins with individuals. By adopting and promoting these simple habits, you can help shift community norms and inspire others to join the cause. Together, our collective efforts can lead to substantial change. While forming new habits takes time, integrating these small adjustments into your daily life can create lasting positive impacts for both the environment and future generations. To further support this journey, check out some of our favorite eco-friendly brands highlighted in this blog. Together, we can make a meaningful difference!