It seems that everywhere we go, at least someone decided to go green and people talk about how it affects our planet all the time. Going green means leading a lifestyle that’s not just more beneficial for people who do it, but for their surroundings as well. The planet can benefit out of it a lot, so if you’re not eco-friendly at the moment, maybe you should consider becoming like that. You should hear at least seven reasons why using eco-friendly products is a good thing to do!
1. No harming the environment to get what you need
We need so much to have a normal and proper life – food, cosmetics, clothes, different kind of devices, but just because we consume so many things, it doesn’t mean our environment has to suffer. Eco-friendly products are best known because they are good for the environment – there’s no harming it to get what we need. For example, going green means also reducing your carbon footprint. Our surroundings are everything we have, so we need to treat them well.
2. Public health is preserved
All sustainable products that we get to use provide benefits for the people not just economically, but also socially and environmentally, which means they preserve the public health in general. The more people decide to go green, the better it is for everyone around them. If the individuals are happy, the whole society functions properly, and the other way around – public health means happier individuals.
3. Environmentally friendly products are more health-friendly
How many times have you heard this ad from companies that have gone green? For example; the medical companies that manufacture herbal medicines. Most of the products you consume are made from harmful chemicals and are the main reason behind the occurrence of many health complications that you face. By making environmentally friendly products, you become more health-friendly and this increases human life expectancy.
4. You feel better because you’re doing something remarkable
Being eco-friendly is quite rewarding, because we get that good feeling that we do something good in life. We have a purpose, we are saviors, we are heroes. We feel peaceful and fulfilled and we know we are doing our best so that we are happy and healthy, but we also help people around us.
5. Pollution and contamination are reduced
If this were the only reason why being eco-friendly is good, this alone would be enough! It is already a lot when we can say that because of the products we use, we help reduce pollution and contamination. This is a big problem we are dealing with today and it threatens to jeopardize our future. Yet, if more people go green, the less we will have to live in fear of big potential disasters.
6. Our children can have a better future
There is a saying that goes like this: we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. This is why we need to do all in our power to treat our environment right, so that we save it for our children. Not just save it, but make it as good as we can. Green products are definitely one of the many ways to enable our kids a better future. They will appreciate it a lot, and we will feel proud of ourselves because we left something wonderful to the next generations.
7. You also get to save money
By using organic natural green products, we can actually save a lot money in the long run. This can mostly be seen when we are talking about things we need for our home, such as lightning or certain devices that save energy. U.S Department of Energy says that if buildings were all green-improved, the U.S. would use $20 billion less energy every single year. There are also a lot of discounts if we make our home a greener one.
We all have a responsibility to do things for our well-being, but also to take care of everyone and everything around us. One of the great things about life and being a human is that we are in this together. An individual depends on the society, and the society depends on its individuals. Going green means doing a lot for the society, environment, the planet. Having said all that, these were only seven reasons why eco-friendly products are good, but we all know there’s even more to it than meets the eye. Hopefully, this will help you make some better choices in life!
8. Credibility
Making environmentally friendly products shows your credibility and shows other people that you are environmentally sensitive. Everyone wants to work with a manufacturer who respects the environment. To prove this, some organizations have gone a long way in environmental product manufacturing to combat the harmful effects of chemicals and non-biodegradable products.
6 Eco-Friendly Products You Should Switch to Immediately
In 2012, 84% of outdated clothes were either dumped in a landfill or burned. The problem is that the waste produced by unwanted pieces of clothing is nearly incalculable. Just take into account the water waste when growing water-intensive crops like non-organic cotton, the extra water used to prepare the fabric, the toxic dyes and other hazardous chemicals in our T-shirts and blue jeans, the CO2 emissions related to the transport of imported clothing, and the air pollution resulted from the incineration of the said clothing at the end of its (very short) useful life. In other words, fast fashion has turned the fashion industry into the world’s second biggest polluter.
Several fashion brands have been trying to turn their business practices into more sustainable ones. One notable example is H&M, which launched a clothing recycling program 6 years ago. But even though the retail giant has collected over 20,000 tons of unwanted clothing ever since, its efforts are a drop in the ocean. In 2016, The Guardian did the math and found that 1,000 tons of clothing recycled by the Swedish fashion giant equals to the same amount of clothing sold in its stores worldwide over 48 hours.
So, a more sensible solution is for each of us to wear the clothes we currently own as much as we can or buy only from the brands that are genuinely interested in tackling waste. For instance, outdoors gear retailer Patagonia runs a clothing recycling program and encourages its customers to repair worn pieces of gear instead of buying new ones. Recover is committed to produce 100% recycled apparel. From just 8 plastic bottles, the North Carolina-based startup makes a brand-new T-shirt while supporting local jobs, community, and education. So far, it has prevented over 5 million plastic bottles from reaching the landfill.
