At a Glance
– Looking after the environment is easier than you may think.
– Below I list 10 easy things you can try in your home.
– Check out some of the companies I love & trust.
As Jane Goodall once said, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.”
I believe change starts with one person and I’m a huge believer in “the little guy”. There are lots of easy small changes you can make to your everyday life which can make a big impact on the environment without impacting your life.
- Choose Recycled or Bamboo Paper for your Household
I use and love “Who Gives a Crap” paper in my whole house! They have recycled and bamboo paper options for your toilet paper, paper towels and tissues. š§» - Choose Sustainable Compostable Cleaning Sponges
They’re just a good as your everyday sponge yet are made of compostable materials. Also, they’re really cheap! What’s not to love?! - Use Cruelty-Free, All Natural make-up & Haircare Products
It does exist and you don’t have to compromise on quality you just have to do your research. - Use Bio-degradable Rubbish Bin Bags & Doggy Bags
Honestly, yes they aren’t as strong as a plastic bag but there are good biodegradable rubbish bags out there. I use BioBag bags for the house and Oh Crap! doggy bags and am very happy with the quality. It’s a really easy switch and you know you’ll be helping out the environment a substantial amount as everyone throws away garbage. š© - Use Deodorant Powder or Creams instead of Deodorant Sprays
I’ve only recently found out just how bade deodorants and antiperspirants are for your health and the environment so I immediately made the switch to a deodorant powder – it’s kind of like talcum powder.
Firstly, oh my gosh! It works so well! And my skin feels so soft. Secondly, oh my gosh read this for reasons why traditional sprays and roll-ons are so bad!
I really like this product from Lush but there are heaps of products to try. I can almost guarantee you’ll find one you love. š„° - For the Ladies, Give Re-Usable Feminine Products a Try
There are a heap of options now so there’s no excuse not to try something! You might be pleasantly surprised at how effective and easy to use some of them are to the point you’ll be saying CYA! to pads and tampons for good! - Ditch Plastic Straws & Cups
Get yourself a reusable coffee/tea mug and metal straw. Most cafes will discount your coffee if you bring in a reusable cup saving you $$ in the long run and opting to bring a metal straw with you if you know you’re going out for shakes. š„¤Forgotten your straw? You know you can drink without one?! Weird right! – Sorry, a bit of sarcasm. š¤ - Carry a Drink Bottle
Once you start carrying a drink bottle with you, you’ll wonder where it’s been your whole life! It encourages you to drink more water and stops you from dehydrating yourself. Many people say they drink when their thirsty but I guarantee if you had a water bottle on your desk for the day you would drink way more water than if you didn’t. Having water at hand means you won’t be tempted to buy bottled water or soft drinks when you’re out which means less plastic waste. - Switch to a Bamboo Toothbrush
Bet you never realised how many plastic toothbrushes you throw away? That’s okay, someone has invented a great alternative, a toothbrush made of bamboo! It’s no different to your usual toothbrush, the only difference is the material so there’s no compromise on oral hygiene. - Re-Useable Food Wraps & Covers
While shops have already started implementing reusable bags, there are still heaps of plastic bags & food storage items that you may not have realised you are using in your household. If you’re still covering bowls of uneaten food in cling film you can give Silicone Food Covers a go. They come in an array of sizes and stretch to fit over most bowls & jars.
To Get You Started
There are a heap of products out there that you can try, I know because I’m always looking for better alternatives to everyday products. Check out some of the brands and products I love below. You won’t be disappointed and you know you’ll be doing the environment and your health a huge favour.
Who Gives a Crap – Toilet Paper / Paper Towels / Tissues
I love this company! 100% of their products are made without cutting down any trees and they use 50% of their profits to help build toilets for those in need.
Their paper is made of bamboo or recycled paper and contains no dyes, ink or fragrance so their safe for everyone. I’ve got all of their products and can happily say their products are just as good, if not better than supermarket brands. The bamboo paper is a little softer but I’ve had no issues with the recycled paper as well. The paper towels are great! They don’t fall apart as easily as cheap paper towels do, but, just remember they’re not designed to be as strong as say, Vileda or Handee. In saying that, I’ve used Who Gives a Crap paper towels to clean the algae off the INSIDE of my fishtank before with no problems. š¤
I can’t rate this company high enough!
Modibodi – Feminine Hygiene Products
Most feminine hygiene products are made up of plastic which means a huge contribution to the amount of plastic waste entering our landfill sites. One single pad takes 500-800 years to degrade naturally in landfill making even proper disposal not much help to the environment.
Modibodi is absorbent underwear that feels no different than your everyday underwear and can be washed and reused. That means no waste. No feeling uncomfortable.
Oh Crap! – Doggy Bags
In Australian, there are approximately 4.2 million dogs which create over 1200kg of waste! So you can understand why we’re told to ‘Pick Up’. But that also means if we are all picking up, we’re adding 1.3 billion plastic bags to landfill every day.
There are lots of ‘green’ doggy bags that have come out recently but I always go back to my Oh Crap! doggy bags. Many other brands are only degradable or are biodegradable, but take a long time to break down in commercial composting conditions – not your household compost bin or landfill. This is why I always read the packaging. š§
These bags break down completely in landfill within 3 months! They’re made of cornstarch which is sustainable and the texture of the bags is actually quite nice and silky – if you’re weird like me and that’s considered a positive. And yet they are strong enough to withstand a bit of moisture and water so your dog’s poop stays in its bag! š¤¢
Bonus! The guy who runs it is super nice!
Natural Value Walnut Cleaning Sponge – Cleaning
These sponges are so great! Sometimes when it comes to cleaning products you have to settle for an inferior product. It might be harder to use or more ‘fiddly’ but with these sponges, you definitely don’t have to settle. They feel and work exactly the same as your everyday artificial sponge despite being made out of crushed walnuts and plant cellulose. These can be thrown in your compost bin or regular bin and will break down 100%.
ZUII Organic – Make-Up
A great alternative to unnatural chemically produced makeup and skincare is Zuii. They have an excellent range of skincare and makeup which is formulated using REAL flowers, they even have tanning products! The best part is that their makeup is formulated to improve your skin’s condition at the same time so you’re not just covering up your skin or putting pretty colours on your face, you’re actually hydrating, soothing and in some products, reducing fine lines.
70% of everything your skin comes into contact with is absorbed, so why not ensure it’s only absorbing good things?
Flora and Fauna – Website
This site has heaps of great stuff! It’s my go-to website when I’m looking for a natural alternative to something I’m using – I also do a monthly order of household supplies. I encourage you to jump on and have a look around. Most items I’ve mentioned can be bought from this website so for me, it’s a one-stop-shop. š±
Sustainable, green, eco, all of these words can often be thought of next to weak, fragile and inefficient, and that’s because quite often green products aren’t filled with harsh chemicals or made of super-strong materials that last forever which can make these green products seem “not as good”. This is just a mindset issue. There are good and bad products in every niche, you just have to try them until you find something you like. I’ve been switching out the products I use for a few years now and I admit, some green-eco brands just don’t work good enough for me, but I keep trying until I find a product I like. And there are products that work just as well as others – without harming my body, my pets or the environment.
Using the above lists, I encourage you to start to think about the products you are currently using and try switching them out for a more sustainable option.
Disclaimer: Myself, nor, Organix Dog Spa, have any affiliation with any of these products. We just think they’re awesome!