With Earth Day is just around the corner (April 22), now is a great time to reflect on what kind of environmental impact each of us are making and begin taking baby steps to improve.
When you hear the term “green living,” what sort of images come to mind? Hippies living in communes making everything they use? Protesters chained to trees?
Truth is, the definition of green living has changed. The concept simply includes doing things to help the environment be viable for future generations. There is no need to shed your worldly possessions. We don’t need to live in a mud, and you don’t need to a lifetime membership to Green Peace to be “green.”
“It’s about taking baby steps” says Dawn Beal, owner of Sunrise Scents, a natural body care and natural wax candle manufacturer (Ephraim, UT). “Just being a little more aware, a little more informed, and a little more intentional in your actions. Baby steps over time will have a big impact.” She continues, “Before you know it, your world is a little greener.”
Dawn suggest everyone begin by read the labels on your body care products. “Consumers are becoming very savvy about what is in their skin and hair care products – or more importantly what is not in them.” She suggests scaning the label and avoiding products which are petroleum-based and have controversial synthetics in them such as sulfates, parabens, synthetic colors, TEA, DEA, glycols, and silicones. Most ultra-natural products won’t even use synthetic fragrances.
“Women use on average 25 different products each day containing over 240 different chemicals – few if any are FDA regulated.” Dawn continues, “If you’ve never used truly natural skin and hair care products, you’re in for a real treat. Synthetics are only trying to mimic what nature already does…naturally.”
She continues. “Using natural household products that don’t contain chemicals are better for the environment and safer for your family as well. You can make various natural cleaning products from items already in your kitchen, like vinegar.
“At the grocery store,” Dawn points out, “make sure products claiming to be natural have more than just a few natural ingredients.”
Along this same line are the air fresheners and purifiers. Synthetic fragrances are loaded with carcinogens. But if you’re not ready to give up those scented candles, look for candles made from natural vegetable-based waxes such as soy, palm, hemp, or beeswax.
“When we first opened Sunrise Scents, hardly anyone knew what a soy candle was.” Dawn recalls. “Today, soy and palm wax candle products are the only wax bases people are buying.”
“Paraffin is the most common candle-making wax. It’s a petroleum-based product that performs well, but natural waxes perform just as well and without the toxins and suspected carcinogens.”
Another place to “go green” is with organic produce. Organic farmers use little if any chemicals at all. Most take steps to reduce water and soil degradation, along with other problems caused by traditional agriculture. Buying your produce from a local farmer also reduces the need for long distance trucking, which causes environmental pollution. If you don’t have a local farmer’s market or co-op, consider starting your own organic garden.
And then there are the three R’s Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Reduce. We’ve all heard, “reduce, reuse, recycle.” But while we tend to do well on recycling, we forget about the reducing part. Try choosing products that don’t end up in landfills like cloth diapers instead of disposables or regular towels instead of paper ones. Another great idea is to buy concentrated products because they come in smaller packages.
Reuse. Did you know there is more supply than demand when it comes to recyclables. That’s why it’s also important to reuse items if you can. Before you throw something in the recycling bin, consider whether you could reuse it for something else.
Recycle. We should all have a recycle bin in our homes, but we can recycle on our own. Instead of using potting soil in your garden, build a compost pile and make your own rich soils. You can also use products like shredded plastic bags to mulch your garden. If you get creative, there’s lots of recycling you can do on your own.
Finally, conserve, conserve, conserve.
Conserve energy, for instance. There is so much we can do to save energy. The big plus on this is that it also saves you money. Get low energy light bulbs for your fixtures. You could also take more drastic renovation steps by getting new energy efficient windows or installing solar panels. Even small steps like setting the thermostat a few degrees higher or lower can make a big difference.
And don’t forget about conserving water. Many places have had record snow falls this past season, but there were several years of drought prior. Those lean years will have to be made up for so lets not get spoiled with water this summer.
You wont be able to change the world on your own in a few short days, but taking small baby steps in the right direction puts us a little closer each day. Start a trend by teaching others to be more environmentally friendly. Begin with your children. Make sure they are aware of the baby steps you make on a daily basis to improve the environment.
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