2. Stainless Steel Water Bottles
Replace plastic water bottles with a stainless steel one. A stainless-steel water container has numerous advantages over a plastic one. For one, it keeps water cool for hours if it is well insulated and has a large mouth opening for you to add ice cubes if needed. Also, it doesn’t develop a gross smell after a few uses. There’s no need for you to worry about BPA leaks into your liquids.
BPA contamination is a real issue with regular plastic bottles. BPA, aka bisphenol A, is a chemical that has been used in plastic bottle and sippy cup production for nearly half a century to harden the plastic. However, recent studies have linked BPA to a plethora of health risks including the risk of hormone disruption, impairment of fetal development, heart issues, diabetes, obesity, abnormal brain development in children, and possibly even cancer.
But the stainless-steel water bottle has landed on our list of the must-have eco-friendly products because it is highly reusable and helps minimize plastic waste as you will prevent countless plastic bottles from harming the environment. It is estimated that the beneficial effects on the climate start to show after your stainless-steel water bottle has managed to replace 50 regular water bottles.
3. Recycled Toilet Paper
It is estimated that an adult uses over 20,000 sheets of toilet paper over one year, and that is a huge amount of cut trees and wasted water. Many people steer clear of recycled toilet paper because they believe that it is made out of used toilet paper. In reality, recycled toilet tissue is made of recycled paper collected through various recycling programs, which means that the paper hasn’t reached the landfill first either.
The only real concern with recycled toilet paper is its BPA content. The well-known hormone disruptor has been spotted in many products made from recycled paper, including containers, napkins, copy paper, and toilet paper. BPA usually ends up in recycled paper products if sales receipts and old newspapers are embedded in the final product. And that is sort of inevitable. However, the amount of BPA is so small that it poses no health risks if it touches your skin. It is estimated that you get more BPA into your system when touching a credit card receipt than when using eco-friendly toilet paper.
4. Recycled Aluminum Foil
Resource waste does not only concern water and land. Other environmental resources are at risk, including aluminum. If recycled, aluminum cans could help Americans save over $700 million every year. Aluminum is one of the most recyclable materials on Earth as it can be recycled over and over again without losing its value.
It is estimated that a recycled aluminum product takes 90% less energy to manufacture than its brand-new counterpart. During the Second World War, aluminum had become so scarce that entire communities were encouraged to save it. In some locations in the U.S., you could even trade aluminum for a free entry to the movie house.
So, swapping your plastic cling wrap or single-use sandwich bags with recycled aluminum foil can benefit the environment long term. But speaking of plastic cling wraps…
5. Beeswax Wrap
The humble plastic wrap we use in our kitchens can take a heavy toll on the environment in the long run, just like plastic bags. If you need to cover a container in the fridge or wrap food, the eco-friendliest solution is either using tinfoil or an eco-friendly material that is all the rage now: beeswax wrap. Its manufacturers have striven to make the wrap as eco-friendly as it can be and they have succeeded.
Beeswax wrap is made of 100% organic cotton or recycled paper, organic plant oils, tree resin, and eco-friendly beeswax. It is easy to use as you will only need to wrap up the item and let the warmth of your hands soften the wrap for a few seconds to make it stick. The beeswax wrap can be used many times, is low maintenance, has a nice smell (which unfortunately doesn’t last long), and is 100% compostable. It is an ideal eco-friendly product for the 21st Century with only one major caveat: its price. A pack of 3 assorted wraps currently retails for $18, but we are confident that as the technology goes mainstream, the prices will drop too. There is also a DIY solution.
6. Reusable Shopping Bags
Whenever you go to the grocery store or your local mall, take a reusable shopping bag with you. The environment will thank you for it. Plastic bag pollution is one of mankind’s ever ballooning problems. The U.S.A. uses over 100 billion plastic bags every year, with an average of 300 bags per person or 1,500 bags per household, and just 1% to 3% gets recycled.
Globally, 1 trillion plastic bags are used every year. It is harmful to the environment to produce a plastic bag and it is harmful to the environment to discard and not recycle a plastic bag. Some plastic bags can linger in the environment for hundreds of years.
What’s more, plastic bags literally kill about 100 marine animals every year, and despite that a plastic bag gets used for just 10-12 minutes on average before being thrown away. So, it is critical to limit our plastic bag use. Whenever, offered a plastic bag think about the environmental impact of such a common item, despite its convenience.
References:
https://www.trustedclothes.com/blog/2019/10/18/7-good-reasons-to-use-eco-friendly-products/
https://www.climateaction2016.org/advantages-of-environmentally-friendly-products/
https://totebagfactory.com/blogs/news/why-do-we-need-eco-friendly-products