Unfortunately I have not been blogging as much as I had hoped to (oops), but I have been having a very busy semester and the only thing I have been thinking about is the brain (I major in brain and cognitive sciences).  However, no matter how busy we are we can still make time to reduce our impact on the environment.  Actually, you don’t really have to “make” time at all.  Here are some very easy ways to fix your morning routine to help the world a little bit more!  As an added plus, I use products that can be found at target, grocery stores, and other places so you won’t have to travel far or order online to use them! (I live in Rochester, NY, which isn’t a huge city, so I’m sure these things and many more can be found a lot of places).

After waking after a restful sleep on organic sheets, eat something healthy to get you through the morning.  Many grocery stores sell organic cereals, milks, and yogurts, but if you prefer getting food on the way to work or class then please take a reusable mug for your coffee (preferably fair-trade)! Also try eating at places that dispense food in minimal disposable packaging.  Too many restaurants rely on unnecessary amounts of plastic in which to serve the food.

Buy these toothbrushes!

After breakfast, brush your teeth with a toothbrush made by the brand Preserve.  You can buy them at target as well as many other stores, and they are amazing! The handles are made out of recycled yogurt cups and other recycled plastics (100%!)  Also, you can send in your toothbrush after a few months to have it recycled.  They’re BPA free, approved by dentist, come in really amazing colors and varying softness, and they have a toothbrush replacement subscription available!!  Check out preserveproducts.com, they also have razors, tableware for home and on the go, and products for the kitchen, all made sustainably. You should try natural toothpaste too.  However, some natural toothpastes taste terrible in my opinion (especially tea tree oil kinds), so you may have to test out a few to see what you can handle.  Burts bees makes some good ones.

Next up, shower time.  And remember to make it quick at not waste water! Personal products are not regulated.  They are not tested as they should be and many of the ingredients have not been tested at all.  Take a look at a regular shampoo bottle; many of the ingredients are really scary chemicals!  Please buy brands that promise to be sustainable, natural, and not animal test.  The best way to find what works for you is to try different brands and see what you like.  I love burts bees products (as already mentioned above), such as their Milk and Shea Butter Body wash, but there are options in a large variety of scents.  These products are sulfate and paraben free.  My favorite body wash is Dr. Bronners.  It comes in huge bottles, and some stores let you refill your own bottle to reduce packaging.  The best part is that it is organic and fair trade, and you only need to use a very small quantity! It lathers like crazy, so I love using it to shave my legs.  It can be used for just about anything, too (shampoo, body wash, etc). Alba botanicals and Kiss My Face are awesome too.  All of these brands are found at either Target, Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens, grocery stores, etc.  Look at the company websites; read about how they refuse to use scary chemicals and tell your friends!! I will talk about the dangers of some of these ingredients another day, but you can search online and find out for yourself too. (Or go here –> http://www.naturalnews.com/005342.html)

Deodorants have some nasty chemicals.  New studies have shown that some of the chemicals can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.  Stay away from deodorants with aluminum.  Triclosan and talc are carcinogens and may cause cancers.  Tom’s of Maine is the best brand for anti-perspirants.  It comes in a variety of scents, as well as unscented, the bottle is recyclable, and it really works! It is also easy to find.  Kiss My Face has great deodorants as well.

Moving onward, for the ladies out there it is important to use environmentally-friendly cosmetics.  As with other personal products, cosmetics are not regulated and the chemicals involved are not tested!  These products contain harmful, unnatural ingredients, and we do not know what these chemicals might do. Sephora has started offering eco-friendly cosmetics from a variety of brands.  I love all of them, and it was easy to substitute them for the items I was using previously.  You can find mascaras, eyeliners, eyeshadow, foundation, blush, lipstick, and more at Sephora, and the product packaging explains why these products are not harmful like the others! For less pricey make-up, physicians formula Organic wear makeup can be found at a variety of stores, and the products wear very nicely and come in pretty packaging.  Shop around at stores that sell organic foods because I have found smaller brands at these places as well.

