How to avoid foods and household items that can harm the environment
Sometimes, living green means taking action, like adjusting your thermostat or walking instead of driving. Other times, it means not doing something, like avoiding products that waste natural resources, consume too much energy, pose potential healthy risks or threaten the environment when they are used or discarded.
With that in mind, consider not buying these items in the coming year:
- Air-fresheners and deodorizers. Baking soda or vinegar work as well as any carpet deodorizer to remove many odors, without the chemical cocktails. Zeolites, a natural, porous mineral, can also absorb persistent odors. You can also boil citrus peels or cinnamon sticks in water, or mix a little essential oil or aromatic extract with water and spray it in the air.
- Antiseptic wipes and soaps, which contain triclosan, a substance that can enter waterways and harm fish and plants. Use simple soap and water or, when you’re on the go, alcohol-based sanitizing hand gels instead.
- Artificial fertilizers, which require fossil fuels for production. Start composting your coffee grounds, egg shells and vegetable peels instead, and rejuvenate your garden soil naturally.
- Bottled water, which generates tons of waste and is often no more pure than simple tap water (many bottled-water companies actually use municipal water as their source). Use a water filter at home for clean drinking water and take a refillable drinking bottle along when you’re working or traveling.
- Chlorine bleach, because chlorine can react with carbon-based substances to form toxic organichlorines. Choose non-chlorine bleaches instead.
- Disposable batteries, which can leach out heavy metals into the environment after they’re thrown away. Buy rechargeable batteries and an electric- or solar-powered battery charger instead.
- Disposable plates and cups. Buy a stash of old dishware at a flea market or resale shop if you don’t want to worry about “good” plates being broken during parties.
- Hair conditioners, which often contain ingredients that can be irritating, toxic or even potentially carcinogenic. Your hair will do just as well with a light application of natural jojoba oil, olive oil or safflower oil.
- Household and garden bug sprays. Opt for natural solutions like borax mixed with sugar (to attract and kill ants), lavender (to control moths), or soap-and-water solutions (for getting rid of aphids), or brighten your garden with aphid-eating ladybugs.
- Incandescent light bulbs, which waste needless energy. Compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) costs a little more at the counter, but it lasts longer and saves on energy bills over time – up to $36 per bulb.
- Industrial-farm beef, which creates numerous environmental problems (energy waste, polluted runoff, land degradation, greenhouse gas emissions). If you choose to eat beef, opt for meat from sustainable, grass-based ranches.
- Laundry and dish-washing detergents with phosphates, which contribute to “dead zones” and toxic red tides in the ocean. Non-phosphate alternatives are becoming increasingly easier to find, even in large chain stores.
- Non-stick cookware, which is made using potentially carcinogencic perfluorochemicals. Buy cast-iron cookware, which is durable and – once seasoned through cooking and proper care – can be as non-stick as other pots and pans.
- Paper towels and napkins, which are often made largely with virgin wood pulp. Instead, buy nice cloth napkins and use washrags, dish towels or – at the very least – recycled paper products.
- Plastic food-storage containers, which – especially when heated – can leach chemicals into food. Use glass containers with lids to store your leftovers.
- Products made with PVC, which can contain endocrine-disrupting phthalates. Choose toys, shower curtains, carpeting and other products made from natural fabrics like hemp or organic cotton, and from renewable sources like cork or bamboo.
- Regular candles, which are typically made with paraffin, a petroleum product that can contaminate the air with carcinogens like toluene and benzene. Choose pure beeswax or pure soy candles instead.
- Sodas, which require vast amounts of industrial-farm corn (in the form of corn syrup) to produce, generate waste and provide nothing but empty calories. Drink water or sustainably grown, fair-trade teas and coffees instead, or use a juicer to make fresh fruit juices at home.
- Toilet-bowl cleaner, which contains toxic substances like sodium acid sulfate or hydrochloric acid. You can scrub toilets clean using natural alternatives like baking soda and vinegar, or borax and lemon juice.
- Tropical hardwoods, which are logged from threatened forests around the world. Buy renewable materials like bamboo instead.
The copyright of the article Shopping Greener in 2007 in Green/Simple Living is owned by Shirley Siluk Gregory. Permission to republish Shopping Greener in 2007 must be granted by the author in writing.
