5 THINGS YOU NEED TO DITCH IN 2022 IF YOU GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT

It’s 2020 people, and as we all know we are tackling the ongoing issue of climate change (among many other things). It’s time to get our shit together and stop using / buying cheap harmful products when there are more sustainable solutions out there. These are just 5 things you needed to ditch yesterday, that will help you live a more eco friendly lifestyle and will aid in the healing of the earth.

key takeaways from this post: be mindful of your consumer habits- consume less, consume quality, and consume sustainably.

Table of Contents

1. STYROFOAM

Styrofoam is at the top of this list since it is the worst for the environment AND your health. It is so bad that it has already been banned in many places all over the world. We are putting ourselves at risk and polluting the environment by using and producing this material. You see it everywhere, being used for take out containers, cups, plates, in packing industries, etc, but we have got to find other materials to use.

so what exactly is styrofoam?

Styrofoam is made of polystyrene, a petroleum based plastic, which contains harmful neurotoxins like benzene and styrene. Styrene has been linked to adverse health effects in humans such as irritation of the eyes, skin, upper respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract problems. Chronic exposure can affect the central nervous system resulting in headaches, weakness, kidney function, depression and fatigue. Styrofoam does not break down or degrade over time and cannot be recycled (unless you go to a specialized facility).

You can search for foam recycling near you here or here.

In 1986, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the manufacturing process of polystyrene was the fifth largest source of hazardous waste in the world.

“Although polystyrene represents less than 1 percent of solid waste generated in the United States, at least 2.3 million tons of it is dumped in U.S. landfills each year. Only 1 percent of polystyrene waste is currently recycled.”
– American Chemical Society

We’ve all probably seen a cup tossed and burned in a fire, but what we were actually seeing was polystyrene melt and release large amounts of carbon monoxide and toxic chemicals into the air, who knew!! Even if you’re not actively burning styrofoam, the heat from your food will cause those chemicals to leach into your food which in turn will go into your body and ultimately absorb into your blood (yuck!). It does the same thing when discarded in landfills, the heat from the sun causes the harmful air pollutants to leak out into the air and increases the depletion our ozone layer.

what you can do:

Refuse to use and find another alternative material
If you do use it, you can look up styrofoam recycle facilities
Produce less waste, and bring your own Tupperware container
Eat at restaurants with the Green Dining Alliance certification so you know you won’t receive a styrofoam container
If you happen to use a styrofoam item, make sure to tell the restaurant you would like to see alternative options so they can hopefully transition and become part of the green dining alliance

find a Green Dining Alliance certified restaurant here.

If we keep using styrofoam, our demand will create more need for it, and the earth will never get rid of this toxic trash. So let’s make sure to use our dollars to support things that support the health of our planet.

2. SINGLE USE PLASTICS

I really wanted to put this first but since some can be recycled it is a little less harmful than styrofoam (BUT STILL NEEDS TO BE DITCHED). From plastic straws, plastic bags, plastic water bottles, plastic wrappers, etc, the list is pretty extensive of the amount of everyday items we use that involve plastic. Plastic brings some conveniences that we have now normalized, but we have to stay mindful of our consumer habits. Way too many times I see people using plastic bags for something they could have easily carried or using an un-needed plastic straw for a drink they could just have drank without one (we got hands for a reason people). It is my top priority to enact a plastic free lifestyle and I do everything I can to try to avoid plastic since it is used basically everywhere.

It has filled our landfills, oceans, our food, bodies, and so much more. We have to stop using it for our own convenience and stop supporting a throwaway culture. After a single use, it rots in our landfills for thousands of years. Often we think by throwing something away it disappears, when in reality it stays in our environment for centuries.

Since plastic is made to be durable, it is harder for the environment to break it down, causing it to break into little pieces known as microplastics. Many of these microplastics are flowing in our environment which leads to animals or marine creatures mistaking it for food, which in turn ends up on your dinner plate. Exposure to microplastics and the chemicals in plastic can harm the health of both animals and humans. Many of the chemicals found in plastic can cause health impacts including reproductive problems like infertility, hormonal imbalances, and even cancer.

