Eco-Friendly Beauty Brands

     I'm guilty of buying SO many beauty products that are packaged in all plastic, or things that can be refilled and when I realized HOW much of it I had, I started cycling out my products. Of course, you don't want to throw away what you've already bought because that can be very wasteful, but as you run out of a product, start looking for more eco-friendly brands and products to replace your old earth killing ones. I've made a list of awesome brands that are eco-friendly, some even zero waste. A huge chunk of these brands is also vegan and cruelty-free so I will list that as well. 

1. Love Beauty and Planet 

     Love Beauty and Planet have a large selection of shampoos and conditioners from repairing, color-safe, volume and hydration. This company is certified Vegan, is ethically sourced, 100% recycled bottles, no dyes, parabens, or silicones. They also sell hair oils, dry shampoos, and other hair treatments as well. Love Beauty and Planet are also known for their body care, body wash, bar soap, lotions, body butter and more. All of their body products are safe for sensitive skin and have no sulfates. 

        2. KORRES

      KORRES is a greek beauty brand that promotes eco-friendly business. They also use natural ingredients and are cruelty-free. All KORRES products use biodegradable ingredients, 100% recycled packaging and eco-friendly manufacturing practices. This company sells skin care, bath and body, fragrances and lip products. 

         3. Aveda 

     Aveda has a "green ingredient promise." This company only uses natural ingredients, 90% certified organic. All packaging is post consumer recycled and their business is powered on wind. Aveda is very popular in salons and spas as their product selection is wide. Aveda sells everything from hair care, skin care, body care, makeup and aromas.
 

        4. Kiss My Face

     Kiss My Face uses sustainable, plant based ingredients, and is committed to using post consumer recycled packaging in every bottle, box and store display. All products are cruelty free and most products are vegan. This company offers bar soaps, body lotions and washes, deodorant, and shaving creams as well as; facial cleansers, eye creams, masks, moisturizers, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioners, sun and lip line PLUS a mens and kids section.


       5. Elate Cosmetics

     Elate beauty is sustainable, all compacts, tools and palettes are made from bamboo. This company offers refills and all refill packaging is seed paper. Elate is vegan, cruelty free, sustainable and clean. This company sells makeup essentials such as eye color, mascara, eye liner, brow balm, foundation, powders, concealer, and lip colors.
 

Seaworld could have the potential to be something.

     What if...Seaworld was a place you could go to be educated on the rehabilitation of sea animals? A center that shows the process of rehabbing animals back to health. Exhibits showing rescue missions. Live on-screen releases back to the ocean. 

     

     What if...Seaworld was a place you could go to be educated on plastic reduction and ways to prevent plastic pollution in our oceans? Interactive games showing what should be recycled and where. A water ride through a polluted ocean and the effects it has on sea animals.  

    

     What if...Seaworld was filled with interactive rides that stimulate the brain and teach about how marine animals live. "Orca Encounters" but instead of Orcas performing tricks for entertainment, it's a 4D simulator ride that takes you on the journey of a pod, how they hunt and live day to day. 

     

     What if...Seaworld released their Orcas to a sanctuary and let visitors watch them from afar while they live in their ocean homes. Or had a whale tracker that tracked their whales and pods and you could follow them in real-time, on their time.  

     These are just a few things Seaworld could do that would make them money, get their clientele back, and make it as educational as possible. Empty the tanks and make a profit off educational experiences instead of the abuse techniques they use to teach their animals tricks. 

     #EMPTYTHETANKS

DIY mason jar upcyle!

     This week I've compiled 3 DIY mason jar ideas to upcycle your mason jars and reduce your plastic waste! 

Salt and pepper shakers! These simple cute shakers will be a staple in your house AND it's super quick and easy! Find out how to make them here

Toothbrush holder! This DIY only needs 2 items, a mason jar, and chicken wire! Find out how to make this DIY here

Soap dispenser! If you use liquid soap in place of bar soap this is a simple way to spice up your bathroom counter and its plastic-free. Find out how to make this DIY here

How To: Recycle

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     Why recycle?

