environment

22 April 2020

Earth Day 2020 - Climate Action
Earth Day is April 22 of every year but this year also marks 50 years of Earth Day. On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans (10% of the U.S. population at the time) took to the streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward for our planet. The first Earth Day is credited with launching the modern environmental movement, and is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event.

Every year there is a theme and for Earth Day 2020 it is climate action. Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable. This year will be a digital movement since the corona virus has us in a global lockdown. You can join in for 24 hours of action that aims to fill the digital landscape with global conversations, calls to action, performances, video teach-ins and more. You are encourage to share using the hashtags #EarthDay2020 and #EARTHRISE. 

Visit www.earthday.org to find out how you can help in this global event.

4 August 2016

Review Antipodes Reincarnation Pure Facial Exfoliator
Exfoliators are not something I use on a weekly basis, my skin is far to sensitive and prone to eczema for what are often harsh treatments. A muslin wash cloth with my cleanser is an adequate solution for me. I might use a scrub once a month or on holiday they are handy for removing the build up of SPF but it has to be super gentle.

21 January 2016

Environmental Issues Ban Microbeads in Cosmetic Products
Back in 2013 I wrote a brief article about microbeads in scrubs. If you are unaware Microbeads are the little balls of plastic in an exfoliator that help you scrub away the dead skin cells. The problem is they are not biodegradable and find their way into our oceans which in turn threatens the marine wildlife. Fish are eating the microbeads and then you eat the fish! Why do companies use plastic? I'm guessing the simple answer is money, I am sure plastic is cheaper than natural alternatives. I really wish manufacturers (and consumers) would see past this and pay a little more to help protect the world around us.

The reason I decided to re-visited this topic is because the US has taken steps to ban plastic microbeads. President Obama signed into law the The Microbead-Free Waters Act on 28 December 2015 but now we need the UK/EU to follow their example. At present the UK Government is relying on a voluntary phase out by the European cosmetics industry but is that good enough? If consumers are unaware of the problem and products continue to be purchased that isn't much incentive for manufacturers to make the change. The site www.beatthemicrobead.org have set up a petition which you can sign. It needs to reach 100,000 signatures to be considered for debate in Parliament. There is also an app to download enabling you to check products when out shopping. 

If you are looking for a facial scrub without microbeads and need a natural/organic recommendation, let me suggest Antipodes Reincarnation Facial Exfoliator, Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Pearl ExfoliatorPai Kukui & Jojoba Bead Skin Brightening Exfoliator, Trilogy Gentle Facial Exfoliant.

Sarah x

6 August 2013

Love the Planet Washable Cleansing Pads
(gifted PR sample)

If you like to use cotton pads for facial cleansing, consider switching to organic cotton that way you will eliminate traces of harmful pesticides. However, there is another alternative to the disposable cotton pad. Love the Planet have been on my radar for some time and of course I have seen other bloggers mention the company. I recently accepted an offer to review their washable cleansing pads. The concept behind these is an eco friendly alternative to cotton wool. Personally, I use very few cotton pads because I favour muslin cloths but I know from watching beauty blogger videos that some people appear to go through packets per month.

Love The Planet cleansing pads are a nice size and are very soft. I have mainly been using them to remove my cleanser and clay mask. You can use them dry but I do dampen them in warm water. If you are not a fan of flannels or muslin cloths then these may be an ideal solution for you. The pack contains five pads and comes with a wash bag. I hung the wash bag in my bathroom and collected used pads over a few days, and then I simply threw the bag into the washing machine with my towels and they came out a good as new, no trace of makeup. 

Love the Planet also offer a skincare range which is free from parabens, mineral oils, artificial colours, artificial fragrances, animal testing, animal products and sodium lauryl/laureth sulphate. What do you think of reusable cleansing pads? Have you tried this product or any others from Love The Planet?

Sarah x

21 July 2013

We all know SPF is important to protect us against sunburn and cancer. Obviously, I want people to give consideration to the toxic ingredients for the sake of their skin but did you know that sunscreen could be damaging the marine environment? This blog post was prompted by a tweet I spotted.