Today we produce about 300 million tons of plastic waste every year, almost equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. Since the 1950’s researchers estimate that more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced, with 60% of that going to either our landfills or littered in our natural environment. We often prioritize connivence over durability, instead of considering in its long term impacts and investing in quality goods.

If current trends continue, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050.
– United Nations Environment

While there are some important uses for plastic like surgical gloves and such, that only represents a small portion of the waste that is currently filling our landfills. Half of all plastic that is produced is designed to only be used once, hence “single use”. Although some plastic can be recycled, only about 9% of all plastic that has ever been produced has actually been recycled. This is because most recycling is contaminated or it is more cost effective for them to just throw it away vs reuse it in other materials. A lot of the businesses that produce these plastics only care about their bottom line, not the effects their products will have on the future.

what you can do:

SAY NO TO SINGLE USE PLASTIC. It will be hard at first since it is literally everywhere, but the main thing you can do is be mindful of your consumption and have the power to say no.
Swap out the usuals for sustainable switches- reusable bags, water bottles, metal straws, etc. Shop for zero waste swaps here (10% off with code MONICAROAMS)
Avoid plastic wrap, produce wrapped in plastic, and individually packed items. Buy in bulk to reduce plastic!
Ask companies to use plastic free deliver options, or shop at stores that actively try to reduce their waste/use eco friendly packaging practices

3. FAST FASHION

Trust me, I did it too. I fell for the low prices and the cute trendy clothes that masked the horrible working conditions real people had to go through in order for us to capture those deals. I was working with a budget and figured fast fashion was the only way to get cute clothes, but that is not the case anymore with so many slow fashion options popping up.

what is fast fashion?

Fast fashion is the business model practiced by many popular companies that use cheap materials and labor in order to mass produce fast, inexpensive, on-trend clothing. Some huge fast fashion brands include Zara, H&M, Bohoo, NastyGal, Princess Polly Boutique, SHEIN, FashionNova, Gap, Urban Outfitters, Pretty Little Thing, Victoria Secret, Forever 21, Asos, and the list goes on.

“As consumers, we have so much power to change the world just by being careful of what we buy”
Emma Watson

Fashion is the second biggest polluting industry in the world, creating cheap low quality clothes that exploit workers, uses up the worlds water supply, and pollute rivers/ streams (90% of wastewater -containing toxic substances like lead, mercury and arsenic – in developing countries gets discharged into rivers without treatment). Although the fashion industry uses 1.5 trillion liters of water each year, there are still 750 million people without access to clean drinking water.

The push to quickly produce clothes is often prioritized over the workers rights and safety. About 80% of the clothing in fast fashion is made by women in other countries aged 18-24 that only get paid $3 a day. Not only are you supporting horrible working conditions by buying fast fashion, you are also contributing to higher carbon emissions and waste; the fashion industry makes up 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions (1.2 billion tons) and fills landfills with 2.5 billion tons of clothing annually.

Since these items are made so cheaply, they are often thrown away faster since the item begins to fall apart over time, this inevitably means you’re just tossing your money away as well. This can be not only be harmful to people, but also very harmful to the environment. On average, about 700,000 microfibers are released from clothing each washing cycle which then goes into our water supply.

A 2017 report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated that 35% of all microplastics — very small pieces of plastic that never biodegrade — in the ocean came from the laundering of synthetic textiles like polyester.
-IUCN

what you can do:

Invest in quality clothing that is manufactured ethically and made sustainably
Avoid buying from fast fashion brands and support local, slow fashion labels
Research brands and find out what they’re doing for Corporate Social Responsibility
Buy only what you need and items you truly love
Expand the lifespan of your clothes
Recycle or donate your clothes and shop for vintage/thrifted clothes

4. MEAT/ ANIMAL PRODUCTS

I used to eat the “normal” diet containing meat and dairy products, but as I grow older and look at the research, it shows that one of the single best things anyone can do for this planet is eating a plant based diet. I know it is hard for many people to consider eating plant based, especially if they were raised on the notion that we need meat for protein and survival, but as more options are becoming available why should we keep consuming animal products if we don’t have too?

