With earth day coming up on Thursday, and I believe all of April is now Earth Month, it seems like the perfect time to check out some of the eco-friendly items that can be found on Etsy and easily incorporated into everyday life.  I don’t believe in making one large gesture a year, but instead, making little changes to my routine that add up over the long-run.  This way, making a positive change will be easier to sustain.

Last year my boyfriend and I made the decision to cut kitchen-based paper products out of our lives.  We do not use paper napkins, cloths, or plates.  Instead, we asked our family to help us invest in a slew of cloth napkins.  The end result has been a much more chic eating experience!

If I were in the market for some new napkins I would definitely consider these Queen Anne’s Lace Cotton Napkins from A.M.S. Industries.

This set of 4 is so cute and perfect for Spring.  The cost is $20 and they are machine washable and dryable.

One of my dear friends got married a few months ago and asked for a bunch of kitchenware items, mainly in the colors green and burnt orange.  They didn’t ask for cloth napkins, but I decided to go ahead and throw a few monogrammed napkins into the mix anyhow.  I went with Simply Maggie and while I don’t think the image above is the best quality necessarily, the napkins were truly.  For just $14 I was able to get my friend and his new wife cloth napkins that are a much higher quality than anything I own myself, plus they were specially monogrammed, to boot!  {Their napkins were white with green embroidery.}  I’m really not sure the price can be beat on these napkins.

I think the next step in my journey toward being more earth-friendly is to invest in a set of reusable produce bags.  I hate having a bunch of those disgusting plastic bags after returning from the grocery store.

This set of organic cotton muslin Block Printed Reusable Produce Bags from Oh, Little Rabbit is just adorable:

At $10 for 2 bags, they won’t break the bank, especially when you consider how many shopping trips you’ll be able to get out of these.  I have to imagine that everyone in the checkout line will be pretty envious that you’re toting your apples in something as chic as this!

If you’re looking for something that’s more usable and less pretty, these Kelly Green Produce Bags will certainly do the job.

For just $15.75 you’ll get a set of 7 reusable bags from Etsy shop Love for Earth.

Of course, if you’re investing in reusable produce bags then you will probably also want a few reusable grocery bags, as well.  I think I have 2,000 free bags with various logos on them, and sometimes I wish I just had something a little more fun to carry around.

Like this Cupcake Firefly Bag from Lydia’s Designs:

The cupcake on the bag is saying, “I have sprinkles!”  This bag is a steal at just $5!

The bags at EarthCadets are lovely, heavy-duty, and made of all recycled materials.  Plus, they’re hand screen-printed by a gal I know here in Chicago!

This super cute bag is called TomaTote and sells for $25.

I am in love with reusable snack bags.  Seriously, what a fab replacement for the dreaded little plastic bags!

The bag above is the Green Bud Snack Sak, but Etsy seller WasteNot Saks sells them in a broad range of colors and patterns.  At only $6.50, it’ll be easy to see how much money you save as opposed to buying boxes upon boxes of plastic bags.

For $7.50 you can get a similar Sak in a larger size and use it for your sandwiches.

Finally, one final way to easily make your life just a tad more eco-friendly is to invest in a reusable coffee sleeve for your morning cup o’ joe.

I think this Vintage Bicycle Eco Cup Cozy from Laura Bucci is pretty darn fab.

Totally cute, right?  Your Starbucks/ Caribou/ etc. will never be the same with one of these attached to the cup!  In honor of earth month you can pick up any eco cup cozy Laura Bucci sells for just $12.  Normally they cost $14-$16.