EverGain Living

Simple swaps, lasting gains!

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  • Small Steps to Reduce Lunch Waste and ADD Burnout

    Sometimes when starting something new it can be overwhelming. Often I crash into an idea or concept. I dive in and think it is going to go great. Then, I flat line with idea burnout. This is what it is like to live with ADD. I am not giving up. I am dedicated. However, I realize that publishing on here once a day is too much. I will be looking to scale back to at least one quality post per week.

    Everywhere I have looked this week I have seen an amazing amount of trash, generated for such simple things. Take lunches. When I was a kid my dad bought me a He-Man Lunchbox. It was plastic and I thought it was the coolest thing ever! It has a thermos that I quickly lost and a box where my mom would stuff my lunches. She would wrap my PB and J sandwiches in plastic. Then she would stick them in my plastic lunchbox. Off I would run. When it finally came time to eat lunch, I would buy milk for my lunch. The milk was packaged in a cardboard carton. I would also maybe eat a cheese stick wrapped in more plastic.

    Today, I brought my lunch from home. I thought about it because I didn’t want to make the same mistake from yesterday. Yesterday, I bought a Cobb salad. I thought it was a healthy choice. It was $17 with delivery. I thought it was a good food choice for someone who forgot her lunch. It came in a huge plastic clam-shell container. The dressing was in another container and the fork which I didn’t ask for was in another wrapped plastic container. The fork was plastic. So much for making a good choice. I figure I added even more un-needed waste to the environment. With all the micro-plastics in the salad, it probably wasn’t as healthy as I was hoping.

    So, today I thought about it. I took leftovers in a reusable glass jar. That was a win. I forgot utensils. Rather than grabbing from the huge box of disposables, I looked around and low and behold-real metal utensils.

    Today was a win. I thought, prepared, and then didn’t give up. Was yesterday a loss? I don’t think so. Yesterday’s choices lead me to today’s win. Its all about the simple steps. Simple choices. Each one may not make a difference, but over a lifetime I hope that they will. Right now as a I am writing this tomorrows lunch is ready. It’s just leftovers, but it is packed in another glass container. Coffee is ready to be made and poured into a thermos. It’s not a huge change, but it is doable. I still generate a ton of trash. This time, I am walking into the change. I am not cannon balling and getting worn out. Its all about the small easy steps that can add up over time.

    What about you? What choices are you making that can help make a difference? I would love for you to share your ideas. Together I am hoping we can turn things around and help save this fragile place called Earth.

  • Coffee Anyone?

    I’ll never forget the time my students collected used K-cups for a school project. We thought it would be a fun way to measure waste for a week. What we didn’t expect was the mountain of little plastic pods that piled up in just five days! Hundreds of them, all from one elementary school. The kids were stunned, and honestly, so was I. It was a powerful reminder of how quickly “convenient” can turn into “wasteful”.

    Fast forward to today, and I’ve made one small change that has completely transformed my coffee routine: a reusable K-cup.

    Instead of throwing away pod after pod, I keep a reusable one right at my desk. I can fill it with my favorite coffee grounds, pop it in, and have a fresh cup in minutes. Not only does it taste better (because it’s the blend I actually love), but it’s also saving me money every single week.

    Here’s why it works so well for me:

    • No more wasting time in long coffee shop lines.
    • I’m no longer late for work because I stopped for a latte.
    • I can make coffee just how I like it- strong, mild, flavored-whatever I am in the mood for.
    • And I’m not contributing to those overflowing bags of plastic K-cups anymore.

    The truth is, I still love coffee-always will. But what I don ‘t love is the price tag of daily takeout coffee, or the guilt of throwing away single-use pods. My reusable K-cup has been a simple swap with a big impact: saving me time, saving me money, and helping protect our planet.

    Another thing I’ve realized? These reusable K-cups make the perfect gift! My friends and family can expect to see them during birthdays and holidays, because giving isn’t just a “coffee present”- it’s a way to help someone else save money, enjoy their favorite brew, and take a step toward helping the environment. It’s a small gift with a big impact.

    👉If you are curious, you can find a reusable K-cup option here.

    Sometimes the best solutions really are the simplest. For me, this one tiny change has made morning calmer, coffee better and life a little more eco-friendly.🌱