Since we all want the world to be a better place, today I want to show you 8 little things that you didn’t know were damaging the environment and suggestions of what to do instead.
Having several pairs of jeansAbout 1,800 gallons of water is used to produce a single pair of jeans. If you’re into following fashion trends, you probably have more than one pair. Although you don’t need to abolish jeans from your life but conscious shopping is a nice start. Try to invest in a good pair rather than lots of low-quality ones. There are also some brands that invest in sustainability as a manufacturing process, so look for them before you buy clothes.
Using toothpaste with plastic beads
Some toothpaste brands boast cleaning microparticles that can reach difficult spots that normal toothbrushes can’t. But these beads are made of polyethylene and resemble fish eggs. When they get to the ocean, they’re eaten by many sea animals, compromising their health. But it looks like these microbeads compromise human health as well: they get stuck in our gums and can be a huge trap for bacteria, causing infection. In order to avoid these things, look for Polyethylene on the components list when buying toothpaste, it will be better for everyone.
Eating with disposable chopsticks
When it comes to cutlery, we should follow the same rules when ordering Asian takeout as we do with western food: avoid disposable items at any cost. Disposable chopsticks are responsible for tearing down 3.8 million trees in China alone. The solution to this is very simple: if you usually buy lots of Asian takeout, keep a set of reusable chopsticks with you. There are different kinds made of different materials like for example metal.
Using liquid soap
When it comes to maintaining a healthy environment, liquid soaps are not the best option because they consume 5 times more energy in production, have more packaging involved, and have a bigger carbon imprint than those in bar form. We also tend to use more soap when it’s liquid, which isn’t a guarantee of cleaner skin. You should always choose a bar of soap.
Shaving with disposable razors
With lots of plastic waste, disposable razors are definitely the worst option for removing unwanted hair. Their plastic parts can’t be recycled and their production requires a lot of water. Speaking of water, the shaving act itself is not a good environmental practice as it can take up to a gallon each time you shave. Moreover, there’s also the razor, which usually isn’t produced by the same industry. So its transportation can leave a carbon footprint as well.
If you think electric razors are bad for the environment because they use electricity, their impact is actually less than the act of shaving with hot water. So if you want a better shaving alternative, go for electric shaving machine.
Throwing away wrapping paper instead of reusing it
Unfortunately, most of that beautiful, shiny wrapping paper from the gifts we get are not recyclable. They contain some paper additives and plastic parts that cannot be transformed into anything else. So the alternative is to reuse them. And you can use your creativity for this by covering the bottoms of drawers, wrapping school notebooks, making origami or if the paper isn’t too wrinkled you can use it to wrap other gifts.
Throwing oil in the sink
You should never throw used cooking oil down the drain of your sink. It will infect the water and make it impossible for treatment. This also applies to throwing oil down the toilet as it can clog your home’s pipes as well. And when it comes to getting rid of cooking oil, it’s best to know how your city handles this kind of waste. Some places have a recycling oil policy that can actually make things easier for you. But the default recommendation is to put oil into recyclable containers and then discard it.
Using glitter
It turns out glitter is not so glamorous for the environment since it’s made of little tiny pieces of plastic and as we know, plastic is kind of a big problem for nature. The alternative is to use biodegradable glitter which is becoming very easy to find, you can even use the edible kind designed for confections. It looks just as shiny as the original kind.
Content created and supplied by: BenTheAuthor (via Opera
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