So this was just a brief overview, and I only mentioned a few brands.  But the point is to substitute the products you use with more sustainable items.  It takes no extra time.  The only effort is shopping around to find the brands you like best.  Just please beware of brands that say “natural” but are not.  A product can say natural, like aveeno, but still use parabens like other brands.  Read the labels and ingredients.  Look at the company’s websites; if they are truly environmentally friendly they will discuss it in detail online.

Dr. Bronner's is the ultimate for sustainability

Someday I hope to make a list of great brands for each category, but this will have to do for now!

Just one of the many donkeys seen on the trail!

Over my winter break I had the wonderful opportunity of traveling to Peru with a friend.  We spent time in a few different areas, but the highlight of the trip by far was hiking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu!! The trek took four days, and I found the hiking incredibly difficult because of the high altitude and the hours of walking what felt like 90 degrees uphill.

My friend and I during the very difficult hike (I'm on the right)

While in Peru I spent time admiring the beauty of the mountains, desert, ocean, and forest.  During the times when I felt unhappy or low I was able to find comfort in appreciating the magnificent nature.  This pick-me-up activity is unfortunately more difficult in larger cities, especially during the winter months.  However, I encourage everyone to take some time when you’re feeling stressed, upset, angry, or sad and ponder the small things in life that you are thankful for.  We do not do this enough, for thinking about what you are thankful for is usually limited to pre-Thanksgiving dinner grace.

My group's rock offering

The main thing that prompted me to start doing this is something that happened on the Inca trail.  After climbing up a particularly steep part of the trail, it is custom to make a “rock offering” after reaching the peak.  Hikers place rocks, big or small, in formations and take a moment to thank pachamama, or mother earth, for the beauty of the trail and the opportunity to be a part of it.  This made me realize that so many of us take the wonderful things on this planet for granted.  There are plants and animals that are so beautiful and interesting, but we are too busy to notice.  In addition to trying to protect the planet by recycling and finding alternative energies we should also take time to appreciate Earth, and maybe this will help people to stop destroying ecosystems to build cities or factories.

After finally reaching the awesome Machu Picchu I was very happy that I took the Inca trail instead of simply riding the train.  It was quite a journey, and I got to see how amazingly the Incas lived.  They worshiped rocks and trees and plants and never took too much from the environment.  I hope that someday there will be more people like this.

After 4 days of trekking we finally got to see the lost city of the Incas

Most people probably have their Christmas lights up by now, but here’s a tip for next year: use LED Christmas lights instead of regular incandescent lights!! I used the LED ones this year for the first time and they look so much cooler, at least the kind that I bought.  They reflect a lot more, so there are a lot of cool colorful circles reflecting on the walls!  An added plus, the bulbs cannot break because they are not made of glass.  They don’t break as easily, so the chances are lower of having one bulb break and being stuck with a useless string of lights.

These look so pretty!

In addition to looking better, they last for 50,000 hours on average, while regular lights only last 2,000 hours!! LED lights use only 10% of the energy required for incandescent lights, but they are so much brighter.  This means that the electric bill will be lower, too!

So much brighter, for much less energy!

Like regular lights, they come in many sizes, shapes and colors.  They’re easy to find too; mine came from Target.  However, don’t throw away all your perfectly fine incandescent lights because that is a big waste.  Wait until they die until you dispose of them.  But you can mix and match the LED lights with incandescent lights for a little variety, and it will look great.  So, basically, there is no reason NOT to use LED lights!! Remember: every little thing we can do to reduce our carbon footprint helps!

Peace on earth, and merry Christmas!!

