Happy World Environment Day, GVL. ♻ A few days ago, we asked: “If you could change one thing about GVL to make it MUCH better, what would that one thing be?” Many of you mentioned recycling, concerns about overdevelopment, and keeping Greenville clean + litter-free.

In the spirit of the holiday, we wanted to share some ways that we can all work together to keep Greenville green. 💚

♻ Reduce single-use plastics

This is the simplest + easiest thing you can do to help. Carry around a reusable water bottle. Shop with reusable bags (if you don’t already have reusable bags, grocery stores like Ingles + Publix sell them for cheap). When you go by your fave coffee shop on your way to work, bring a reusable cup (Methodical Coffee offers a 5% discount for those who bring their own cups). ☕

♻ Shop second hand

Fast fashion is not very kind to the planet – so if you’d like to take a more ethical approach to shopping, it’s a great idea to check out second hand + consignment stores like Goodwill, Plato’s Closet, Miracle Hill + Habitat for Humanity (all of which we have in GVL). Not only is thrifting trendy right now, but it’s better on your wallet + the planet. 🛍

♻ Recycle

South Carolinians generated 4,308,161 tons of waste in 2016 – and of that, 1,094,569 tons (~25%) were recycled + 3,213,592 tons (~75%) were disposed of in landfills. Take the time to look into what you can recycle in Greenville County and who/where collects those items. A full list of what you can recycle is here. You can also read up on Greenville County’s recycling tips here.

♻ Eat more plants

Raising livestock for food consumption has some hefty negative effects on the environment. While some may say a plant-based diet is “boring,” we double-dog-dare you to eat at one of the amazing local restaurants that serve vegan + vegetarian options – to truly taste how exciting greens can be. Our personal favorites include: Southern Pressed Juicery, Kuka Juice, Yard House (an entire section of their menu ft. dishes made with Gardein products) + Happy + Hale. 🌿

♻ Compost
Composting positively impacts the environment by reducing your carbon footprint, suppressing plant diseases, + even encouraging the production of beneficial bacteria. We actually wrote a guide on how to compost – you can check that out here for all the tips + tricks.

It’s no secret that taking care of our planet is important... so today – we have a challenge for you.

We invite you to get out in the community + do something environmentally friendly. Whether that be picking up trash along Main St., setting up a recycling bin at your office, learning how to compost, carrying your groceries home from the store in reusable bags... we want to encourage y’all to take action + share your efforts with us. Send us pictures – or, if you post it on social media – tag us + use the hashtags #KeepGreenvilleGreen + #GVLtoday.

All right, GVL – let’s get to work. 💪 We’ll be sharing some of your #KeepGreenvilleGreen pictures in future newsletters to keep the green love growing.