It’s that time of year when we look back and reflect on the previous year and think ahead to the new one. For many of us, after the indulgences of the festive period, that often means setting ourselves stringent resolutions which often don’t last. Are resolutions not the right solution then? Changing the way we live in the longer term is possibly more sustainable if done in small, considered steps.
Last New Year I embarked on three changes in my life all based on becoming a more ethical consumer. The major one was the start of my own slow fashion journey, which I’m happy to say I have done pretty well with. I have spent less, been more thoughtful with what I have bought and my purchases have been second hand and from two ethical brands; People Tree and Hiut Denim. I did buy one item from the high street (after much exhausting of other options) and I know I will get the very most out of them. I will admit though, that it was quite tempting after Christmas to see lots of lovely things for sale but I didn’t miss the Boxing Day sales madness! Secondly, after living on a tight budget for some years I had being buying cheap toiletries and cosmetics but I wanted to switch to only buying cruelty free products. Through this I have discovered some exciting cosmetics brands including Arbonne and Barefaced Beauty and gone back to some old favourites such as Neal’s Yard and Weleda. They don’t always have to be expensive either as UK supermarket own brands are also cruelty free. I have listed these any many more on my Pinterest board. Lastly I did Veganuary too, which at first seemed quite hard. Already being a vegetarian I was interested in the ethical and environmental benefits to veganism and throughout the year discovered more about its health benefits too. I managed to maintain a mainly vegan diet throughout the year, apart from my Achilles heel, cheese! So this year I have decided to ditch the cheese wherever possible. I have been excited to find this year that there seem to be more vegan options available when out and about. And of course the more it gets requested, the more it will be catered for. Here are some of the recipes I will be trying out. This year I am adding a couple more life changes that I have been investigating for some time. Firstly, after watching Blue Planet 2 I felt even more motivated to reduce my own plastic and household waste. The Zero Waste movement is gaining momentum right now but I do feel the name is not especially helpful as it is unachievable. However, it will mean changing the way I shop, especially for food due to the packaging and avoiding disposable plastics. I have compiled a Pinterest board on ideas to help any of you who are interested in joining me in this. Secondly, having a more non-toxic home will also help with reducing waste. Our grandmothers would have been very familiar with using household ingredients such as lemons and bicarbonate of soda for cleaning. Nowadays, we are exposed a multitude of different chemicals that help us clean our home but are also very harmful to our health. I want to go back to using some of those old fashioned recipes to reduce my toxic footprint and also save money. Why not give some a go yourself with some ideas from my Pinterest board? I would love to hear about what ethical life changes you are making in 2018. Happy New Year! #slowfashion #crueltyfree #veganuary #zerowaste #nontoxic |
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