     Prevention is better than trying to fix something when it's too late. By recycling, you are helping the environment out tremendously, because not only are the effects of pollution and greenhouse gasses killing animals, they are slowly killing you too. 

1. Dumping our trash into landfills is not sustainable. Our landfills can leak and contaminate soil and groundwater. 
2. Recycling white paper creates 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution.
3. Recycling creates jobs, the recycling industry employs more than the auto industry. 
4. Recycling saves money, and not only that but some places even pay you to recycle. 

     What happens to recyclables?

1. Glass bottles become new glass bottles.
2. Steel cans are used for automobile parts and construction material. 
3. Plastic bottles are recycled into carpet, clothing, auto parts, and new bottles.
4. Paper is recycled into new paper. 

     What are the benefits of recycling?

1. Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills, which in turn saves landfills from leakages of toxins. 
2. Conserving natural resources.
3. Prevents pollution.
4. Saves energy 
5. Reduces greenhouse gasses, which in turn helps eliminate global climate change. 
6. It helps sustain the environment for years to come. 

     What are the statistics?

1. One ton of recycled newsprint paper saves 601 kilowatts of energy, 71 gallons of oil, 60 pounds of air pollutants, 7.000 gallons of water and 4.6 cubic yards of landfill. 
2. One ton of recycled office paper saves 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill.
3. One ton of recycled plastic saves 5,774 kilowatts of energy, 16.3 barrels of oil, and 30 cubic yards of landfill.
4. One ton of recycled glass saves 42 kilowatts of energy, 5 gallons of oil, 7.5 pounds of air pollutants, and 2 cubic yards of landfill. 
5. If every American recycled one-tenth of their newspapers it would save 25,000,000 trees a year.
6. Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour and more than 75% are thrown away. 
7. 100,000 marine creatures die per year from plastic entanglement or digesting it. 

     What can I recycle?

1. Aluminum cans. 
2. Aluminum foil and bakeware. 
3. Steel and tin cans. 
4. Cardboard.
5. Magazines. 
6. Office paper.
7. Newspaper.
8. Paperboard. 
9. Paper cardboard dairy and juice cartons. 
10. Junk Mail.
11. Phone books. 
12. Clear glass.
13. Brown glass.
14. Green glass.
15. Plastics.
16. Car batteries. 
17. Household batteries. 
18. Rechargeable batteries. 
19. Incandescent and LED lights. 
20. Compact fluorescent bulbs. 

     What can't be recycled?

1. Glass contaminated with dirt, rocks or food. 
2. Ceramics.
3. Heat resistant glass.
4. Mirror or window glass.
5. Metal or plastic caps and lids.
6. Crystal. 

     How can I recycle?

1. Call a recycling pick up service 
2. Use a recycling service like Clynk 
3. Reduce and reuse (Pinterest is a great tool for DIY)
4. Compost
5. Donate or sell used clothes 

     Resources and more about this topic:

- http://www.lessismore.org/materials/28-why-recycle
- https://www.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics
- https://www.ecocycle.org/files/pdfs/why_recycle_%20brochure.pdf
- http://www.wm.com/thinkgreen/what-can-i-recycle.jsp

How To: Go Green

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     What is going green?

1. Going green is making conscious decisions to live environmentally friendly. For example: "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." 
2. Going green means you want to live a sustainable and renewable lifestyle.  
3. A green lifestyle is trying to be as aware of Earth's natural resources as much as possible. 
4. Knowing that you can choose how little or how much you want to engage in the green lifestyle and you don't need to change your whole life at once. That there is a large difference between green living and sustainable living. Green living is a pathway to sustainable living, but to live a sustainable lifestyle you need to be fully committed, and it's totally okay if you don't get to that point. 

     Why should I go green?

