It’s Earth Month, which honestly sounds ridiculous to only think about the planet once a year. When I was a kid it was only Earth Day so I suppose this is an improvement.

Eco friendly products have come a long way and are now even more accessible and the prices are becoming more affordable as more people have started buying sustainable products. That being said, it’s also very privileged to be able to take the time to learn about new products, find them and be able to afford them as well. It’s unfortunate that the way our society is constructed many things like being environmentally responsible can cost more money and therefore many people aren’t able to make swaps even if they want to. It’s easier to pick up a roll of paper towels than have an extra load of cloth napkins and reusable towels to haul down to the laundry mat each week.

We won’t be able to save the planet one plastic bottle at a time. We actually need to overhaul how we build, manufacture, and ship products to create real change, but if we stop buying those products and sales start to slide, the companies will be forced to find new ways that are more environmentally friendly. Vote with your dollar.

I personally own all of the products on this list and they also include affiliate links, which help keep this website going. My personal favorite place to shop is Fillgood, which is in Berkeley, California. You can read more about why I love it here or use code “ERICAHENNES” for $10 off your first order of $30+.

If you happen to live in the Bay Area you can also get paid to save energy and take some strain off the electric grid. I’ve signed up with Ohm Connect, which rewards you for saving energy. If you think about it, everyone uses electricity at the same time of the day, between 5-9pm is when people start cooking, running the dishwasher, doing a load of laundry that just needs to get done etc.

OhmConnect tells you when demand is expected to peak and actually pays you for using less energy.

I wrote more about why I use it and how it works here. If you sign up in the month of April you get $25 just for linking a smart thermostat or smartplug device. They are also giving away $1,000 a day, every day in May!