junk shots at environmental livin’
New Year’s isn’t the only time for resolutions. I swear to dozens in my head every day. The queen dreamed several impossible things before breakfast? I aspire to several new identities before breakfast.
A big new identity that I quietly swear to–but actually skirt around because I’m afraid what it will do to me if I commit–environmentalism. It’s terrifying. Caring about something that is impossible to effectively protect? Read Freedom to find out what happens to people who attempt that.
But I can try to correct the little mythologies that I tell myself and murmor confidently as I make my choices in the grocery aisles. Here’s a random one:
Dish soap is a “by product”of oil, which means it is made of the extras leftover after they use the oil to make important things, like gas.
Haha, I have no idea how I came up with that clever twist. After a little googling, I learned that common scary-effective dish soaps, like Dawn, are a by product of oil which means they use fresh oil to make them. In addition to the oil they need to make gas. That fossil fuel that *might* be the cause of some tough international relations. Oh, but before you get all productive about this, here are all the other things made from oil.
Whenever I do google searches to figure this stuff out, I end up subscribing to a bunch of new blogs, skittering down weird message board warrens where people have fights about using dish soap on oily ducks, and cringing over whether I fell for the wrong marketing. It’s sooo hard to be an educated consumer.
But I’m committed. One product at time. What about you? Tell me your convenient lies you’ve come up with to feel less guilty. Or ways you’ve solutioned to stop buying the bad stuff??
2 Comments
prettyhumanbeings
I completely relate to your plight. Being eco-friendly is no small task, especially when it’s framed in the “earth needs be saved” argument.
I tend to think that the relationship between the earth and I are mutually beneficial. So, in other words, if over production of mineral oil (which becomes either gasoline or vaseline) is bad for the earth, it’s also bad for my skin (clogs pores, inhibits detoxification of the bad and absorption of the good) and yet it’s found in so many products including dish soap, moisturizers and face cleansers.
I like that my new business with (and personal use of) Arbonne supports both sides of the relationship by not using any mineral oil at all. Happy skin, happy earth!
…it’s a start!
noelle
I like to make up things about the bad stuff, i.e. I’m allergic to it, or it smells like chemicals, therefore it’s going to spontaneously combust. Even if it sounds crazy, I’m the only one hearing it (usually) (I hope!). But making more of a commitment to the good stuff needs to be on my new year’s resolutions list, too. But first I need to mail you that book!