Saving the Earth Bit by Bit

Sustainable Products- Why, Were and How

By Joni Johnson

Gini Armstrong, the intrepid leader of the Green Team, and I, talked about sustainable products.  Until then, I was ignorant about how many kinds of products were available to help save our planet from plastic etc. at very reasonable prices.  This article will explore some of them.  You will also have a chance to see some of them at our Earth Day Event on April 22 from 1-4 pm.  hillTopics will have an article devoted to this event in their April Edition.  The event includes speakers,  tables and booths which are topically focused.  And one of those tables will be specifically targeted towards sustainable products.

Gini noted that plastic bottles and jars not only negatively affect our environment, but they also increase the price of the items in two ways: 1) the liquid product inside the plastic often includes 80-90% water; and 2) the product costs more to ship because of the weight of the liquids. In many cases, similar products are available in powders, tablets or sheets rather than liquid form.

In terms of the environmental effect, it actually takes more water to create a plastic bottle than all the water that is in the liquid product it contains, which is already quite a bit.

While we have often been seduced by the idea of convenience, most of the sustainable products are more convenient and much more easily stored because of their smaller size. Throw-away plastic bottles are particularly damaging to the environment, so the  Green Team hopes that people will switch to reusable metal water bottles or at worst, plastic bottles that are considered less damaging.  Gini is glad to see increasing numbers of residents using refillable bottles and insulated cups instead of the single use ones for coffee.

When one does use plastics, look for these codes which are considered safer: BPA free, #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE, and #5 PP. Examples of #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene) include containers used for milk, water, juice, and yogurt cups. #2HDPE is also used for some plastic bags.

Examples of solid rather than liquid products include shampoo and conditioner bars and laundry sheets or strips. Gini has been using some of these products for years.  She says they work perfectly and points out that there are many kinds of shampoo/conditioner bars for various hair needs.  She also loves her compressed laundry detergent, which comes in sheets, which she says is much easier to store because of its smaller size, and cheaper because it costs less to ship than liquid detergent.

Gini tends to use Amazon for her purchases.  Although there are many brands to choose from, for the shampoo and conditioner she uses. (Just touch on the picture to go to the Amazon page where each product is found)

Leafinity shampoo and conditioner for blonde and silver hair

For laundry detergent, she uses Tru Earth:

Tru Earth Laundry Detergent

Here are links to other products.  For more options just go to Amazon and type in sustainability products.  I think you will be amazed at what is available, and you might find just the thing that will fit the bill in your homes.  These are just some of what I found.  I was looking for products with high approval ratings.

For Detergent Products – At 4.5 approval, is Dropps Dishwash detergent pods

Dropp’s dishwasher detergent pods

For Facial cleaning at 4.8 approval is Tidalove Daily 3 in 1 Facial Cleanser, Exfoliator and Wash-off Mask,

Facial Cleaner

For Natural Soap bar for dishes at 4.4 approval is a company called Zero Waste:

Dishwashing Bars

Natural Sponges – 6 Pack of EcoFriendly Biodegradable Coconut Sponges – Multipurpose Kitchen Sponges – by American Kitchen Company ™ at 4.5 approval :

Biodegradable Kitchen pads

At 4.6 approval are natural bamboo sheets for facial cleaning:

Clean Skin Club bamboo towels

There are so many more to be discovered. Check them out and see what you think.  And don’t forget Earth Day on April 22 from 1-4 in the Auditorium.