This is a repost from my other blog. A sliver of history. Take note that statements in this article may no longer reflect my current understandings of the topics discussed.
A lot has changed since I wrote my last years' entry on how I was trying to create a more sustainable lifestyle for myself. I've taken a deep dive into ethical and sustainable fashion, given some thought to the ideal of only using "natural products" in skincare and gotten compost. Some things have come while others have become a little less prominent in my life this last year.
Changes in my view on low impact skincare
Last year I wrote about trying new products for skin care without knowing
much about skincare to begin with. Beauty and fashion have never been a
part of my interest. For once, I was using coconut oil as moisturizer
something that worked for me for a while but generally had no effect
after a while so I quit. Would still suggest it as an eye-makeup remover
(or get other oils to use as a makeup remover.) I also tried to make my
own body butter with natural ingredients and while it works, it's not
really something I would recommend. Most of the products I tried to
replicate at home, I'm no longer using or using up with little intention
to make again. I was acting on a high and I wanted them to work well
and they didn't work for me. Some of what's recommended if you google
natural beauty are not clever to put on your face, fx. raw aloe vera and
using a sugar scrub on your face. Instead, I've made these alterations:
i. Choosing vegan brands without\less harmful chemicals.
ii. I look out for recyclable, recycled or refill packaging. However, after a dive into why the packaging is what it is and how effective the different types are,
I try to pick after what will last me the longest (as I do not consume
makeup fast at all. They always 'expire' long before I've emptied them.)
and after material and location of the brand.
iii. I have a
minimal skincare routine. My first goal was to clear my acne so I
started with the basics and then built a little bit on it month by month
to see what works, what I break out on etc.
iv. Educating
myself on which ingredients and which should be good for my skin type
has been so important for me in picking the product I want! If you're
looking for a resource, I would recommend checking out Kenna on youtube. She's a biochemist and talks about skincare and ingredients from a scientific perspective.
Changes in my view on sustainable and ethical fashion
This last year I've done several courses on the fashion industry and sustainability. I learned a lot. Most of it can be found as summaries under the "fashion" category on this blog. This
is a topic that generally has diverging opinions and is more or less a
result of personal values when it comes to certain matters. To address
the "low impact" part of it first, I've become quite selective in what I
buy, which material and quality. While this is a privilege I'm still
finding a middle-road to, I know my values are moving towards investing
in fewer, more lasting pieces that fit my body than some that are cheap
and lose their shape fast. I want my clothing to last and I'm tired of
having clothing I don't like after a year. I don't care much about
trends in fashion, but what these courses have given me is more or less
the idea that how you look matter and it is a way of expressing
yourselves. I've never really known my style. Most of the time I haven't
felt like I had a style at all. What I am aiming for this year is to
start picking out pieces that are more me and not necessarily only
basics because there are ways I want to use my clothing to create an
expression of who I am and what's important to me. However, consuming
and even finding the type of garments I want sustainable and ethical is a
nail in a haystack. What I've come to notice is that most
sustainable\ethical companies make basics or clothes in quite a similar
style. Most is a style that I don't really enjoy myself. Therefore, I've
currently started looking into Vintage items to see if that can be a
better route for me when it comes to sustainable fashion. I'm also
giving small businesses on Etsy more of a chance. After reading The Ins and Outs of International Shipping by
Good On You I've opened up more for shopping ethical\sustainable
companies worldwide, but as usual, both toll and shipping are additional
costs that truly pull forth the privilege of personal economy and
location.
When it comes to the fashion industry itself,
staying away from typical fast fashion companies is something I do and
feel bad for if I don't do. There are expectations as I can't afford to
buy all my stuff sustainable and ethically produced, but as a result, I
prefer to buy less than to consume something fast fashion that I don't
gravely need myself, or from brands I don't like.
The changes in how I consume books
I
am not in the headspace to stop consuming physical copies of books and I
doubt I ever will be. Physical copies are the best ways of reading and
not something I intend to let go of as an avid reader and bookstagrammer. However,
I wanted to do something and getting myself back into the values I had
had a year prior about how I preferred to consume books. First and
foremost, finish the books I buy. All the books I buy. I always
feel a certain dissatisfaction when I know I've spent money on x book(s)
and I didn't like it or finish it. As of 2016, I'd read all the books I
bought but I wasn't able to keep up my reading speed anymore but I kept
on buying the books I wanted to read. While I did bulk buy books a few
times a year for environmental reasons, I simply had too many in my
bookshelf that I didn't like, didn't finish or didn't vibe with
anymore.
