Easy Eco-Friendly Swaps To Take On Your Next Picnic

I’ve been making some lifestyle changes over the past few months as I learn more about what happens to things when we are finished with them. Did you know that plastic can only be recycled one or two times (if at all, depending on the type)? Becoming aware of this has helped me cut back on my plastic waste and seek out easy eco-friendly swaps, many of which I recently discovered in the Open Nature® Earth Day Box! Full of environmentally friendly Open Nature® products exclusively available in my local area at Jewel-Osco, they are also offered at a great value compared to other brands.

I had no idea that so many of these products existed! Open Nature has thought of absolutely everything, from compostable* lawn & leaf bags to bamboo towels to plastic-free cold cups.

Here’s what came in my Open Nature Earth Day Box:

• Cold Cups (compostable* and plastic-free)
  
• Hot Cups With Lids (compostable*, tree-free cups and plastic-free lids)
  
• Bowls (compostable* and tree-free)
  
• Plates (compostable* and tree-free)
  
• Forks (compostable* and dishwasher safe)
  
• Flexible Straws (compostable*)
  
• Small Trash Multipurpose Bags (compostable*)
  
• Kitchen Trash Bags (compostable*)
  
• Lawn & Leaf Bags (compostable*)
  
• Bamboo Facial Tissue (fragrance-free, 100% bamboo pulp whitened without chlorine)
  
• Washable Rayon Towels (hand washable up to 100 times, made from bamboo)
  
• O Organics® Roastery Blend Compostable* Pods

Quick fun fact about bamboo: bamboo is a great renewable resource. It grows quickly and matures in only 3 years. In addition to this, it takes up less land and uses less water than trees, needs no pesticides, and also reduces soil erosion and greenhouse gases. Very cool!

With the weather being as beautiful as it has been the past couple of weeks (yay for spring!), Cole and I decided to break out the canoe for the first time this year and go for a paddle and picnic. We headed out to a nearby lake armed with our charcuterie board must-haves, some fresh fruit, and our eco-friendly picnic products and spent the afternoon on the water!

Our charcuterie board must-haves:

• smoked gouda
• blue cheese (if you’re scared of this, pair it with a sweet spread—it cuts the intensity!)
• wild-caught smoked maple salmon
• serrano ham
• peppered salami
• manzanilla olives
• strawberries
• crackers
• trail mix (our pick has dried cranberries + blueberries, raw cashews + almonds, and yogurt chips)
• a sweet + spicy spread (we had mango habanero this time)

We took this opportunity to put the Open Nature products from Jewel-Osco to the test! I was honestly amazed at how these plant-based products looked and functioned exactly like their plastic counterparts. The plates and bowls were super sturdy, as were the straws, cups and cutlery.

When we were ready to pack it up for the day, all of the food waste and compostable products went into one of the small trash multipurpose bags and then straight into the organics/compost bin when we got home (make sure your area accepts these types of compostable products). Does it get any easier than that?

It’s so easy to blow off choosing an eco-friendly swap when they don’t work as well, are hard to find, or cost an arm and a leg. The great thing about all of these products is that they are NONE of those! They’re affordable, easily available exclusively at Jewel-Osco, and are all super high quality. Even in a situation like this picnic where convenience would often trump environmentalism, we were able to enjoy ourselves without doing wrong by the planet at the same time!

What eco-friendly swaps will you make on your next afternoon out?