1. Going green is a choice you should want to make and not let other opinions shadow you. But there are many reasons why someone would want to transition to green living and I have compiled a list of reasons why someone would convert to a green lifestyle. 

      - The dangers of:

• Nuclear Energy 
• Pesticides
• Herbicides 
• Fertilizers 
• Genetically Engineered Food      
• Climate Change
• Oil
• Environmental Impacts 
• Health and Wellness
• Frugal Living 
• Economy 
• Minimalism 
• Religion and Spiritual Beliefs    

      The list of why someone would go green goes on and on, choose what is best for you and evaluate the reasons you are wanting to become green. Some examples I have listed more in-depth below:

      2. 1.5 acres of rainforest are lost every second to deforestation. With this, there are losses to habitat and biodiversity.

       - Deforestation: the action or process of clearing forests 

       - Biodiversity: the biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different plant and animal species 

• 137 plant, animal and insect species are lost every day to rainforest deforestation, which means there is roughly a loss of 50,000 species per year.        

      3. Less than 1% of the world's fresh water is readily available for human use. Pollution and contamination are large contributors as well as 87% of our water resources are used for agriculture and 60% of that water is wasted. By mid-century we will be fighting over water. An average American household will use about 300 gallons of water per day, and citizens of other countries only use about 550 liters per day. 

      4. Everyday America produces enough trash to equal the weight of the Empire State Building.  

• On average we throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
• We produce enough styrofoam cups to circle the earth 436 times.
• Throw away enough paper build a 12-foot wall from Los Angeles to New York City. 
• Throw away 570 disposable diapers each second.
• Toss out enough aluminum cans to rebuild commercial air fleet every three months.
• Each year we fill enough garbage trucks to stretch from the earth halfway to the moon.
• The Pacific Ocean is believed to hold almost 100 million tons of garbage.   

      5. Recycling 1 ton of paper saves:

• 17 trees
• 2 barrels of oil
• 4,100 kilowatts of energy
• 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space 
• 60 pounds of air pollution

       6. 1 in 4 mammals is at risk of extinction. Humans are the main cause to blame, as we've destroyed their habitats, polluted the earth and hunted far too many. Across the world, 78 percent of marine mammals are threatened by accidental deaths such as getting caught in fishing nets.

       7. If the entire world lived like the average American we'd need 5 planets to provide enough resources.   

     

       How do I start?

1.  Stop receiving junk mail. When you opt-out of junk mail you save 69 lbs of junk mail sent to your home each year. 
2. Give up bottled water. Nearly 30 billion plastic bottles are sold in the U.S yearly, and less than 20% is being recycled. 
3. Conserve energy. 

• Turn off the lights
• Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs such as LED
• Open your curtains and shades during the day to avoid using light energy. 

      4. Use your refrigerator/freezer sustainably. 

• Close the fridge
• Get a freezer that is on the bottom of the fridge
• Fill all fridge/freezer space
• Do not place hot food in the fridge.

      5. Use your dishwasher sustainably. 

• Pre-rinse dishes in cold water
• Skip the dry cycle
• Only wash full loads
• Consider hand washing

      6. Use your washing machine sustainably. 

• Wash only full loads 
• Wash less often
• Wash in cold water
• Purchase a front load washer

      7. Drying clothes and use your dryer sustainably.

• Line dry whenever possible
• Keep lint filter clean 
• Don't overload dryer
• Don't over dry clothing 
• Dry light weight clothing separately from towels or jeans
• Dry loads back to back
• Stop using dryer sheets

      8. Electronics.

• Use power strips 
• Buy all in one electronics like a tv with built in DVD players 
• Laptops are more efficient than desktops
• Turn off your screen
• Use energy saving settings
• Use sleep mode or shut down
• Unplug chargers when not in use

