Zach and Sadie McElrath have changed their family's lifestyle to save money and the environment. (Image: WTVC)
Saving money and saving the environment - it's something that seems hard to do for many of us who prefer to do things our way.
However, one Chattanooga family wasn't satisfied with that, and is taking steps to make a difference.
It's simple steps you can take to save some extra cash as well.
“How long does it take for a head of lettuce to decompose in a landfill?” asks Zach McElrath. He says while nothing lasts forever, he learned from Archaeologist William Rathje that a head of lettuce lasted much, much longer in a landfill than he thought.
“Well the answer is 25 years,” said Zach.
Sadie McElrath said the reasoning lies between the waste at a landfill.
“The landfill is an anaerobic environment. It's sealed off, so there’s no oxygen and so because there's no oxygen, there's no good bacteria, there's no worms, there's no beetles and things that decompose,” said Sadie.
That was enough for the couple to stop buying items that create waste, like things with plastic packaging.
“We have never bought a new mason jar. We just have either bought them at thrift stores or we reused ones we already had,” said Sadie.
Sadie said they go to grocery stores with bulk bins to fill their jars, and while it's helping cut down on waste, it also cuts down on price.
“Like buying these cinnamon sticks was like 60 cents versus buying this in a container would be like three or four dollars for organic cinnamon sticks,” said Sadie.
The McElraths learned their hygiene products were creating waste too - like a plastic toothbrush that Zach said never fully breaks down.
“All the toothbrushes you've ever used, and that everyone in Chattanooga and everyone in the world has ever used - it all still exists somewhere,” said Zach.
They now use bamboo toothbrushes, bamboo dental floss and homemade, natural tooth paste.
“We've been using this for two years and our dentist said our teeth are great,” said Sadie.
The family buys their clothes second hand, and while their daughters might be too young to understand the environmental impact, they know why they don't use plastic.
“Why don't we use plastic, Shalom?” Sadie asked.
“Because it hurts the fish,” said Shalom McElrath.
The McElraths said an easy way someone can cut down on waste is by composting.
You can keep your leftover food and paper products in a bin and at the end of the week, add them to a dirt pile in your backyard.
The McElraths teach zero-waste workshops and have resources on how to get started.
You can check them out here.
https://newschannel9.com/news/local/chattanooga-family-changes-lifestyle-to-save-money-and-the-environment
2019-12-18 05:08:49Z
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