How To Get From "Zero" To "Sustainable" In Two Steps
“How can I make my daily habits and my travel kit sustainable?”
To reduce our daily and travel environmental impact, it is essential to create sustainable habits and educate our minds to make responsible choices. This means that we must implement a greener and less consumerist purchasing behavior.
Here you will find my advice to transform your daily routine into a conscious moment with low environmental impact, supported by my favorite products that can help you start.
It seems impossible to be able to combine comfort, practicality and sustainability, but in reality it is only a matter of choices.
I’ll be honest: it wasn’t an easy transition for me. I had no reference points, no idea of what to look for and where to find it.
But it was something I had to do to let go of hypocrisy and inconsistency.
But let’s take a step back, who am I and why am I telling you these things?
I’m a girl like many, creative, nature and animal lover. After many years spent studying what we’re all made of and how living creatures bodies work, from cells to the entire world, I began to wonder why we are slowly destroying the planet we live on.
I remember that morning in spring, during the pandemic boom. I was in my room when I saw an advertisement on Instagram: a discovery tour to become vegan.
I was already a vegetarian but I’ve always judged who chose to be vegan, because it seemed like an exaggeration for no reason.
I signed up anyway and that choice changed the way I thought about sustainability. It woke me up we can say.
In fact, together with the nutrition journey, the awareness that I could do much more increased my desire to be consistent with the labels I loved to give myself.
So I radically changed all the habits I had and the products I bought.
The mission: to minimize (possibly to zero) plastics, polluting and harmful chemicals, cruelty to animals, pollution from imports, waste. Reducing my environmental impact for real.
When I started this journey towards a truly eco-friendly lifestyle, I felt completely lost.
How can I replace objects and accessories that belong to my everyday routines? Where can I find truly local, healthy and naturally nutritious foods?
Initially taken by discouragement, however, I managed to understand that the secret was in the first step.
The rest would come in a perfectly natural way on its own.
sustainable self care
Hygiene and personal care are a priority for anyone, so let’s start from here.
It’s time to dispel the myth that it is impossible to avoid plastic or chemical products tested on animals or other living creatures.
The most important thing here is to read the labels and create awareness, especially on alternatives to what we are used to see in advertisements and common use.
Articolo su etichette e app
Come leggere le etichette, acquistare prodotti cruelty free ecc ecc
TOOTHBRUSH, TOOTHPASTE AND ORAL care
Human beings developed a keen interest in oral care years ago.
The best thing you can do to transform this habit into a moment of well-being and connection with nature is to choose eco-friendly products and objects.
This means plastic-free, natural and / or recyclable materials, reusable and NOT disposable items.
An example? Wooden toothbrush, compostable dental floss, etc.
Talking about toothpaste, my favorite choice is the solid one (in tablets) because it is dry and therefore less damaging to the toothbrush (and if the container were to open, it doesn’t stick everywhere), has small size and can also fit into small spaces: it is therefore very convenient to carry even when traveling. Furthermore, in this way the container is reusable and less waste is created.
skincare and face care
The best way to take care of your body and skin is by choosing products that come from raw and natural materials is
Natural substances have unique, beneficial properties, and respect and help the body, if used in a conscious way. The best advantage, however, is convenience: traveling using solid cosmetics is truly a choice with a thousand benefits. Zero-waste, considerable duration, the possibility of reusing the special containers are just a few examples.
Smart tip. Looking for a natural makeup remover? Try the almond oil or the coconut oil.
for women
“For girls” tips 🙂
There are several innovations and tricks to be comfortable and at ease in any situation (even when travelling) which are essential to create sustainable habits.
Washable cycle briefs are the first tip, a super comfortable “must” for every situation, especially when you workout, walk long distances or play sports. Then there are reusable sanitary pads. An excellent sustainable alternative to the classic “disposable”, which will also save you some money over time.
The same is true for reusable blades and/or razors, which allow you to create much less waste than disposable plastic ones.
Finally I recommend the Tea Tree. It is an essential oil with a thousand properties, for example it is an effective antifungal, antibacterial and antiseptic, which make it a precious ally in intimate hygiene (not only for women: it is also suitable for men!). Or you can also use Neem oil.
Least but not last, the commonly known menstrual cup, a really great eco-friendly and zero waste solution for everyone.
body care
Now let’s get down to body care, a pampering that is hard to give up to: a relaxing appointment with ourselves. In this case there are solid and natural solutions as well, which can be used both at home and on the go.
There are solid and natural solutions, which can be used both at home and when travelling, which will save you space and money, without sacrificing quality and the “green” factor.
The choice of sunscreen is also very important.
Sunscreens are a major source of ocean pollution. Furthermore, to get a “real” and natural cinnamon colour on your skin, it is necessary to use products that let sunlight penetrate it, filtering only potentially dangerous radiations. The chemicals present in many products are toxic to the environment and work differently by shielding the light and thus offering you a superficial tan.
The chemical substances present in many products, in addition to being toxic to the environment, work in a different way by shielding the light and thus offering a superficial tan.
Generally, the compounds to avoid are: oxybenzone (or BP-3), benzophenone-2 (BP-2), enzacamene, amyloxate, octinoxate, benzophenone-1, benzophenone-8, 4-methyl benzylidene camphor, 3-benzylidene camphor , nanostructural zinc oxide, octocrylene, ethylparaben, butylparaben, benzylparaben, triclosan, methylparaben, phenoxyethanol.
Tip: Use mineral sunscreens, such as zinc dioxide based, which works as a sunscreen.
An unexpected discovery and an unmissable component on the go is the solid or powder deodorant, which does not irritate the skin but gives freshness and cleanliness and has a really long duration.
Finally, you can choose to complete the body care routine with a wooden comb or brush, without forgetting to pack a natural mosquito repellent, for example based on calendula.
food kit
Having your own meal kit is a choice that can have very positive effects for us and for the environment. The first advantage of all is avoiding disposable products at home, on the road, in a camper / van, but also in places without reusable crockery or that use plastic plates and cutlery.
Then there are the reusable containers to store food and in this case a good choice is the reusable and natural food film. For example, that of Beeopak, which helps reduce waste while protecting the planet.
pet & baby care
Pets and children care are two of the most polluting industries and habits. However, there are also valid eco-friendly alternatives in this field, from washable nappies to compostable dog bags.
how to recognize a sustainable product
Finally, there are some little tricks to understand when a product is sustainable or not and which characteristics generally demonstrate that it is not.
It is not easy, unfortunately it is not always possible to go back to: materials origin, production and methodologies. Be careful: it is NOT always sure that the presence of the listed characteristics is synonymous with un-sustainability.
Here are some of the parameters to pay attention on:
- super cheap prices / ever lasting offers. They show that productivity is high and therefore, basically, less expensive to the producer and less ethical than a studied and controlled one, especially in terms of quantity.
- constant and continuous availability. This can hide an intensive production, which involves serious environmental and / or ethical damage.
- very imaginative and unclear advertisements and descriptions. Generally when you find these things, it is always better to deepen the knowledge of the brand and the product in order not to invest in low quality and low environmental ethics products.
Ultimate Guide to travel Responsibly
Want to know more about traveling responsibly and becoming a sustainable traveler? Check out this post.
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. This commission has no additional cost to you.
Writing is what connects me to people, love for nature is the filter with which I live and capture my experiences; I long for learning new things, observing and smiling to the world, sharing my experiences with those who have the same passions.
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