I decided to do a bit more research and this is what I discovered. In 2008 a scientific paper entitled "Sunscreens Cause Coral Bleaching by Promoting Viral Infections" was published. The study was carried out by Roberto Danovaro and his colleagues at the Marche Polytechnic University in Ancona, Italy. It was found that four sunscreen ingredients (Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3), Butylparaben, Octinoxate (Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate) and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor) trigger a dormant virus which in turn leads to the coral turning white (bleaching). It is estimated that 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen annually wash off beach goers (from nationalgeographic.com)

I think it is interesting and concerning that some ingredients are potentially harmful to our bodies but they are also damaging to our environment. If you are lucky enough to be swimming or snorkelling around coral reef you need to consider switching your sunscreen to a green brand. 

21 May 2013

Thanks to Natural Beauty Junkie (@shookadnuca) a video popped up in my Twitter timeline and caught my attention. The video teaches you how to use one paper towel so we can help limit wastage. The statistics are for America but I guess there is significant paper towel wastage in the UK. My office (as in my day job/employer) provides paper towels rather than hand dryers and I am sure we are not alone.

"The problems with paper towels are many-fold: they don’t contain significant amounts of fibre for recycling and when they’re dirty or wet, they degrade even further and become non-recyclable. And paper towels soaked in oils, pet or baby waste or other harmful substances should be steered clear of the compost pile." (source - earth911.com)

Sticking with the theme of helping to save paper another novel idea I know about (via Kim @sunymothrnature) are People Towels.


"People Towels are the newest concept in sustainability. An on-the-go, sustainable alternative to paper towels in public facilities, these reusable personal hand towels are made of a patent-pending fabric that is 100% certified organic Fair Trade cotton. The light-weight fabric is absorbent, yet dries quickly."

I imagine People Towels come in handy if you travel regularly and perhaps I need to invest in one for work. If you need a UK stockist I found them at Onya Bags. Does this make you stop and think about paper wastage? Will you now shake and fold?

Sarah x

10 June 2011

We are constantly being reminded to take our re-useable bags to the supermarket (grocery store) but no one ever mentions about those ‘evil’ plastic bags they provide for your fruit and vegetables. Thankfully there are some eco-friendly alternatives just look out for tulle, mesh, cotton bags which can be found online. I have Onya Weigh Bags but they are no longer available.

Plastic bag facts

  • 500 billion plastic carrier bags are used worldwide each year. 
  • 10 billion plastic bags were given out in 2008 in the UK.
  • Enough to fill nearly 200 Olympic sized swimming pools.
  • This roughly equates to 400 per household. (DEFRA) 
  • Thousands of marine animals and more than 1 million birds die each year as a result of plastic pollution. 
  • Plastic bags not only litter our beautiful landscape, in flood conditions they block drains and pipes contributing to critical conditions. 
  • Even when plastic bags break down in landfill, they never completely go away. The remaining dangerous and toxic particles can still end up in the food chain, putting human and animal life at risk. 
  • A huge amount of harmful emissions are emitted during manufacture, shipment and recycling of plastic bags (for those that can be recycled, and many simply can’t). 
  • Even paper bags that come from a renewable source and are biodegradable require more energy than plastic bags to manufacture and transport.

Did you know that paper cups from coffee shops like Starbucks or Costa are not recyclable? The issue is the difficulty in separating their plastic coating and cardboard to recycle the card. As many as 2.5 billion paper coffee cups are thrown away in the UK each year. I think it's now time for people to start investing in reusable cups. Another huge impact on the environment is drinking straws, they are one of the most common forms of rubbish found on beaches. The good news is if you're unable to survive without a straw in your cocktail then glass and steel reusable options are available. Good news is there are even options to replace plastic cutlery with bamboo ones and sandwich bags for reusable food wraps.

I hope this has given you something to think about as plastic is a big problem for our oceans. Reusable items are the way forward so maybe I have inspired you to change your ways?

Sarah x 

Items pictured above are available from Content Beauty and Naturisimo. On a side note my title was inspired by a Tim Minchin song.

Instagram

Sugarpuffish. Theme by STS.