How to be Kind to Wildlife in the Heat

As summers (and the other seasons) get hotter, local wildlife needs more and more help from humans to survive. While systematic changes like legal protections for threatened species and reduced fossil fuel usage are obviously the best way to ensure fauna and flora can thrive, there are also small ways individuals can offer a helping hand.

Providing Water Sources

You can use hose water, but it may be even easier, cheaper, and more sustainable to collect rain water or save excess water. Seal the bottom of a large planter and leave it where it will fill with rain, rinse your veggies over a bowl, save the water you wash rice in, or keep pasta water after cooking.

This water can go into bird baths or shallow water bowls to hydrate pollinators and small animals. Ensure bird baths are somewhat shaded and cleaned every couple days to keep them free of disease-spreading bacteria. Placing pebbles in a shallow water dish provides a great place for lizards, frogs, and pollinators to rest while they drink or bathe.

A "bee bath" filled with marbles and placed low to the ground.
Worried about Mosquitos?

The idea of keeping standing water around may incite a kind of fight-or-flight response in Floridians who have been through brutal mosquito seasons before. Don’t worry! There are ways to maintain harmony with the natural ecosystem while enjoying your time outdoors.

Marigolds aren't just pretty, they repel mosquitos and provide food for valuable pollinators!

Of course, natural bug repellant like Beat It! is a fantastic defense, but you can also plant herbs that will discourage mosquitos from visiting your backyard. Peppermint, thyme, lemon balm, lemongrass, rosemary, basil, and catnip are a few that have been shown to keep bugs away. Marigolds and nasturtiums are more beautiful options that also repel mosquitos.

All said and done, when you create safe spaces for natural predators like frogs, lizards, and birds, mosquito populations are bound to be kept in check.

Garden Intentionally

By far the best thing you can do for local wildlife is cultivate native plants. The plants that are already adapted to life in this ecosystem are going to provide the best support for the animals that evolved alongside them.

However, there are easier and quicker ways to temporarily make your garden more friendly to bugs, birds, and small animals. Replenish the mulch in your garden beds – or add some if you’re rocking bare soil! – to help trap moisture and provide a cool, dark place for little crawlies to rest out of the hot sun. They’ll nourish your soil in return!

You can also make a bug hotel from scrap wood, bricks, bark, sticks, and/or leaf litter. Many wild pollinating bee species are solitary and look for little holes to make their homes in, so hallowed bamboo rods and logs with holes drilled in them are a great way to help them out!

A bee hotel made from logs with holes drilled in them.

Moving bird baths and feeders out of direct sun is also helpful to giving birds a cooler place to rest, and it’ll prevent the water from evaporating too quickly.

If you have a pool, consider investing in a frog ramp to save any little critters or pollinators that may get stuck in the water. This will also help keep you from needing to scoop up little bodies!

Every Creature Counts

As temperatures rise, the smallest acts of care can make a big difference. Whether you’re setting out a shaded bowl of water, planting herbs that deter pests naturally, or creating a welcoming garden for native pollinators, you’re helping to weave a web of resilience that supports our shared ecosystem. We may not be able to reverse climate change overnight, but we can choose to live in closer harmony with the creatures around us. Kindness to wildlife isn’t just compassion, it’s survival. And it starts in your own backyard.

Travel Sustainably

This summer, make sure you’re doing vacation right with our tips on eco-friendly packing, transportation, and lodging.

Packing

Instead of buying new little plastic-bottled travel-sized toiletries every time you go on a trip, try refilling the same bottles from your own full-size products, or getting them refilled at our refillery.

If you don’t already have travel-sized bottles laying around, try our travel-sized hair and body care from Plaine products! They’re plastic free (made of infinitely-recyclable aluminum), and we’ll give you a discount on your new bottle whenever you bring the empty one back to us! We send them back to Plaine, and they wash and refill them, so the process is as circular as possible.

Even better, go with the TSA-friendly option of liquid-free toiletries. Options like tooth tabs and mouthwash tablets, solid shampoo, conditioner, face wash, and body wash are easy to pack and better for the environment. We also carry travel-friendly wooden toothbrushes and refillable wooden floss containers with plastic-free floss.

Transportation

When it comes to traveling long distances, trains tend to be better for the environment, followed closely by buses, then planes, then cars.

For shorter distances (about 600 miles or less) cars are more sustainable than planes in emissions per passenger, but both are definitely still not as eco-friendly as public transportation like trains and buses. Short haul flights are usually defined as flights that are under 3 hours.

Keep in mind that the more passengers you fit in a vehicle, the more sustainable that option becomes!

Once you’ve reached your destination, walk around! You can also consider renting bikes or electric scooters, or getting a pass for the local subway or bus system, so you can use sustainable transportation instead of renting a car or constantly getting taxis.

Lodging

Consider staying at a smaller or locally-owned lodging instead of a branch of a large hotel franchise. This practice also helps keep the money from your tourism in the local economy!

Don’t stop conserving water and energy just because you’re not the one paying the bills! Before you leave the room for the day, turn the lights off and turn the thermostat down so the heating or cooling doesn’t have to work so hard.

