Wednesday 22 April 2015

My Personal Earth Day

Hey guys! For the past few months I've been in the middle of converting my lifestyle into something better, which includes changing my diet, where i buy my clothes/jewellery/ personal care products, which companies I want to support, how to be more environmentally responsible.. stuff like that.

While I'd love to preach about everyone should do their part and educate themselves about the environment, I also believe that talk is cheap and that you should be living green, not preaching green. So to start I'm gonna be sharing a list of which products I've switched out, and what changes I've made.

Fashion:
I'm purchasing PuraVida Bracelets. This company is like the best company I've ever come across. First they're super stylish. Second, every bracelet you buy helps provide full time jobs for Costa Ricans. Third, they also support every single organization and cause you can think of.
Environmental causes like save the sea turtles, save the sharks, save the orcas, save the taiji dolphins, sea shepherd, 1% for the Planet, vegan outreach...
Animal awareness like working dogs for conservation, cat rescues, save the frogs
Education and children causes like 1love, anti-child abuse awareness, anti-bullying, prescription drug abuse, suicide prevention, depression awareness
There's also multiple cancer awarenesses, women's causes ...

HONESTLY, THIS IS LIKE THE BEST EVER.

You can easily get these bracelets in Ontario because they're also sold in chain stores like American Eagle Outfitters in Mississauga, Tilla and Johnson in Toronto, Get Outside Shoes also in Toronto, and Be Chic in Mississauga. Or you can order online.

In terms of clothes, I haven't been purchasing anything with real leather, down feathers, or real fur. Fake EEEVERYTHING!
For shoes, I've been going to the thrift store. POPPIN' TAGS! My bags also have no trace of leather either. They're all fabrics... but to be fair I don't buy brand name so... yeah.

Diet:
I cut out Pork and Dairy in my diet completely, and I don't drink any juices. I'll have a vegan meal once every week. There are a ton of places that do vegan options now like Aroma Espresso Bar at Vaughan mills. I'm always eating there. There's also this brand that sells vegan foods at freshco but I can't seem to remember what they're called. I just know they sell tempeh "bacon", and curried tempeh "chicken strips," and their selection of "burger meats" are yummy. With the right sauces you can't even tell that you're not eating meat. I also substitute eggplant for meat. GUYS. I. AM. IN. LOVE. WITH. EGGPLANT!!! Grill it, coat it with teriyaki sauce and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and you have the best damn thaaaang ever.
Then I'll go vegetarian for 2 days. And the rest of my days, well I go back to my chicken and beef dinners. But when I do that I get it in an entrée salad because, holy shit, they ACTUALLY PROPORTION THE MEAT CORRECTLY (meat serving is a deck of cards like it's supposed to be), AND it's inexpensive, AND it fills you up. Well it's a start... Canyon Creek, Alice Fazooli's, Pickle Barrel, Swiss Chalet, Aroma Espresso Bar, and Earl's have the best salad options IMO.
For seafood I've been eating sustainably. I use this app called Seafood Watch and that tells me which seafood is ok to eat, and what methods are used to catch it. I also use the OceanWise app when I'm picking which places to eat out. So when you go, you just look for the OceanWise label in the menu and that'll indicate that it's ok for you to eat.

Personal Care Products:
Shout out to my home slice and long-time friend Laura Krause for hitting me up with Arbonne. It's a vegan company that doesn't test on animals, or use any animal by products, and most of their stuff is all natural so i don't have to feel guilty when I'm washing my hair and the product does down the drain and into the water cycle, and the ecosystems. YAY! She gives me discounted items and for what I get it's SO worth it. I switched out my shampoos, conditioners, eyeliners, lipsticks, eyeshadows and foundations, serums, facial cleansers, toners, creams, health powders, EEEVERYTHING. They also have a wide range of Health products, baby products, and men's products! Vegan, environmentally friendly, not detrimental to my health or anyone's health, AND i don't sacrifice my beauty while at the same time supporting my friend's business? WIN-WIN-WIN-WIN-WIN all around! I get a win, she gets a win, the animals get a win, EVERYBODY GETS A WIN!!!!! The best part? NO PLASTIC MICRO BEADS IN ANY OF THE PRODUCTS. That means no plastic ends up in our rivers and oceans. YAYY!! Products are a little expensive when you first purchase them but for the quality of the product and how long they've lasted BECAUSE of the high quality ingredients, SO FREAKING WORTH EVERY SINGLE PENNY.
For more details, contact my loverly. Check out her Facebook PageShe's honestly the best.

Other Areas:
I cut down water bottle purchases by buying a Brita water filter pitcher, and a Brita water bottle filter. And now I don't have to feel guilty for throwing out water bottles because there are no water bottles to even throw out. Do you know how many water bottles end up in the ocean? Too damn many.
And because I don't waste electricity or gas heating up my tap water for me to drink, I also save on electrical bills. YASS!

Things i can improve on:
Cleaning products and personal hygiene products... well... v_v;;

This is just a start, so I'll be updating my progress as I go.

EDIT: Nearly forgot to mention when I was searching for homes to move into, i ended up picking a reputable builder called Minto Group. Click here for details. So I was super happy I went with them.
Did I mention the Disney Company is also green? :P THEY ARE. I BOW DOWN TO THE MOUSE.


I guess I'll end this with a quote from Alice Walker