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Eco-Friendly Ways to Transform Your Health and Beauty Routine

October 30, 2020 0

Taking care of your health and appearance is an important part of many people’s lives. After all, you want to look and feel your best, as well as feeling good about yourself and how you present to the world. Yet as many of us become more conscious of the need to be eco-friendly, it’s time to take a good hard look at the environmental impact of your beauty and health routines. There’s no use looking and feeling great if you’re damaging the planet at the same time. Luckily, there are simple ways you can transform your routines to be a little kinder to the world, whilst remaining kind to yourself.

Go Homemade

The beauty industry is a global market worth billions of dollars, and yet it’s incredibly damaging. One of the worst culprits is the plastic packaging used to ship your favorite beauty products to you, not to mention the evils of tiny plastic ‘exfoliating beads’ and all the other chemicals used to make popular brands. In fact, many people have discovered that simple kitchen recipes can be just as effective. For an eco-friendly approach, use ingredients like coconut oil, almonds, honey, lemon juice, and various herbal additions to create incredibly effective scrubs and moisturizers. Remember that advertising is a powerful tool, and it may have convinced you that you can’t replicate the effects of major products at home – but you can!

Be As Effective As Possible

Generally speaking, the fewer products you can consume, the better. Many people spend large amounts of money (plus potential packaging and shipping) to avail themselves of bottles of oral vitamin supplements and once-a-day medicines to help them keep feeling in top shape. This is unnecessary! IV therapy is a great way to minimize this impact by reducing all these needs to one simple treatment that you can purchase less frequently – meaning less bother for you as well! IV therapy costs are simple and not prohibitive, especially when set against the costs of subscriptions and reorders for multiple vitamins.

Research Your Brands

If you do have a product that you absolutely love and don’t feel like you can replicate by yourself, that’s okay! Just make sure you research the brands you’re buying from, as they are not all created equal. Some beauty and health brands are really doing their best to be eco-conscious and protect the planet, whilst others are more concerned with making a profit at any cost. Simple research online can tell you which is which, and then it’s up to you to put your money where your mouth is. The industry is diverse, and you will almost certainly be able to find a replica product by a more eco-friendly brand, so make sure to support companies who are also playing their part.

Conclusion

Taking care of your health and beauty, and taking care of the planet, do not need to be incompatible goals. With just a few simple steps, you can help to reduce the impact you’re making on our environment, preserving its own beauty for years to come.

Have a Happy Halloween with this Fun Organic Lunch

October 29, 2020 0

To kids, Halloween is far more than just trick or treating. It’s all about costumes, spooky TV specials, and the spirit of the holiday!

Treat them to this super simple, and super yummy, organic Halloween lunch, and make it extra special. Jump over to ECOlunchbox for the recipe!

Green Tip: Dishes are Clean

October 28, 2020 2

You can make cleaning your dishes more Earth-friendly by following these simple green tips.

* Run only a full load of dishes through the dishwasher.
* Use a plant-based biodegradable dishwashing detergent. My fave is Biokleen.
* Use the appropriate dishwashing setting.
* Scrap your plates, instead of rinsing them before placing them in the dishwasher.
* Run the dishwasher at night and let them air dry. They will be dry by morning.
 
If possible, run your major appliances at night between 12 a.m. – 4 a. m. You can do this by setting your dishwasher for a delay start. Also, you save more energy when you run the appliances during off-peak hours.
 
How do you green your dishwashing?
 
What is your favorite dishwashing detergent?

What to Look For When You’re Buying an Eco-Friendly Car

October 28, 2020 0

Buying a new car can be stressful, but it can also be exciting. With nearly 6 million cars sold each year in the U.S., it’s clear that Americans aren’t afraid to spend a bit of money on a new ride.

But not every consumer has the same priorities when it comes to picking their automobile. Some might be impressed by horsepower, which might make a car like the Shelby Mustang GT (with an actual horsepower of almost 400) an attractive option. Others are more concerned with color or special features. Safety ratings are also an important factor for many Americans — and considering that 76,000 pedestrians were injured in U.S. traffic accidents in 2012, it isn’t just motorists who feel vehicle safety should be a consideration. For a specific subset of buyers, however, there’s arguably nothing more important than environmental responsibility.

If you’re in the market for a more sustainable vehicle, you certainly aren’t alone. Environmental friendliness is no longer considered to be a mere trend; it’s now an attribute that major carmakers are actively working towards. And while electric vehicles get a lot of the glory when it comes to reducing carbon emissions, these actually aren’t the only cars that can help you reduce your environmental impact. When shopping for an eco-friendly car, here are a few things to look for.

