For a long time I have been passionate about environmental justice and doing what I can to make our planet as healthy as possible. Over quarantine, I decided that it was time to make some altering shifts into my routine and lifestyle to do what I can for the planet. My friend recently asked me, “What difference does it make when so many people and corporations do so much damage to the environment? What difference can one person make?” This is a fair question. Major corporations are the main cause of pollution and climate change, however, in 2017 it was projected that the average person uses up to 220 pounds per year, with that number probably only growing to today. And almost all plastic does not end up getting recycled, leaving now 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces of plastic in our ocean. This goes without saying that just one person can make a tremendous difference. So I wanted to share my morning routine and just a few of the eco friendly twists I have adapted to.
First in the shower I use a soap, shampoo, conditioner, and facial cleanser bar instead of the typical bottled products to cut down on my plastic use. Also, I have noticed that the bars last so much longer than the bottled products, especially the shampoo! So even if the shampoo bar you get is a little more expensive than the typical bottle, it goes a long way! I have varied the use of where I get my soap bars but my favorite shampoo bar manufacturers are Lush and Nova Biss. In addition, there are many great places to get facial cleansers in bar form or even just bottles that are not plastic like Ethique, EarthHero, and CeraVe. As a bonus I also use a soap shaver bag which is made of a cloth material. It shares the same function as a loofa but it is much more handy for a soap bar and can be rewashed and reused for a long time. For shaving purposes I use a safety razor instead of the disposable plastic razors. I got my razor off of Leave Shave which comes with a metal razor and eco-friendly packaged blades. While expensive at first, it will definitely save you money in the long run because of the one-time purchase razor and the long-lasting and plentiful packages of blades!
For dental care there are also a variety of eco-friendly products such as switching to a bamboo toothbrush instead of the plastic kinds. Bamboo is a much more sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to plastic! Toothpaste brands such as David’s and Bite are also great for both your teeth and the environment because they do not use plastic packaging. Lastly, I also use a plastic-free and aluminum-free deodorant from the company Native, which is a very ethical and eco-friendly alternative to the major and plastic deodorant brands.
So many of these alternatives I was not aware even existed, so I encourage you to research ways you can make an eco-friendly change in your life. However, make sure you utilize every last drop of your plastic products and maybe not-so eco-friendly products before throwing it out to purchase your eco-friendly products!