      9. Use your stove and oven sustainably.

• Avoid pre-heating and stick food in right away to use all the heat
• Consider a slow cooker
• Use oven light instead of opening the door 
• Turn oven off early, the heat that is captured will finish the job
• Warm the kitchen, after cooking in the winter let the heat out into the kitchen 
• Use lids on pots and pans 
• Use the correct size burner 
• Use an electric kettle 
• Invest in a convection or toaster oven

      10. Recycle. 

      11. Take your plastic bags to a recycle station. 

      12. Buy reusable grocery bags.

      13. Take your own mug to a coffee shop or buy their refillable cups.

      14. Get E-Tickets to events like movies and concerts as well as for traveling.

      15. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

      16. Bring your own container to a restaurant for leftovers to avoid plastic or styrofoam. 

      17. Walk or ride your bike to places nearby.

      18. Shop at a local farmers market.

      19. Use cloth instead of paper to clean

      20. Repurpose and upcycle things, Pinterest has great DIY ideas. 

Resources and more about these topics:

- http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/
- http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/definition-going-green
- http://www.treehugger.com/htgg/how-to-go-green-why-to-go-green.html
- http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2008/11/26/amazing-frightening-green-facts-environmental-statistics/
- http://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/articles/807479/52-cheap-ways-to-go-green
- http://theartofsimple.net/tips-to-go-green-at-home/

Whalesome Goals in 2017!

     Ringing in the New Year with two blog posts, the first was a recap of 2016 and now we're moving on to 2017 personal goals to help protect and conserve our oceans. Before moving on to that, let us talk about the above painting. In July I went to a paint night ready to paint a lighthouse at sunset and came out of it with a breaching Orca and educational experience for everyone at the paint night. As we revealed our paintings at the end of the night everyone (including the instructor) was memorized by my Orca. It sparked conversations about Killer Whales, Free Willy, and Shamu. I used this opportunity to educate about captivity and the impacts it has on these beautiful creatures. I will never know what came out of my lecture but I do know it left a mark since I went back in September and the instructor remembered me as the "Orca girl." This is how I want to inspire and educate all throughout 2017. Now onto the goals!

      1. Clean up at least 10 beaches. 

- There is an app called "Clean Swell" that I use to help keep track of what I'm picking up. The app is free and available on iPhone and Android. This app was created by Ocean Conservancy and you can track what you've picked up, total distance cleaned, a record of your cleanup efforts and you can share your efforts with friends on social media. Find out more here.

      2. Reduce the use of plastic by 30%

- I already have started to avoid plastic water bottles and have started getting my co-workers to at least recycle their plastic and cans. I want to take it a step further and; 

• Begin using reusable cups and bags instead of plastic one-use cups and plastic bags.  
• Stop using plastic straws in restaurants.
• Start using a razor with replaceable blades instead of disposables
• Start bringing a reusable container for leftovers at restaurants
• Avoid frozen convenience food  
• Give up chewing gum 
• Start using bar soap instead of liquid hand soap
• Find a plastic-free hairbrush

      3. Adopt at least 3 marine animals. 

- There are great websites like the WDC and WWF that provide ways to adopt animals. On WWF they donate 85% to conservation programs and the WDC donates proceeds to releasing captive Cetaceans and conserve ocean habitats. 

      4. Promote websites that help make a difference at least once a month. 

- In 2016 I discovered two amazing websites that donate some of their proceeds to different causes. The first one is Devoted To The Ocean, they raise awareness about pollution and the growing effects it has on marine habitats. Devocean donates 20% of its net profits to the FAU Marine Research Lab at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. The second website is Beautiful Baleine, they raise awareness for captivity and commercial whaling. 10% of their net profits are directly donated to whales.org to fund efforts in research. 

      5. Sign and promote at least 6 petitions relating to marine life on Change.org

- Change.org is a platform for change, by taking action and signing petitions on their website you could help in success and victories of things you are passionate about. Last year I signed 4 petitions from pledging to re-use plastic, to Seaworld issues. This year I am aiming for 6 or more signed petitions, as well as promoting each petition on my social media.