As the climate crisis continues to invoke anxiety on the common person, I think it is important that we try to make every conscious and reasonable effort to lower our carbon footprint on this planet. I’m aware that a majority of carbon emissions come from large corporations, and unless those corporations make a significant change in their manufacturing process within the next few years, our planet will be in some irreversible trouble.
Regardless, many of us in the US could put more effort into decreasing our waste production. A lot of us have grown comfortable in our everyday routines which typically surround us waking up, using a plastic toothbrush, going to a cafe and using a plastic cup, heading to the grocery store and using those plastic bags, etc.. And that’s just one Sunday morning!
I’ve spoken on this topic before and have given tips that most people can use to help the planet rather than harm it. Here I have compiled a list of products that I have switched to and try to use more often than their environmentally toxic counterparts. Granted, sometimes I slip up or need to use the more wasteful version of the product simply because it is more convenient to do so. Making these switches is not easy and will require some work, but it’s better to be working on the process rather than staying in a harmful routine day in and day out.
The first switch I made was replacing cling wrap with beeswax wraps. These wraps are reusable and serve the same function for storing food and keepings it fresh. I find that it works just as good, if not better than regular cling wrap. Cling wrap tends to stick to itself before you can even wrap the food, but the beeswax wraps are much easier to wrap around the food. The only downside is you will have to handwash them after each use, but that’s pretty much it. They last a pretty long time, I have had mine for about 2 years now and they are still going strong! They even come with string and buttons in case you want to wrap your food more loosely and make a little snack bag. I also bought these reusable sandwich bags (which are dishwasher safe) at the same time as well as these reusable produce bags. The only downside to the produce bags is I have noticed that some of my produce do not last as long (but still pretty long!) in these, but if you cook often enough or take your produce out of the bags and store them as is then it should not be much of a problem.
I have also switched from buying toothpaste to using Bite toothpaste bits which are made of much healthier ingredients for your teeth than many other toothpaste brands. I only recently got these, but I have been liking them a lot so far. I am not particularly picky with my toothpaste though since my teeth are not sensitive and are fairly healthy to begin with, but if you need a deeper clean then this might not be suitable. They do have trial size options if you want to give it a shot anyway. They also have mouthwash bits, compostable floss, and bamboo toothbrushes! I really like this brand since they will also ship it to you in completely compostable packaging and they also have a 4 month subscription plan where they will just send you refills so you don’t have to collect a bunch of containers!
The last product is this pack of reusable cotton rounds which you can use for removing makeup (or to apply your toner which is what I use them for). This was probably my favorite and most needed switch since it really bothered me just how many cotton rounds I was going through. Product care for these is really easy since they are machine washable, all you have to do is remember to lay them flat to air dry.
These are only a handful of possible product switches to consider making. I’m sure there are others, but these are just the most recent ones I have made so far. I figured many people are easily able to make common switches like reusable tote bags for shopping, travel cups/mugs for drinks, and washable cloth towels instead of paper towels for cleaning, etc.. The products I have listed here are for anyone who is ready to take the extra step to a cleaner and more eco-friendly lifestyle.
*Many of the products link to Etsy shops for those who would rather support small businesses rather than Amazon, however if it is more convenient or feasible to shop on Amazon, I know many of these products can be found on there as well! I did try to link the most cost effective options for each product possible, but of course I would encourage you to explore the various options and find what is most feasible for you.