Breaking it down into bitesize chunks
So you want to start being more environmentally friendly like I do. But where to start? What are the actual problems?
There are three general topics I have come up with off the top of my head that most things come under. This list may get longer as I learn more.
1) Waste
2) Emissions & Energy
3) Chemicals
I am sure there are more, but if you are starting out on a greener way, it is good to start with simple changes. Easy switches that you can make straight away are a great place to start. If you try to make huge changes straight away your inner body guard will step in and talk you out of it. "Oh no you can't change that much, it will be too hard, too stressful and after all that you might fail. Better to not attempt it at all really"... sound familiar?
Under each of these three big headings there are many things that you have a hand in, in your day to day life.
1) Waste:
-Plastic waste
-Non-recyclables
-Food waste
-Incorrect recycling
2) Emmissions + Energy
-How you travel
-Using energy in your home
3) Chemicals
-What chemicals you use to clean
-Disposal of chemicals - or products with chemical in.
How many of these points do you actually pay attention to? Are there any that pop up in your mind as you do them considering to make changes but then pushing it to the back of your mind?
Below I have listed the changes I have made so far:
Shampoo, Conditioner and soap:
I have swapped my shampoo and conditioner for bar alternatives, you can buy these from lush 'naked' without packaging or from amazon. This cuts out the plastic bottles that come with commercial shampoos. Commercial shampoos are watered down, these bars easily last many months so are also very cost effective. Something else which I want to try is making my own shampoo out of natural products such as my home grown Aloe Vera. I also use soap bars instead of liquid soap that comes in a plastic pumper.
Menstrual products (for the ladies!):
For those who use pads, you can buy reusable, washable pads from amazon. You could even make them yourself if you are handy with a sewing machine. For ladies who prefer tampons, there is the menstrual cup. This swap comes under the Waste and Chemical titles, as throwable menstrual products not only take years to degrade in landfill, but have chemicals such as bleach in them that seep into your body through your skin. Not nice! Women make a lot of waste throughout their lifetime, Reusable pads last up to (if not more than) 5 years. Think of how much waste you would not be putting into landfill by making this swap!
Handkerchiefs:
Using handkerchiefs instead of tissues to blow your nose! Hey we all know that they say that handkerchiefs are a germ fest, but if you have plenty of them and make sure you wash them regularly they are a great swap to reduce your waste. Or you could just take a leaf out of the Japanese' book and not blow your nose at all. Problem solved :)
Vegetable bags:
Take reusable mesh bags to the supermarket and pick up as much of the non packaged fruit and vedge as possible. Sadly most fruit and vedge is packaged in plastic these days, but some supermarkets have lose sections which are often cheaper. But just DONT use the provided plastic bags! Either put them straight in your trolley, or make or buy some light weight tie up bags. Another way to solve this is to go to your local greengrocers (sadly I don't have one very close), greengrocers won't have packaging on their procucts at all, you can bring your own bags.
I am going to bring this post to a close as I feel I have gone on a little! Thank you so much for reading.
*I am not an expert in all things environmental, these are just musings from my own experience and may not include everything
There are three general topics I have come up with off the top of my head that most things come under. This list may get longer as I learn more.
1) Waste
2) Emissions & Energy
3) Chemicals
I am sure there are more, but if you are starting out on a greener way, it is good to start with simple changes. Easy switches that you can make straight away are a great place to start. If you try to make huge changes straight away your inner body guard will step in and talk you out of it. "Oh no you can't change that much, it will be too hard, too stressful and after all that you might fail. Better to not attempt it at all really"... sound familiar?
Under each of these three big headings there are many things that you have a hand in, in your day to day life.
1) Waste:
-Plastic waste
-Non-recyclables
-Food waste
-Incorrect recycling
2) Emmissions + Energy
-How you travel
-Using energy in your home
3) Chemicals
-What chemicals you use to clean
-Disposal of chemicals - or products with chemical in.
How many of these points do you actually pay attention to? Are there any that pop up in your mind as you do them considering to make changes but then pushing it to the back of your mind?
Below I have listed the changes I have made so far:
Shampoo, Conditioner and soap:
I have swapped my shampoo and conditioner for bar alternatives, you can buy these from lush 'naked' without packaging or from amazon. This cuts out the plastic bottles that come with commercial shampoos. Commercial shampoos are watered down, these bars easily last many months so are also very cost effective. Something else which I want to try is making my own shampoo out of natural products such as my home grown Aloe Vera. I also use soap bars instead of liquid soap that comes in a plastic pumper.
 |
| Not yet used Lush Shampoo bar, called Godiva |
 |
| Using soap bars instead of using bottled soap to cut down on plastic waste. |
Menstrual products (for the ladies!):
For those who use pads, you can buy reusable, washable pads from amazon. You could even make them yourself if you are handy with a sewing machine. For ladies who prefer tampons, there is the menstrual cup. This swap comes under the Waste and Chemical titles, as throwable menstrual products not only take years to degrade in landfill, but have chemicals such as bleach in them that seep into your body through your skin. Not nice! Women make a lot of waste throughout their lifetime, Reusable pads last up to (if not more than) 5 years. Think of how much waste you would not be putting into landfill by making this swap!
 |
| I proudly hang my reusable pads on the line! |
 |
| Reusable pads come in different sizes and designs |
 |
| The Tulip cup, one of the many types of menstrual cup. |
Handkerchiefs:
Using handkerchiefs instead of tissues to blow your nose! Hey we all know that they say that handkerchiefs are a germ fest, but if you have plenty of them and make sure you wash them regularly they are a great swap to reduce your waste. Or you could just take a leaf out of the Japanese' book and not blow your nose at all. Problem solved :)
Vegetable bags:
Take reusable mesh bags to the supermarket and pick up as much of the non packaged fruit and vedge as possible. Sadly most fruit and vedge is packaged in plastic these days, but some supermarkets have lose sections which are often cheaper. But just DONT use the provided plastic bags! Either put them straight in your trolley, or make or buy some light weight tie up bags. Another way to solve this is to go to your local greengrocers (sadly I don't have one very close), greengrocers won't have packaging on their procucts at all, you can bring your own bags.
 |
| Reusable mesh bags, in place of single use plastic bags. You can easily make these at home from light weight material. |
I am going to bring this post to a close as I feel I have gone on a little! Thank you so much for reading.
*I am not an expert in all things environmental, these are just musings from my own experience and may not include everything
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