I will never eat meat again.  Or at least not unless it is organic, grass-fed, cage-free meat.  This is because I watched the movie Food Inc. I used to be a vegetarian in high school and part of my freshman year of college, but gave up for some reason.  Now I’m firmer in my beliefs and find meat repulsive.  Did you know that in one burger there is meat of 100s of cows?  I have told some people about my reaction to the film, and most have responded, “I am not going to watch that movie; I love eating meat too much.”  But this is why you SHOULD watch it!!  Too many of us have forgotten where our food comes from.  We go to the grocery store and pick up packaged chemicals basically, and we do not take the time to ponder, “What am I eating? Where was this grown? How was it processed?”

I don't want to eat ANYTHING that comes from here!

Food Inc. reminded me that the food and farming industries are no longer happy farms with red barns.  Food now comes from factories.  The film shows the facilities that chickens, cows, and pigs are put in before slaughter, and these factories are disgusting, as is the treatment of the animals.  Chickens and cows are given so many hormones that they can no longer stand, and many die very early because their organs cannot handle the absurd growth that the hormones cause.  Most chickens never even see the light of day, and farmers are forced to have these conditions by the big companies.

Even if their lives end in slaughter, no animals should live like this.

I was asked by someone if I have become a vegetarian again for the animals or for the environment/my health.  The reason is everything.  Meat production is a terrible strain on the environment, which is a known fact.  But after seeing Food Inc. I realized that I do not want to eat any meat that comes out of those disgusting factories.  Also–I will think of those cute cows and pigs anytime I see meat.  I know that most people would never think of giving up meat, so I ask ONE thing from you all: buy grass-fed, small farm, organic meat.  PLEASE.  And another thing: watch Food Inc.

By the way, this movie covers more than the disgusting meat industry, but I learned so many things from it and thought so highly of it that I cannot recap everything.  I just reacted the strongest to the meat production.  WATCH IT! That is all I can say. Please.

I’m currently tabling for Grassroots (environmental club) in Wilson Commons at my university, and we are selling cute bags for shopping or whatever made out of our unsold event t-shirts from past years.  We’re also selling paper crane earrings and Saranac soda for really cheap! Business has been slow, so I figured this was a great time to write about the benefits of saying NO to plastic and paper bags at the store!

This is our future if we don't make a change

Those ugly plastic bags at stores were first used about 25 years ago, and already 500 billion bags are used each year on this planet.  They take about 1,000 years to decompose!! In addition to the problem of trash, it takes a toll on the earth to produce them, too: 12 million barrels of oil are required to produce the plastic bags that ONLY AMERICA uses!

Plastic bags are so unnecessary.  Reusable bags can be bought anywhere for about $1 or less, but the majority of people chooses the easiest option instead of the better one.  Some shoppers think that paper bags are better, so they choose to use those instead where available, but paper bags are harmful as well! (I will have to come back to the downsides of paper bags another time).  It is more and more common that a store will charge a few cents for the plastic bags used, but this does not make much difference.  If more stores charged for plastic bags and the charge was higher there might be more results.  This was the case in Ireland, where a bag tax has been implemented that reduced plastic bag use by 90%! Taiwan took a more dramatic step and banned plastic bags and utensils because of the amount of waste. Many stores in the U.S. now have plastic bag recycling bins near the door to the store, but not many people do this.  Recycling would certainly reduce the amount of plastic slowly decomposing in landfills, but a great amount of energy is needed to actually recycle them!

I have always noticed that baggers at Wal-Mart, Target, and grocery stores use an insane amount of bags for only a few items. I once bought 3 items and was given 4 bags!  This isn’t a problem for self-check or self-bag, but it is appalling that these companies at least try to reduce the bags they hand out! Taking a reusable bag makes a big impact: the average reusable bag saves about 1,000 plastic shopping bags in a lifetime!! The buck or two you spend on the bag will pay for the bag fee some stores charge, too.

C'mon, don't let this happen to other animals!

