If you think that your contribution is just a drop in the ocean, think twice: What is the ocean, but a multitude of drops?
I first started writing this post for World Environment Day, but life decided to put some obstacles to stop me from finishing it. The environment can wait no longer for me to get off my butt and tell you the easy changes I have made on my daily life since the last update, and my first post here.
Without further ado, I am going to introduce you to things that are easy to incorporate into your daily routine and will not cost you an arm and a leg. If you still think that your contribution is just a drop in the ocean, think twice: What is the ocean, but a multitude of drops?
By switching to an all natural solid shampoo I’m saving an average of 12 bottles of traditional shampoo per year. Times my family: that’s 36 bottles per year! On this note, I’ve also ditched the shower gel in a bottle and now favour the good old soap bar. That’s 72 bottles my family and I are saving every 365 days, it feels pretty good I tell ya. And if you think this is an expense you cannot afford, read on because there’s a surprise for you! Take the shampoo I use: it costs 9.9€, I bought it in March and I still have more than half of it. If I use it up in 6 months, that’s 1.65€/month. Do you really call that “expensive”? The other plus side is that this particular shampoo (as with most solid shampoo bars) is made only with natural ingredients. No parabens, no phthalates, no rubbish (read more about this here). You’re helping your body and the environment!
Deodorant. We all want to smell good. But traditional deodorants have nasty chemicals in them that hurt our bodies (https://davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/dirty-dozen-cosmetic-chemicals-avoid/) And they often come wrapped in plastic, that gets ditched and rarely recycled. An average person will use 1 deo tub per month. That’s 12 a year. PER PERSON (or shall we say, hygienic person). Luckily many eco-friendly alternatives have come up: there’s the homemade version, you can buy them in a glass container either in liquid or cream form, there’s Nuud which has very good reviews (after the testing phase I can honestly say it didn’t work for me) and comes in a sugar cane tub, and there’s carton containers! Next time you go shopping for deo, watch for those alternatives, they’re easy to find. And you could also try your hand at making your own with natural ingredients and essential oils.
Fabric bags. This is a controversial one. They say producing a fabric bag is less environmentally friendly than producing a plastic bag. A Danish study has made it simple for us to know how many times a bag needs to be used in order to be eco-friendly:
- standard plastic bag 1 time
- polypropylene bags (most of the green reusable bags found at supermarkets) 37 times
- paper bags 43 times
- cotton bags 7100 times
So make sure you choose wisely and always carry a reusable bag with you, in case you have to go shopping.
Air fresheners make your bathroom smell like a forest, don’t they? But the spray tin they come in is not exactly green. I make my own air freshener for the bathroom (and for the rest of the house too) with the essential oils that I got with my YL starter kit. Just a few drops of Purification EO, some vodka and water.
You’ve probably seen these stainless steel drinking bottles all around, all the cool kids have them! This saves you from spending money in purchasing a drink when you’re on the go, and you probably will make a healthier choice at home than when you’re faced with sugary drinks and the like. And you can save 4 plastic bottles a day, 28 per week, and 1460 per year! Talk about one individual making a difference.
Starbucks and other take away restaurants and coffee shops are by now used to people bringing their own reusable cups. I have this one which I regularly use, even though I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but I do drink loads of tea. Let’s say one person has one take away coffee in a plastic cup once a day, 7 a week, 365 a year.
One thing that bugged me was buying fresh herbs in the supermarket: those little plastic containers are such a waste! So I started my own herb garden in my kitchen and now have basil, oregano, coriander, peppermint and rosemary. And as you probably know if you follow me on Instagram, I also cook with essential oils! It’s like having an organic garden ready to use at any moment.
Speaking of essential oils, check out my facial activated charcoal soap bar which does not come in plastic! I bought it in May for 14€ with my monthly order at Young Living, and at the end of July I still have more than half of it left. I’ve been having skin problems since I started detoxing in January and this has improved the appearance of my skin like you woulnd’t believe!
And the easiest one of all: choose products in the supermarket based on packaging. If it’s wrapped or boxed in plastic, try and look for a better alternative.
Thank you so much for reading all the way down here! Don’t forget to leave me your comments, and remember that any information or recipes not provided here, you’ll get full access to once you join my team! Curious?