The EPA announced that animal agriculture is the single largest contributor of methane/ greenhouse emissions worldwide, accounting for about 18% (more than all combined exhaust from transportation). Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, water pollution, habitat destruction and ocean dead zones. Countless plants and animals are threatened every year by factory farming- from cruel slaughtering, overfishing, and depleting our resources – animal agriculture is leading us towards a warming planet.

“Going vegetarian will reduce your carbon emissions by on average 31%, land use by 51%. Ditching the dairy (and eggs) and going vegan, can reduce your carbon emissions by on average 45% and land use by 55%.”
– Switch 4 Good

According to the National Institute of Health, about 65% of the worlds population is lactose intolerant, which is understandable considering cow milk is packed with growth hormones designed to turn an 85lb calf to a 1600lb animal. The dairy industry has pushed us to think that we need to drink milk in order to build strong bones, but that is actually not the case. There is research that shows a high intake of milk can actually lead to higher mortality rates. A study published by the British Medical Journal revealed that even low doses of milk (1-2 glasses) can induce natural aging (shortened life span caused by oxidative stress damage), decreased immune response, chronic inflammation, and age related bone loss.

If everyone in the US ate no meat or cheese just one day per week, it would have the environmental benefit of not driving 91 billion miles or taking 7.6 million cars off the road.
– Environmental Working Group

Not only does giving up animal products help the earth and save animal lives, it also provides health benefits! Many people find that once they cut animal products out, they have clearer skin, increased energy, less bloating, less inflammation, reduced asthma symptoms, improved digestion, weight-loss, and other lasting health effects.

what you can do:

Try other alternatives- vegan cheese, nut milks, vegan recipes
Reduce your meat consumption- try meatless Mondays!
Vegan-ize your favorite meal
Don’t be afraid of trying something new

5. BRANDS THAT TEST ON ANIMALS

This goes into the topic of not supporting unethical brands with your dollars. Thankfully nowadays people are opting for brands that are not testing on animals. @crueltyfreekitty has a lot of good information on which brands are cruelty free and which aren’t. Basically any brand that sells in China tests on animals as it is a required law in China to test on animals if you want to sell your products there.

According to Cruelty Free International, over 115 million animals are being used for animal testing worldwide each year.
– Cruelty Free International

why cruelty free?

Generally healthier since you are opting for products with no parabens, sulfates, or synthetic dies/fragrances. Many of the cruelty brands are more likely to include safer ingredients that are better for your skin.

By opting for cruelty products you are sending a message that testing on animals is wrong, because it is! Reports show that mice, rabbits, cats, and even dogs are all subjected to chemicals and kept in small cages where they either end up blind, killed or maimed. There are more than 7,000 already proven safe cosmetic ingredients and luckily with new technology there are ways to test products more humanely.

Search here to see which brands test on animals.

what you can do:

Stop supporting animal cruelty by only buying from cruelty free brands
Check the ingredients on labels
Look for brands with the Leaping Bunny
Remember that vegan does not = cruelty free

Countries around the world have already banned animal testing. If enough consumers support brands that are cruelty free we can urge companies to make a change and practice better ways of testing-without animal cruelty.

Documentaries to watch to further educate yourself:

The True Cost
What the Health
A Plastic Ocean
Chasing Coral
Ocean Blue
The Game Changers
Cowspiracy
Minimalism
Forks Over Knives
The Milk System
Fed Up
Sick and Nearly Dead
Food Inc
Planet Earth
No Impact Man
Before the Flood

Although we are working to fight these ongoing issues, there are many countries and people out there doing their part to ban harmful practices and working together to bring more awareness, be the change!

Thank you for reading! I hope this helped inspire some sustainable habits, let me know of more things we should ditch in the comments below 🙂