Ok. Done with that. Now, I'll get to the point of this post...Being green! I've always cared about the environment, and animals. I've always made an effort to buy organic products. More recently, in addition to buying organic products, I've become a huge advocate of buying products that are not tested on animals. I know that sometimes this is impossible, like when it comes to medicines and all that, but there is a lot that you can do.
NUMBER ONE. Get educated.
First thing is first, you need to decide what issues are important to you. To do this you need to do your research. But once you decide what issues you care about, you'll be able to take it to the next step.
NUMBER TWO. Decide what actions you're willing to take.
Although people may care about a cause, sometimes they aren't willing to sacrifice certain things to make a change. For example, after looking up information about animal testing, I found that many of the products that I use often come from companies that test on animals or use animal byproducts. If this is an issue you care about, you have to decide if you're willing to stop using those products. Cost is also a big factor. Organic products usually cost more than those that are not organic. This applies to pretty much everything, from food to beauty products. There are smaller steps you can take though. Things as simple as recycling, or taking shorter showers. You just have to decide.
NUMBER THREE. Start making changes.
Change isn't easy. So don't try to jump head-first into everything. If you do that, then you're not likely to keep up with everything, and you'll fall back into your old ways. For example, you could start by recycling. Right now, you're in the habit of throwing that milk jug away, tossing that magazine when you're done reading it, or chunking all those beer bottles left in your house after that crazy party. Well, these things go to the dump. And they stay there for a very, very long time. Some of those things will probably still be in the landfill when you die. So, put a recycling bin next to where your trashcan is. That way, you'll see it, and next time you go to toss that soda bottle, you'll be reminded to recycle it instead. Before you know it, recycling will just become habit. Then you can focus on making even more positive changes!
You can make a list of things that you want to do to make a difference. Here's some of mine:
- Buy a lunch box and take lunch instead of wasting gas to go get food every day.
- Invest in reusable napkins for at home, instead of paper towels.
- Try to use products that are organic.
- Start using all of the reusable grocery bags that we always forget we have.
- Instead of buying bottled drinks, buy a reusable (BPA free) water bottle.
- Compost our food wastes.
- Begin to phase out the use of products that are tested on animals and replace them with those that are not.
- Go vegetarian.
DID YOU KNOW? Mars candy company, the makers of Snickers, Twix, M&M's, and more, conducts cruel animal testing that isn't even required by law? Mars recently funded a deadly experiment on rats to determine the effects of chocolate ingredients on their blood vessels. Experimenters force-fed the rats by shoving plastic tubes down their throats and then cut open the rats' legs to expose an artery, which was clamped shut to block blood flow. After the experiment, the animals were killed. This isn't the only experiment they have done on animals. You should totally watch this video. (If music is still playing, scroll all the way down to pause it.)
Think about it...is that Snickers bar really worth it? Think about grabbing a Hershey's bar instead. They have pledged not to conduct any animal testing.
DID YOU KNOW? Recycling really does make a difference. Here's a cool picture with some facts:
Now isn't that a cool little fact sheet? (Poor little sea creatures.)
DID YOU KNOW? That just because a product is labeled "Natural" doesn't mean it's organic? When it comes to foods, the word "organic" refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products. This includes everything from fruits and veggies, to meat and dairy products. Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. Basically, organic foods are just more earth-friendly, and they don't contain the preservatives and stuff like conventionally grown foods. However, it isn't proven to be more healthier. Still, I don't want to be eating all those preservatives.
Well, hopefully you just learned something. And hopefully I've gotten you thinking. Here's a few websites and stuff you can check out to get more educated!
Recyclebank is a cool website that teaches you about being environmentally friendly by giving you lots of different facts and stuff. It allows you to gain points by doing different activities and taking pledges, and you can use these points towards rewards, such as discounts and coupons.
If you're interested in the animal testing issues, PETA has a really educational page explaining the problems, and how we can prevent it. To get there, click here. If you just want to get to their lists of companies that do and don't test on animals click here.
Organic.org talks all about organic foods, and the benefits of it. It tells you what you need to know about organic foods, from what the USDA Organic label means, to planning a budget for organic food and finding where to buy it (usually it can be found in your local grocery store, but there are also specialty stores).
I just think these Vapur water bottles are cool, and thought I'd share the link. :)
Well...I hope this post gets some of you thinking. It doesn't take a lot to make a change, and if every person took the steps to make a few minor changes, think of the difference that would make in the world!