With fall right around the corner it’s time to start prepping for the colder days ahead. Hopefully we all get a little taste of fall this year before the snow starts to fall. Although like summer came all at once, I dread that fall will come and go within a blink of an eye. Like every season, there are certain things we can do to keep our lifestyles sustainable as our days grow shorter.  

Like most of you, we are always looking for more ways to become more sustainable in our everyday lives. So we thought sharing some of our tips would help out our sustainable family, and if you have any of your own fall sustainability tips, feel free to add them in the comments! Let’s stick to sustainability together.

Compost Your Leaves:

Our Number one tip for the beautiful leaves that will be filling all of our yards this year is to compost them! While they might not all fit into your bamboozle kitchen composter, they are a perfect starter pile for the compost beginner.

 If a loose compost pile isn’t your style, There are many different types of outdoor compost bins that we can give you a recommendation for an outdoor compost bin, we use the Redmon. At our office we use this same outdoor composter that we had found on amazon, and we love it! A few of us even have one at home as well. It was a super easy set up. It only took us about 10 minutes to put together and it works great! 

Leaves are a perfect starter for compost. They make great brown material for the composting process. A mix brown (leaves, grass clippings, straw) and green material like food scraps will make great compost material.

Let the Sun Shine:

Now a days all our homes are smart, so let’s go analog! In the fall you get the best of both worlds, an autumn breeze and sunshine. So take advantage of it and leave your curtains open during the day, let the sun heat up your house and give your thermostat a break.  

Sunlight is considered a natural disinfectant. It can help reduce harmful bacteria that can grow in your home. It also can help provide Vitamin D as well as lowering blood pressure and promoting good mental health. If you don’t have many windows for natural light to flow through, adding mirrors is a great way to spread the light around the space.

Buy Seasonal:

One of the best things about fall is that its harvest! Its Squash and root season, meaning hearty soups, pumpkin pies, and an endless amount of sheet pan recipes. When buying local produce, you help the farmers and economy around you, as well as cut down on waste.

Farmers tend to not wrap everything in plastic, and the food doesn’t have to travel as far, meaning you've helped cut down on carbon emission. If you’re trying to find your closest farmers market, check your city's chamber of commerce or find an app that serves your area.

Bring in the Plants!:

As the chill of the morning starts to creep in don’t forget to bring in your plant babies. They will be grateful for the warmth inside, but they also will help clean the air and brighten up the interior of your home.

Clean air is overlooked, and our plants are good at providing it in the winter months when we keep everything closed. Clean air has multiple benefits such as reducing stress, boosting productivity, and increasing levels of calmness. So bring in those green guys off the porch!  

Start planning your garden:

Whether you already have a vegetable garden or not, you can start parts of next year’s garden this fall! There are many crops that are best planted before winter, such as garlic, onions, and shallots. 6-8 weeks before the last frost, start a new garden plot or prep your existing one. Planting these foods in the fall will produce a larger crop with more flavor (and who doesn’t love flavor!) and will be ready to enjoy the following summers growing season.

These tips are just a few of the ways that you can stay sustainable this fall, if you have any more good tips share them with us! Let’s all grow together.