i. My first action was to make a pile of the
books I had that I hadn't read and made it a goal to finish them before I
bought any new book. Since many of those books weren't on my radar
anymore, they blocked my will to read and I ended up consuming a few new
series that reignited my will for reading. I'm still working my way
through the surplus books but I'm not letting them hold me back from
enjoying other stories nor new books again. Books and reading is
something that's crucial for my mental health and wellbeing, they just
leave me feeling better and while my attempt to make use of all the
resources I had did work to a degree, I had to start letting some of the
books that I couldn't find it in myself to read go. As a compromise on
some of them, I decided to pick them up as audiobooks (Storytel,
Adubile) as a last resort and in the hope that I did get to finish the
books properly. I do love stories and a half-finished story always
leaves me feeling askew.
ii. Second, I sorted through my old
books and sold some of the books I no longer needed or wanted to keep. I
intend to donate the ones that don't sell or aren't taken in by someone
I know. I don't trash or burn books under any circumstances. I would
rather just store them away until an occasion raise.
iii.
Third, I buy fewer books and I use several platforms. Audiobooks,
e-books, paperbacks or hardbacks are all different formats giving you
the same story. When I buy firsthand books now, I've put much more value
in looking into which stories I find interesting than what is popular
and trending. I do anticipate a few new books each year but there are
less. I probably buy max 10 books a year in physical copies as well as
taking advantage of audiobooks and e-books with books I'm less sure
about. I also very much enjoy the previews ebooks give you to 'test' if I
think I'll like a book or not.
iv. Four, I aim for using the library for any book that isn't a new release and that is available.
Bokashi
Compost
is still a new thing into our household and in the testing stages. I
still have to figure out how to do it properly before I can say much
about how it works out. The only thing I noticed is that it's incredibly
satisfying to be able to know the organic waste I create while making
food doesn't need to go into the trash bin but rather into compost and
continue to circulate in our environment.
picture: unsplash
My favorite low impact swaps thus far
My
favorite swaps are a stainless steel razor, a package-free shampoo bar,
and a period cup. These were one of my first swaps and the ones that
have stayed with me the longest and in the best fate. They are quite
satisfying as they make such a difference to how much waste I create in
the bathroom. Stainless steel razor and reusable period tools are also
good for your wallet in the long run. I also quite enjoy stainless steel
straws (and only stainless steel, bamboo sucks) and use them now and
then. While I could have quit straws entirely I have always loved them a
little bit more than the rest of my family and find them a rather fun
addition to most drinks than if it was without so I wouldn't like to
live without it when I strictly don't need to.
One of my
missions this last year has been to try and find a sulfate-free shampoo
bar to trade the one from Lush since I learned that sulfate is harmful
to aquatic life. I've tried oil bars which did not work at all for my
hair. Right now, I'm moving back to Lush since it has a bar I trust and
know works for me until I'm able to set off money to try another
sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner that ship to my country.
The
rest is more or less a question of using up what I already have before
finding a reason to buy something new to "swap" it for.
One
important thing about doing any of these swaps is that you should care
for the item you buy and treat it with care. It will make the experience
so much better. Give it a second thought rather than one too few.
My goals for 2020
i. This
year I want to create my own low impact laundry routine to better take
care of my clothing. Right now, this includes switching out the washing
powder and getting a guppy friend brag (which I've delayed so much it's
embarrassing.)
Afterthought
I
usually go into ideas that I like incredibly idealistic, meaning most
won't live up to my expectations or be as simple as I make it out to be.
In another sense, it makes me very open-minded about the somewhat
controversial changes and not seeing them as unusual at all after a
short time. I often find myself thinking that to remove something small
but normal in your life or changing up a small thing is simple and done
in a day, but I have to return and address the aspects of mental health
and ableism and to write this afterthought as a disclaimer that a
'sustainable lifestyle' never should feel stripping or be unhealthy for
you - mentally or physically. Health always comes first. Zero-waste, low
impact - whatever you want to call it - are movements in development
based on the successes on a few, leading zero waste lives. Most don't
acknowledge privilege in the way the guidelines for sustainable living
exist, it doesn't include disabilities or much beyond the idea that
"this creates the least waste or the least GHG impact." (Depending on
where you look, zero waste is primarily a waste movement and doesn't
necessarily value all aspects of production and GHG releases equal to
not creating waste.) To put it simple, you have to find something that
works for you and is healthy for you. It isn't sustainable if it isn't
sustainable for your lifestyle. One version of it doesn't fit all. No
one is truly zero waste.
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