Celebrating Earth Day EVERY Day
Every year, as April 22nd rolls around, we start to see posts, blogs, photos, life hacks, and messages about how we can improve our planet in support of Earth Day.
At CURO, we look at Earth Day differently. In fact, one of our shared core morals amongst our team is preserving the integrity of the magical floating sphere, which we have the luxury of calling home, EVERY day. In the hopes of inspiring you, here are a few of the habits we regularly practice both in and out of the office:
Bottle It Up
Granted, this isn’t a new concept; however, considering the amount of water we drink as a team of five, we’re pretty proud of how much plastic we are saving from the landfill grave. Plus, there’s something about a straw that makes hitting our daily water goal so much more achievable.
Old Is The New Young
We all experience it - we leave that avocado out for just a day too long and it becomes mush. Or we find the tomato sitting at the bottom of the produce bowl. Instead of tossing them, our team has begun bringing new life to those forgotten fruits. My fool-proof go-to’s are growing avocado trees from pits, sprouting baby tomatoes with a few slices from the mother fruit, and utilizing the same scallion roots year round!
Walk It Out
To know us is to understand the level of foodie we all are. Rather than ordering from a delivery service, we’ve begun to grab lunch from local, walkable, places. Not only are we cutting down on carbon emissions, but we’re also getting outside, breathing the fresh air, moving our bodies, AND supporting local businesses!
Stress Reducing Greenery
The running joke in our office is that we have become a dual business. We support you in all of your financial endeavors while also running a plant nursery. Samantha is determined to replace every artificial plant with a live one and then some! DID YOU KNOW live plants in an office setting replenish the air while also reducing workplace stress?
Propagation Station
Speaking of propagating, rather than buying new plants to fill the room, Samantha and I love to utilize mother plants to make new plant babies. Each plant propagation requires a bit of tweaking, but it gives us more plant life to obsess over and is an exciting experiment for my kids as they keep track of the stages in which the new plants grow.
In The Dark
How many lights do you have on in rooms that you’re not physically in right now? If you’ve ever visited the CURO office, you know that my office is notoriously darker than the rest. Even at 4:30pm in the dead of winter, when the sun has said her final goodbyes, I refuse to turn my overhead lights on. I keep it this way for two reasons: The first and most obvious is to help save electricity. The second is because I live for all things Zen.
Scrap That
There are tons of ways to use your leftover produce scraps. Composting unused parts of your produce, or that which has lived in your refrigerator a smidge too long, is an in incredible way to give your garden a natural mineral boost. You can also use egg shells, rice water, and banana peels to promote new and healthier growth for your indoor and outdoor plants (produce or otherwise)!
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
I have two boys at home who love all things art and science, which typically means I have several leftover containers sitting around. One of my favorite ways to reuse them is to make individual herb planters that I can keep on the kitchen windowsill for easy use. Plus, it gets my kids involved in a fun and hands-on activity that we enjoy doing together.
Swap Shop
Do you ever look in your closet and feel completely uninspired? Look no further than, let’s say, your next-door neighbor! Fast fashion is one of the leading causes of environmental decline. Rather than running to the outlets, host a clothing swap amongst your friends! Keep your dollars in your wallet while completely revamping your wardrobe!
Small Biz Support
For produce that we don’t grow at home, our goal is to stay as organic as possible. Marianna is the BEST at finding small, locally run produce markets that carry quality product. We get quality products that make our wallets happy, and we support our local farmers. It’s a WIN-WIN!
Oil Up
We’re super fans of aroma therapy in our office. But not only are we not allowed to burn candles, they’re also not so great for your lungs. Instead, we’ve become Essential Oil fanatics. As you visit from room to room, you’ll discover each of our individual favorite combinations. And if you stand in the hallway between all of our offices, you’ll suddenly wonder if you’ve teleported to the tropical island of your dreams.
Shred It, Don’t Forget It
Our major 2021 office project focused on the conversion from paper to digital files. While our industry limits our ability to go completely paperless, we make use of the hard-copy documents we no longer need by shredding and including in our garden beds at home! DID YOU KNOW: shredded paper not only makes for great mulch product, but also provides warmth and nutrients to your plants and shrubs?