Plastic bags not only take a lot of unnecessary energy to produce and pile up in landfills, they also harm people who don’t use them and animals in nature! Africa has accumulated so much plastic bag waste that a business has been made out of weaving these bags into hats and purses!! And don’t forget about the wildlife that either attempts to eat or gets trapped in these bags.  Since it is SOOOO easy to stop or at least reduce your use of plastic shopping bags, it is just silly to not get a reusable shopping bag!!  You have to be only a little bit less lazy, so make the change for yourself, other people, animals, and the earth!!

Doesn’t this look funner than the supermarket?

This week is local foods week at the University of Rochester.  I thought it would be a good idea to write a blog about the benefits of buying local.  I should first of all mention that this week my university is featuring all local lunches/dinners every day of the week!  The U of R is usually pretty good at using local produce, but this week they use more than usual and emphasize the importance of it.

The most obvious reason for buying foods that were grown near you is that it reduces the amount of oil needed for transportation of the food.  For example, buying New York apples instead of Washington apples (for me, of course, because I’m located in NY) makes much more sense.  Imagine the oil needed to transport a bunch of apples across the country!  I have read that the foods bought at a grocery store travel about 1500 miles on average.  Buying from area farmers reduces that mileage drastically.

Second of all, buying from local farms increases their income.  According to sustainabletable.org, buying food from a local farmer allows 90% of the money spent on that food to go back to the farmer, instead of going to packaging, processing, and transportation.  Much of the food sold at grocery stores is brought in from other countries, especially fruit.  Buying local foods keeps the money in the U.S. economy!  And the produce grown here has strict standards as far as pesticides and other health factors go, which may not be as present in other countries. Also, the quality of the food is much better locally because it goes through less processing.  If local food is not available to you year-round, do the best you can and at least buy as much food as possible from U.S. farms!!

It is easy to buy local, especially in warm months.  Go to farmers’ markets, look at the signs at grocery stores, grow your own, or join a CSA (Community-supported agriculture).  The least you could do is read labels and choose products that were produced near you!

Recently it has become hip to support the environmentalist movement.  Unfortunately, however, many people only take this as far as wearing “Go Green” t-shirts and buying products that say “natural” or “eco-friendly” on them.  I’m not saying that nobody makes more of an effort, but with this new interest in environmentally friendly products people could definitely go a step further.

Here’s a fun fact: it takes 1/3 pound of fertilizers and pesticides to make one cotton t-shirt (MacEachern 2008).  Many of the “Green is the new black” t-shirts out there are still made from the same harmful chemicals and materials that other clothing is made from (I will go into the hazards of pesticides another day, for I have a class to get to soon).  There are many alternatives, such as organic cotton, hemp, and bamboo.  Personally I have found that all of my hemp and bamboo shirts are much softer than regular cotton, which is also a plus.  These days it is so easy to find these materials in clothing.  A lot of organic and hemp fabrics can even be found at Wegmans (a grocery store) near the organic foods.

Of course I’m not saying you should throw out everything you own and buy all organic clothing, which would be even more of a waste.  Not everything I wear is environmentally friendly.  Also, we’re not all rich celebrities like Paris here, and eco-friendly fabrics tend to cost a little more than normal.  What I’m suggesting is that we simply opt for organic, hemp, or bamboo when we need new t-shirts or shoes or whatever.  If you are in need of new plain tees or tank tops or long-sleeved shirts, buy organic.  If you need new mittens and hats and scarves for the winter months, buy organic.  This will not cause as much of an expense as you may think. Wal-mart sells organic cotton pajamas and t-shirts for super cheap!

An incentive of buying organic clothes is that the more interest companies see in organic products, the more organic products they will make.  Of course these companies want to make money, and if they see money going into bamboo t-shirts they will make more, cheaper bamboo shirts.  This theory is explained thoroughly in the book Big Green Purse by Diane MacEachern and at biggreenpurse.com.  I love this book and will refer to it often in future blogs!

So here is the bottom line: stop focusing on letting others know that you support the cause and focus on directing your money to REAL eco-friendly clothing.