8 Ways To Make Every Day Earth Day

The Earth is the only home we have and if we want to make it a nice place to live for our lifetime and future generations to come, it's in our best interest to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle. That means being more conscious about the amount of waste you are producing and the energy that is being wasted. 

"When the Earth is sick and polluted, human health is impossible." - Bobby McLeod, Activist

My hope is that this blog inspires you to live a life that will leave you and our planet in the most Joyous Health! With these 8 tips you will see how making small, simple changes in the way we live can have a huge impact on the health of our planet; so that every day can be Earth Day!

Would you believe me if I told you that over the last 10 years, we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century? Or that enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the Earth four times? And that 35 billion plastic water bottles are thrown away each year in the US alone?! (Source). Holy cow! Although, as much as these stats are frightening, I'm not surprised that this is the reality. Single-use plastic is used in everything these days; water bottles, plastic wrap, straws, to-go cups and food containers. But that's not to say we can't avoid those things -- we simply need to educate ourselves on the various sources of plastic and source more sustainable alternatives.

• Use a reusable glass straw
• Switch your plastic lunch containers to stainless steel lunch boxes
• Carry a reusable glass or stainless steel water bottle with you at all times
• If you are going to use a product made of plastic, make sure it's made with 100% post-consumer recyclable plastic (never virgin plastic)
• Check out our laundry strips and move away from laundry detergent in plastic bottles forever!

Just to add to that, it's really important to be aware of the packaging of the products you use to ensure that if they are using plastic in their packaging, they are reducing virgin plastic use or the creation of new plastic; as you can already tell, we already have enough [read: TOO MUCH!] on our planet.

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This sounds like a simple tip, but if it was that simple, more people would be doing it! There are so many ways we can reduce our waste and one of the first places you can start is by not creating any in the first place! That means limiting your use of things like paper towels and only using it when it's absolutely necessary, or using cloth instead. Plastic bags for produce at the grocery store? Bring your own mesh bags! And that plastic wrap you're using to wrap up sandwiches every day or cover up leftovers? Swap it for reusable beeswax wrap or use reusable glass or stainless steel food containers.

Keep track of your trash each week and avoid buying products with excessive packaging. Maybe even keep a log of where most of it is coming from and explore ways you can do better. It drives me bonkers when I open a package to find a box within a box that's covered with bubble wrap.

If you've ever bought something from the Joyous Shop you know we package our products with as little packaging as possible and we make every shipment carbon neutral by investing in renewable energy credits with every purchase.

Not only is dry cleaning a huge concern for the health of individuals, due to the toxic chemical perchloroethylene (PERC) that is the most widely used chemical solvent in dry cleaning, it also has a negative impact on the environment from a toxic standpoint.

That's because PERC comes with very toxic effects, being a volatile organic compound (VOC), in that once it's released into the air, it breaks down into other chemicals that make their way into the groundwater.

Instead, ditch the dry cleaning! Yes, you CAN do that! If you happen to come across clothes that require dry cleaning, keep on walking :) There are so many other options out there! If you're looking for something that will be tough on stains, use a laundry detergent that is both safe and effective at removing stains. 

You may already know that I advise against wearing perfume , but the same goes for any products that have "fragrance" (parfum) as an ingredient such as candles, air fresheners and personal care products like body lotion or conventional shampoo. That's because the word "fragrance" can contain over 3000 different ingredients of which don't have to be disclosed to the consumer. This is very different than a product that is scented using organic essential oils, like we have in our shampoo, conditioner and dry shampoo.

Even products that are labeled as being "unscented" can actually be a fragrance in itself that is made to smell unscented!

Fragrant products can pose a number of of health issues from organ toxicity and irritation of the skin, eyes and lungs.

Whether it's shampoo/conditioner, body lotion, perfume, household cleaning products or laundry detergent, go fragrance-free!

I love this tip because it won't cost you anything. If anything, it will help you to save some money and save our planet! We don't often give much weight to how our energy usage might be impacting the planet and using up valuable, in some cases, non-renewable resources. All you need to incorporate this tip is a bit of heightened awareness to your energy usage and mindfulness towards how you can save energy, such as:

• Doing laundry only when you can fill the whole washing machine
• Using the dishwasher only when it's completely full
• Unplugging appliances when they aren't in use
• Turning off lights if not using them
• Make use of your shades/curtains by closing the blinds on sunny days to keep the heat out and open them in the winter to bring in the warmth of the sun rays

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This tip is somewhat similar to the last, but in regards to conserving water, simply because water = LIFE! When we conserve water, we are conserving energy because energy is required to pump water from a facility into your home or office. 

We take water for granted because for most of us, water flows freely for us through a tap. But what happens when that fresh supply of fresh water runs out? Already with 70% of the world being covered by water, only 2.5% percent of it is fresh with the remainder being saline and ocean-based. It's up to us to save as much water as possible for the health of humans, aquatic life and biodiversity as a whole.

These are some simple ways to do so:

• Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth
• Put a water saving device on your shower
• Take shorter showers 
• Only water your lawn when it's absolutely necessary 

It's easy to look past the environmental impact of getting food onto our plate when it's as simple as going to your local grocery store. Rarely do we think of the distance that is traveled for food to arrive in front of us, or the amount of fossil fuels that are burned in the process.

In conventional farming, usage of pesticides and fertilizers are often used which can make their way into a nearby water source such as a river, ocean or pond. When a body of water becomes contaminated with pesticides, fish and other animal can get sick or die which disturbs the ecosystem as a whole.

The solution? Grow your own food , or as much as possible! By doing so, you can reduce your carbon footprint, keep pesticides and herbicides out of your food, preserve the nutritional value of the food (the sooner it's consumed after being picked, the higher the nutrient-density) and of course, experience how delicious growing your own fruits and vegetables are! 

I love walking as a form of transportation, exercise, stress relief and an energy boost! I also love riding my bike but sadly that activity is only available to me for around 5-6 months a year here in Canada (but I make a point to enjoy every moment!). The benefit of doing so isn't just for your personal health, but for our planet too. 

As I'm sure you can imagine, cars come with a number of immediate and long-term effects on the environment as they emit a wide range of gases and solid matter, such as carbon dioxide. Not to mention, cars can contribute to smog-forming emissions (a mixture of air pollutants such as vapours, gases and particles). 

At the very least, if riding your bike or walking isn't available to you, taking public transit is a much more energy efficient and eco-friendly alternative!

What's one eco-friendly habit you do daily (or that you are planning to do?)

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