Engine or Transmission

Yes, having an electric car is going to be a more eco-friendly choice than relying on gasoline for fuel. But you might also consider a hybrid engine or a diesel engine, both of which are relatively green. Not only does diesel provide better fuel economy than gas, but diesel-fueled cars are meant to last. This means you can hang onto your car for a longer period, which will reduce your environmental impact overall. Pay attention to the transmission, as well. Although automatic transmission cars may be easier to drive at first, manual transmission vehicles often get better gas mileage. They may also require less maintenance, which can save you money. If you’ve never driven a stick-shift car before, it might be well worth learning how.

Color

Some people make vehicle purchases based on the color of the car — and that might not be as silly as you’d think! Light-colored cars are generally considered to be more energy efficient because they’re more reflective. This can keep your car cooler in the summer months without having to rely as much on air conditioning. Having a white car can make your car’s interior up to 10 degrees cooler on a hot day! In addition, the idea that white cars have to be washed more frequently is a bit of a myth. If you aren’t driving through huge puddles of mud on a regular basis, you may actually wash your car less frequently than with another color car.

Weight

A car that’s lightweight is going to be inherently more eco-friendly because it’ll have better gas mileage due to its aerodynamic nature. Large trucks tend not to have great fuel economy, but a car made with lighter weight metals will require less fuel to get from point A to point B. Not only will that help you reduce your impact, but it’ll also save you money at the gas station. You might also consider a car with a sportier suspension or with a more retro design (think newer station wagon over SUV) to reduce your impact even further.

Other Features

When buying a car for its eco-friendliness, don’t forget about the small details; they can end up making a big difference. Choosing a car that features LED lights or that has an impeccable air filtration system can actually improve your driving experience while saving you money and helping the environment. That said, you’ll want to skip any extras that add bulk or sharp edges to the car’s silhouette. Roof racks, for example, can take away from a car’s aerodynamic design and reduce its fuel efficiency. Be sure to maintain a balance between the features you want for convenience and those that might actually take away from the longevity of the vehicle.

There are a number of eco-friendly vehicles available on the market today — and not all of them are fully electric, either. When it comes time to replace your current vehicle, consider more than features that are marketed specifically for being green. Otherwise, you might miss out on the perfect car for your family that can also help you reduce your environmental impact.

Could You Help the Planet by Simply Going Vegan?

October 28, 2020 0

Did you know that if you go vegan, you could be doing your bit to help the environment? If you have never given veganism any thought before then this guide will help you to not only make the best choices but for you to also really become more aware of how your actions affect the planet.

Combating World Hunger

A lot of food that is grown in the world is not actually eaten by humans. 70% of grain in the US is actually given to livestock. 83% of the farmland in the US is given to those who raise animals as well. Sure, meat is way more dense when compared to plants and they can provide more calories too, but this could all be changed if more land was dedicated to growing various plants. The consequences of overfishing, pollution and even deforestation also drastically limits the capacity on earth when it comes to producing food as well. If the farmland was used to try and grow crops for human consumption, then this would mean that more people could be fed, and it would not have half as much consequence for the planet.

Conserving Water

Millions of people across the world do not have access to clean water right now. So many of them struggle with water scarcity and others don’t have access because water sources are not being managed as well as they could be. The main point here is that livestock drink way more water when compared to anything else and they are also the biggest polluter of water as well. It takes 200 times more water to produce one pound of beef when compared to raising one pound of plants. For every 1kg of beef you cut down on, you would save 15,000 litres of water.

Cleaning the Soil

Livestock pollute water and they also weaken soil. This is mainly because of deforestation, where huge swaths of land are cleared to make room for the livestock. The world is losing forests equivalent to the size of Panama, every single year and this is speeding up climate change. If people went vegan, even just a few days a week then this would make a huge difference as there would be way less strain on the meat industry. Of course, making the commitment to go vegan isn’t easy and at times you may find that you struggle to find food out there when you go to restaurants or anything else of the sort, but at the end of the day, you have to remember that good things take time. If you want some good recipes, you will love this vegan oatmeal!

If you are finding it difficult to go vegan, then going vegetarian first may be a good option. When you do, you will soon find that you are able to ease into it and that you are also able to try and see if it is a good option for your lifestyle. There are plenty of groups out there that you can join as well, if you want a bit of help and support.

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