I actually don’t know when I started to turn “green”! I have been recycling for a long time, but just did it because my recycling can was right there and the city picked it up for me. Eventually I started doing it more for the right reasons! I also have been using reusable shopping bags for at least three years. It started as only grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s, but it eventually turned into reusable shopping bags for every shopping experience! For years I have been looking for alternative products to chemical laden ones and I have been on a journey ever since. {Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net}
If you are looking into ways to start being more eco-friendly minded, I would recommend recycling and using reusable bags for grocery & retail shopping. Make sure to keep your bags well labeled so that they don’t cross-contaminate.
Then I started blogging a year ago and met some pretty amazing “green” bloggers and decided my blog would go in that direction. At that point I started seeing the “greenness” through new eyes. This past year I have learned so much about what it means to be an eco-friendly shopper and truly use natural products.
Some areas you can go green in:
Recycle
Buy products with less packaging
Buy organic produce
Consume less
Use reusable shopping bags
Make your own cleaning products
Read ingredient labels
Buy products with no artificial dyes or coloring
Buy products with no parabens and sulfates
My list can go on and on. If you are want to live an eco-friendly lifestyle, I encourage you to pick a couple areas you would like to start in and go from there. It can be overwhelming to dive in and want to change everything at once. Over time you find it easier to do more as your mindset and lifestyle change.
In regards to cosmetic and beauty products, you can use the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Cosmetic Database to look up specific companies and products. They give each ingredient a number, which in turn gives every product a final number. The lower the number is, the safer the product is. For cleaners you can use the EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning. This database actually grades each product, A’s being the best and I’m sure you can guess what D’s and F’s mean!
I am trying my best to always read ingredient lists when out shopping, but sometimes I forget. When it comes to ingredients to products I find online, if they don’t openly share their ingredient lists, then I either skip over them or email the company asking for the ingredients. I am still learning what certain ingredients are, so that is my next journey. I plan on sharing about harmful ingredients so you can start looking for them too.
Greenwashers
Have you heard this term before? Don’t be shocked when I say this, but not every company that claims to be green or natural really is! *Gasp* It’s true! If you really want to eliminate harmful chemicals, you might have to look a little harder than what your local store has on hand. Again, don’t get so overwhelmed that you give up before you start! My advice would be to always read labels, even from companies that claim to be green and natural.
Confession
Like I stated earlier, I have learned a lot this last year! I am on my own green journey. I have come to realize that I have worked with companies that still use harmful ingredients in their products! I want you to know that I promise to try harder this year to share with you products that are truly natural and if they are not, then I will let you know in my review. For the most part, I will be doing research before I agree to work with a company, but you never know what will sneak in!
I will be sharing about harmful ingredients through the next couple of weeks. I want you to know what they are and what negative affects they are linked to.
I hope you can join me on this journey to a truly greener world! I feel like this post just covered the tip of the iceberg and I plan on sharing more about why I am “Green” and the benefits of being “Green”.
Are you on a “Green” journey?