Let’s celebrate Earth Day by helping save the earth – one habit at a time. As one of our core values states, “We believe in giving back and making a difference” - this applies to pets, the community, and the environment as well. Learn 9 different habits you and your pet can implement today!
1. Recycle Your Pet's Water
Did you know that each American uses an average of 88 gallons of water a day at home? 1 This is excluding pet owners who need to constantly keep their pet hydrated and clean. Rather than throwing out your pet’s water down the drain, give your house plants life with it! This is an easy habit to implement, especially since the water is already in a bowl you can simply pour over your greenery.
2. Shop Local
Not only does shopping local support businesses in your community, but it can save tons of energy as well! Buying local helps the environment by reducing the miles many goods travel to get to their destination, reducing their carbon footprint. It also decreases packaging since local products have minimal wrapping and boxes compared to products that need to be break-proof from long truck trips and overseas plane trips. Lastly, by shopping local, you are protecting wildlife by supporting local farmers rather than big business developers who can potentially transform the land and wipe out wildlife’s natural habitat.
At Healthy Spot, we chose to partner with local brands for these reasons and even have many of them deliver their products directly to our warehouse, allowing for minimal waste! Some of our awesome local products include Smallbatch, Jax & Bones, Beast & Babe, and more - check them all out here!
3. Support Eco-Friendly Brands
Choose to support eco-friendly brands that are mindful about how they produce their goods. Whether they are recycling and using less material or utilizing natural dyes, they are choosing to be more conscious about how they are affecting the environment. A few great brands we love and carry for their ethical and sustainable efforts include Molly Mutt, Jax & Bones, and Open Farm. Molly Mutt offers dog bed duvets that you’re able to fill with clothes and other materials you don’t use – saving waste by keep your things out of landfills. Jax & Bones offers beds that are stuffed with hypo-allergenic green fiber called Sustainafill™, while Open Farm has a Bag Recycling Program. By supporting ethical, eco-friendly brands, you are helping the earth too!
4. DIY Dog Toys
This is a life-saver for pet owners who have a pet that rips and tears new toys in seconds! Save a trip to the store (and car miles!) by making your pup a toy with an old shirt collecting dust in your closet. We’re sure your pup will appreciate it, especially with your scent on it making it a little extra special for them and comforting while you’re away. Don’t know where to start? Check out our DIY video on our YouTube channel.
5. Donate Your Pet's Food, Beds, Blankets, and More
Did you know pet food is still edible 6 months after its expiration date? If you’re not comfortable feeding your furry friend this, donate it instead! Whether it’s close to its expiration date or has already passed it, drop it off at your local animal shelter and help feed hungry pets as they wait for their furever homes!
Have old blankets, beds, toys, and other things your pup doesn’t use anymore? Help a pet by dropping them off at our Healthy Spot donation drop off locations - Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Marina del Rey, Studio City, Topanga, and Long Beach. All things donated go to the wonderful rescue organization, Operation Blankets of Love. They are known as one of the first groups to send supplies for disaster relief and recently helped displaced animals from Hurricane Harvey, the earthquakes in Mexico, and the fires in Northern and Southern California. Make a difference by donating today!
6. Turn Poop Green!
To pick up our pet’s waste, we typically use plastic bags, but did you know plastic bags are negatively affecting other animal species? For example, more than 200 animal species have been documented consuming plastic, including turtles, whales, birds, and fishes. 2 Let’s help clean the environment for both us and other species to enjoy by using biodegradable, environmentally bags instead. Healthy Spot Poop bags were created in answer to this, offering Totally Degradable Plastic Additives (TDPA) and d2w, which improve degradability and reduce toxic residues of plastic. Try these strong, leak-proof baggies today!
7. Use A Reusable Bag
Like mentioned above, reducing the use of plastic bags helps save the earth. You can help by getting in the habit of carrying a reusable bag! Healthy Spot prides themselves in taking care of the earth as much as possible, including how we carry our pet’s goodies. This April, when you spend $100 or more with us, receive a Healthy Spot tote bag. Not only are these bags great for the environment, but they’re also sturdy, stylish, and show your dedication to the earth and your pet wherever you go! Check out the rest of our April promos here.
8. Minimal Packaging Helps
Simply by choosing to support brands that focus on minimal packaging is already helping the earth a great deal. Companies can do this either by using recyclable materials, or focusing on a more minimalist design. Minimal packaging helps reduce materials used, which also consumes far less energy and fuel in manufacturing and transporting products. Healthy Spot has adopted this minimalist design and can be seen in the way our Healthy Spot Glow Ball is packaged. In fact, it’s not packaged! When tags are unnecessary, we decide to remove them altogether. You’ll see a similar effect at our stores, with toys and treats unpackaged and ready to be used. Whether you support brands that prioritize minimal packaging or you have the decision to opt out from excess packaging, you’ll be doing the right thing for the environment and the wildlife.
9. Cuddle Up With Your Pet
By simply spending more time with your pet means you’re not using as much energy, electricity, and other daily things we use that affect the environment. For example, instead of increasing the heater on a chilly day, double up on the blankets and cuddle with your furry friend! If it’s warm out, dry your pup from their bath in the warm sun instead of using a blow dryer. Want to take them to the dog park? If you can, walk there instead of driving. These are a few ways you and your pet can reduce waste by simply hanging out and spending more time together.
Looking for more ways to help the Earth with your pet? Stop by your local Healthy Spot and check out our eco-friendly brands, store designs, and our special edition Earth Day tote bag (available this April). When you purchase our Earth Day tote bag and bring it back on Earth Day, receive 10% off all you can fit in it! This is the perfect opportunity to stock up and start supporting our earth!
We’d love to hear if you try these tips and if you know other great ways we can support the earth – leave a comment below!
References:
1United States Environmental Protection Agency. Statistics and Facts. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/watersense/statistics-and-facts
2National Geographic. Animals Eat Ocean Plastic Because it Smells Like Food. Retrieved from https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/11/animals-eat-ocean-plastic-because-of-smell-dms-algae-seabirds-fish/
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