Daily Archives: March 31, 2019

Personal Change!

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I discovered recently that I have a sensitivity to the chemicals that are commonly used in hair and beauty products. However, the most prominent sensitivity I have is to sodium laureth sulfate (SLS). Because of these sensitivities, I had to change every product I had been using for years. This includes face wash, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, face lotion, body lotion, cosmetics, and any other product that would come in contact with my skin. As I looked into finding these new products, I realized that the search would be more difficult than I had previously hoped. I was looking for products that were SLS, paraben, and silicone free. Although I could find a product or a brand with the correct requirements, it would not work as well as the products I had used in the past, which was frustrating. I spent hours on the internet researching and eventually found a plethora of brands that met the requirements I needed. As I researched I also found out that all of these brands also had the intention of being Eco-friendly. At the time, this was just a bonus of finding a product I could use, but after looking into it more I realized the importance of organic and eco-friendly beauty products. I began to think about the amount of shampoos, cosmetics, etc. that I had used in the past and that altering my routine to only include eco-friendly products would help me to live more sustainably, and also help the environment.

Although I did have to go through a lengthy trial and error process, I ended up finding the Eco-friendly products that work best for me. For my shampoo and conditioner I use Maui moisture. The brand prides itself for being paraben, silicone, SLS, and synthetic dye free. The packaging is post consumer recycled and is also cruelty free. There are multiple kinds that work with every hair type and all of the products smell amazing. I use a body wash from the brand Love Beauty and Planet and most of their bottles are made with 100% recycled content. This brand has the ultimate goal of reducing their carbon footprint, while also creating amazing products. This company is Eco-conscious and give 40$ per carbon ton to a carbon tax fund that works to reduce carbon emissions and land waste. I think this is incredible, especially considering the results from the carbon footprint quiz. My face wash and lotion come from Osmia Organics and the brand does not use parabens, phthalates, sulfates, petrochemicals, or synthetic colors in their products. As for cosmetics, most of my products are from Juice Beauty, W3ll People, or RMS beauty. Not only is Juice Beauty organic, vegan, and cruelty-free, but the company also utilizes solar and wind power, while also using recycled ingredients for packaging their products. W3ll People and RMS beauty both do not use harmful ingredients and aim to include mostly organic ingredients.

Yes, these brands do tend to be more expensive and do not work in the same manner as my products did in the past; however, they do the job and help the planet. I strongly encourage putting some time into researching these brands, and others like them, and switching to more sustainable beauty products. It feels great knowing the ingredients in the products I use are well thought out, safe for my skin, and better for the planet, especially with the knowledge I now have from this course.

Personal Change

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In my own day-to-day life, I would consider my lifestyle to be relatively sustainable. Recently, however, in ENVT 200, we conducted a survey throughout the class to see how many Earths would be necessary to sustain all life if everyone made the same choices I did. Needless to say, I was blown away by the result, finding that over THREE Earths would be needed for everyone to live the way I do. As a college student, I am limited in the amount of things I can change about my personal routine if I want to lessen my eco-footprint; however, that does not mean that change is not possible. I tried a few things out for a while like emphasizing recycling between me and my roommates, constantly drinking out of a reusable bottle, etc. But, nothing made me feel like I was getting change that meant something, and could improve my own life aside from making me feel a little less guilty about using so many resources. Then, I thought about my utilities. Many people do not realize how lessening the amount of utilities they use can actually help; on top of it, so much money is saved and the changes one makes are not too noticeable. For a month, I actively shut lights off around the house when unnecessary, I shut the air off in the house when no one was home, and I was more conscious about my showers. These changes sound like things that should be a given, but if they are not actively being thought of, then they fall by the wayside. After a month, my utilities were almost cut in half, and I could have been saving all of this money/using so much less energy if I was more aware. I brought this to attention of my fraternity and my friends, and they have been reporting back similar results. I think that people are not aware of how easy and effective it is to save money and use less, but once it is thought of in a tangible and rewarding way, like saving money, more people get on board!

Maybe people my age are forgetful, but I think that the reason my peers seem to be unaware of the simplicity in helping the planet is the idea that, “an individual is ineffective in saving the planet.” The line of thinking is shared by many people, and it could not be further from the truth. I have a tangible experience in my life that puts me at ease when thinking about my eco-footprint on this planet, and I saved money/improved my life in the process. All that was necessary was to wear a couple extra layers when living in the house during the day time, and taking a little extra time to make sure the lights/water is not being wasted. I think when people hear about what a difference that experience made for me, it makes them want to have similar change in their lives.