Take Sustainability With You

A little intention goes a long way. By making mindful choices about how you pack, move, and stay, you’re proving that a great vacation doesn’t have to come at the planet’s expense. We can all have a relaxing time AND be thoughtful by refusing the single-use (plastic) disposables, considering public transportation when possible, and seeking out local businesses where ever we land.

Consume Less & Live More

This post is a summary/transcription of a talk that I presented at a Think & Drink event at Cypress & Grove Brewing Co. as part of Zero Waste Week 2025.

Consumption isn’t just what we buy, it’s how we live.
Consumption shapes the world.

Pre the industrial era, people generally only bought what they needed, then repaired, reused, and passed down those items. People owned fewer things, but those things were built to last. Post the World War II boom, mass production has led to more marketing, so that demand can keep up with supply (notice how backward that is?). Things are made to be replaced, with the goal of keeping consumers consuming and producers producing – and profiting. We’re in a culture of disposability and convenience above all.

That culture has only gotten stronger, as today, we’re constantly bombarded with new products we “need,” and big-box stores, fast fashion, and rapidly changing trends are the new normal. Manufacturers tend to prioritize profit over quality and sustainability, and the public is footing the cost that big corporations refuse to pay.

The average American today owns more stuff than any other generation in history. While we used to buy things because we needed them, now we buy because someone told us to, it was on sale, just because we can, or for no reason at all. Our houses have almost tripled in size since the 1950s, but we’re still running out of space.

Modern self-storage facilities did not appear until the late 1960s, but we’ve already amassed such a demand for them that they now outnumber fast food restaurants in the US. One in ten US households rents a self-storage unit to keep their extra stuff in.

That begs the question:
If buying more made us happier, wouldn’t we be the happiest we’ve ever been?

But we’re not. We’re more stressed, in more debt, and more disconnected than ever.

The real cost of MORE isn’t just financial. MORE means more clutter, more stress, and more debt. The average American household has over 300,000 things and is $6,000 in credit card debt. Psychological studies have shown that household clutter increases stress and reduces wellbeing. And, of course, the manufacture and disposal of STUFF drives pollution and waste at an unprecedented scale.

So we end up stuck in an endless loop: we shop, which adds to the clutter, debt, and stress, which makes us feel out of control, so we shop some more to feel excited about new stuff. Because that’s what everyone keeps saying: you NEED this new thing, it’ll make you so happy/beautiful/wealthy/liked/fulfilled/cool. We’re kept in this cycle on purpose, through planned obsolescence, obsessive marketing, and the illusion of choice – even though the same players profit, no matter which brand we choose.

But who actually benefits from this cycle? Not us!

Corporations and billionaires end up profiting off of our confusion and struggle. The world’s richest 1% own more wealth than the bottom 50% combined.

You can opt out of this system.

What if we consumed in a way that actually made life easier, cheaper, and more fulfilling?

How? First, use what you have. “Shop” in your own home, repair broken items, and repurpose things that can’t do their job anymore. When you must get something new, try to borrow it or get it secondhand. Utilize resources like your local library or a Buy Nothing group, and shop small businesses whenever you can. In general, we’re trying to ditch the single-use mindset and buy things that were built to last, not consume mindless items that will become waste.

Break up with mega corporations, too. It’s a toxic relationship that does nothing but drain you. Audit your spending to see what’s actually getting your attention, time, and resources that could be going into things that align with your values. Opt out of advertising by unfollowing people that do nothing but brand deals, hauls, and sponsorships, and install an ad-blocker to take back control over your devices. Pay with cash when you can, so your money stays where you spend it instead of going to billionaires. Reduce your impulse buy triggers wherever you can. When you suddenly get the urge to buy something, stop and take a second to recall the last time you felt that way and how that last purchase made you feel, and how you’d be doing now if you had never gotten that thing. Think about if you would still need that thing if you hadn’t just seen an ad for it, or if it wasn’t on sale, or if you hadn’t had a stressful day at work.

Redefine your values, and stick to them. What does another reusable water bottle contribute to your personal growth? What about that trendy top will strengthen your relationships or give back to your community? Do you really want to look back at your life and see material things, or are experiences more important?

Look for businesses that are doing it right, with sustainable packaging, certifications to back up the ethicality of their practices, and a transparent discussion about the impact they have on the environment.

So, how can you apply this right here in Gainesville?

Focus on experiences over stuff – there are tons of events happening in Gainesville every single weekend! Getting involved in your community might just lessen your stress more than buying new things ever did. Eat local at our weekly farmer’s markets or participate in a CSA to get local produce. This will increase the quality of your food and reduce the emissions associated with getting it to you, so your meals are better for you and for the planet. Learn a new skill, like gardening or ceramics, to give yourself something to do and a community to be a part of. Remember that consuming less isn’t about deprivation, it’s about being intentional and gaining back control.

Sustainable living is a journey, and everyone’s journey is different. Focus on progress, not perfection, and you’ll find that every step is taking you closer to the world you want to live in. And your small steps are often more impactful than you may realize, because when others see how you consume intentionally and stick to your values, they’ll follow your example. It’s all part of the journey to a world where everyone is more fulfilled without damaging the planet. And we believe that goal is entirely within our reach.