The October Roundup

October 26, 2020

A few helpful resources for making better choices for our health, homes, and planet.

Health: Environmental Working Group

ewg.org

The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit organization that researches and advocates for healthier living. You can look up personal care and cleaning products by name, and see the toxicity score given, before you make the purchase. The website is easy to use and understand. A score of 1-2 is low hazard, and a score of 7-10 is high hazard. This is especially helpful for sunscreen, as only 15% of all products on the market meet their criteria for effectiveness and safety.

There is also a database of EWG Verified products, which do not contain any ingredients on their "unacceptable" list. I highly encourage you to use this resource when making decisions on which products to bring into your home.

Home: Local Second-hand/Vintage Online Shops

Find local people selling vintage/used goods on Instagram and Facebook. Not only do they do all the legwork in finding these treasures, but most offer free, local pick-up. You are helping the environment by purchasing second-hand, saving time, saving money, and supporting a small business & family. All wonderful things!

Planet: The Nature Conservancy

nature.org

Use their interactive calculator to see an estimate of your household carbon footprint. The United States has one of the highest in the world with an average of 16 tons per person. The global average is 4 tons. That means we have a lot of work to do.

After you calculate your carbon footprint, check out the personalized ways you can take action in transportation, housing and shopping to lower your impact on climate change.