Ecological Household Stuff and Healthy Food Free Essay Example

Plastic bottles of shampoo are cheaper, using disposable nappies is quicker, avoiding palm oil is more difficult, but it all is ultimately worth it and can be easily done when you look in the right places. We have taken a step in the right direction with electric cars, increased recycling and reduced food waste. Nevertheless, we are a lazy species. We expect things to happen all in one fell swoop. We think we do not need to work for things. We are aware of the effects of our actions, the endangered animals, the melting of the ice caps and deforestation, yet are we doing enough to combat the damage we have evoked.

All of us collectively need to stop just sitting back and doing nothing and finally do a better job of saving this planet we should surely treasure.

Plastic against ecology

To begin with, we could reduce the number of unnecessary plastic bottles in our households. As plastic is cheaper than it’s other counterparts, it is used everywhere and is almost impossible to escape, but the price for using it is much larger than we originally anticipated.

There are approximately 13 billion plastic bottles disposed of each year and only around 15% was used to create electricity or heat and around 10% of it was recycled. Majority of the rest ends up in landfills where it takes approximately 450 years for just one plastic bottle to decompose. Do we really need to be causing this much damage to our planet? No, we do not.

Instead of buying plastic bottles, purchase a sustainable, reusable bottle. Do not throw out your plastic bottles right away, reuse them. Avoid excessive food packaging. It is becoming easier to help our planet as companies like Lush now make bars of shampoo, conditioner and even fake tan and hair dye. Bars of these products come with much more benefits than just helping the environment. They last longer, little of the product is needed, they reduce waste and ultimately save money. So not only are we helping our planet but we are also helping ourselves. Yes, plastic is useful: it is used as insulation for cables and electrical equipment as it keeps them cool and protects them from over-heating; plastic syringes and tubing use plastic as it is disposable to reduce disease transmission; it is used heavily in household appliances as the use of plastic makes them lightweight and affordable. It may be difficult to cut our use of plastic but as a start single-use plastics and the quantities in which they are used is not.

Furthermore, the use of reusable nappies. According to The Charity Wrap, by the time children are potty trained, they could have used 4,000 to 6,000 disposable nappies or 20 to 30 reusable nappies. Reusable nappies may cost more in the first purchase but in the long run, it is cheaper. Although it may be less it is worth it due to the decreased amount of waste. Reusable nappies contain no harmful chemicals or plastics and have less of an impact on the environment. Whilst throwaway nappies contain plastic and so does the packaging they come in. Much of this plastic, and can end up in the water system. To add to the benefit of helping the environment, reusable nappies are reliable, they are more comfortable and smell better.

Healthy Oil

Finally, cut down on your intake of palm oil. Palm oil is used in such a high quantity for its versatility. Palm oil can be processed to form a wide range of products with different melting points, consistencies and characteristics. There are serious consequences for our excessive use of palm oil: rainforests are being cleared at the rate of 300 football fields per hour to make way for palm oil plantations; displaced orangutans who wander into farmland are considered agricultural pests and are often killed; the use of palm oil has resulted in an estimated 100,000 orangutans deaths in the past 16 years and at this rate they will be extinct within 10-20 years. Can you imagine strangers coming into your home and destroying it? In order to help our planet, we need to stop assuming the problem will go away and do something about it. To avoid palm oil, choose products that contain clearly labelled oils, such as coconut oil, sunflower oil or corn oil. Shop in Iceland, they have completely got rid of palm oil in their products and avoid ingredients with the word “palm” in them as they are palm oil or are derived from the oil palm fruit.

Many believe it is too late to help. Many believe it is too difficult to help. Many are wrong. Small actions lead to big changes and cutting our use of plastic bottles, using reusable nappies and reducing our intake of palm oil we can all help, we can all make a difference. One person at a time. We may not be able to reverse the damage completely but making small changes in our lives is a step in the right direction.

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