☮ "Be the Change" Clothing & Consumerism ☮

We all do it, we love to buy Things. We all have our vices. Our society teaches us to consume. It is what our economy is based on. The system does not work. But it is why we love to buy so much. We have essentially been taught: You are what you Buy. Your social status, your livelihood, your happiness all depends on what you wear and what you buy. This is not truly the case, of course, but it is the illusion that is embedded into our brains by lovely Society. And it has been working. We are perfect little puppets without even being aware of it.

It is wrong for so many reason, but that rant is for another time ;)

"Things" do not bring true Happiness. A momentary "high"...maybe. But not Happiness or any feeling of true fulfillment. 

Our relentless need to consume is becoming much too taxing on our environment. Economy has been placed above Ecology. And this simply can not work. It is why we will end up killing our planet, and therefore ourselves... all in the name of consumerism and Things. 

Imagine another species of life from another planet observing us... Oh, how did these people die? Well, they destroyed their planet so they could have "things". Wha??!!!! *smacks forhead*

Is this reaaaally how we want to go out?? 

Here's a little look into the Fabric Industry....

It is one of the most polluting on the planet! Cotton soaks up 10% of the world's pesticides and 25% of its insecticides--many of which are carcinogens (cancer-causing), toxic, and cause major water pollution. It takes 1/2 pound of chemicals to produce one regular old t-shirt. Is it worth it? Do you even really want to wear toxins on your skin?

Anyways, there's my little ramble for the day. Now, here are some tips to greening up your footprint when it comes to "Things" and Consumerism...

☮ Buy Organic or Sustainable: such as Organic Cotton, Hemp, Soy, Bamboo, or recycled fibres for clothing and other items. There are so many choices out there now so there's really no excuse! If you have a favorite designer, ask them to use eco-friendly materials as well. Remember consumer-demand is everything!  

☮ Buy Second Hand! There is nothing less environmentally straining than buying something second-hand! We have enough materials out there to easily please us. Be creative and go exploring. There are plenty of fun treasures to uncover and reinvent!  

☮ Buy FairTrade & Close to Home: On top of the above, just as equally important is to be aware of WHERE the products are made. No one wants to support child labour and unfair labour laws! Also, mass production in foreign countries with no pollution laws is a frightening thought--even if the tag does read "Organic." Not to mention all those items then have to cross oceans and travel all over the place before they get to stores and then you. Buying Locally is so important and supporting Handmade goods as well. There are sooooo many amazing products out there that fit this ideal. p.s. Etsy is a great place to search! :)  

☮ Buy LESS: We don't need to consume as much as we do. Remember, you can't buy Happiness. Be happy with what you have. Splurge every once in a while, sure, but learn some restraint. Plus, it's easier on the pocket. Simplicity is environmentally friendly and it's sexy! ;)

☮ Clear out your Closet: Chances are, your closet is over-crowded. There's probably items in there that you barely wear or maybe have only worn once, or maybe that you didn't even know were in there. What are they doing there?? If you don't wear them, give them away, donate them, or repurpose them--but don't just throw them out, that's wasteful. I cleared out my own closet during the recent move--twice. Once while packing, and again when unpacking. I was embarrassed by the humungous pile I had laying on my bed. Someone else will want and/or appreciate some of those things you have, so give a little!  

☮ Re-Wear, Re-Wear, and Wear again! Why on earth do we wear one item and then throw it in the laundry? This is so wasteful! I re-wear my clothes many many times before they go to my laundry machine. And don't give me the smelly excuse. I sweat a lot, I'm a smelly Italian girl ;) and I still manage to re-wear my clothes without being stinky. Even if you just wash the arm-pits of a hoodie and re-wear it, this is still much better than clothes going directly to your laundry machine.  

☮ Do Laundry Less: The above tip is a good one to do Laundry less. It is a new commitment for me, even though I already only did laundry once ever three weeks. I now go at least a month and a half before doing laundry! It is a great feeling to know I can manage to do this! :)    

☮ Hang Dry! If you're able to, absolutely hang-dry your clothes! This eliminates the need for wasted energy from your dryer--and again, is easier on the pocket. 

Even though I was already very eco-conscious in my buying habits before, I still wanted to improve. I have now made 

the Commitment to only buy Organic or Eco-friendly Products. 

Not just for clothes, but for everything I buy, ever. 

I'm enjoying it thoroughly and it is incredibly rewarding. Sometimes you have to dig a little harder if there is something you're after, but there is always a solution. Plus, you end up finding some really neat things this way! ^_^

Remember, no matter what Society will have you believe, You are NOT what you Buy! 

What are Your new Earth Commitments lately?  

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca  

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☮ "Be the Change": Clearing up the Kitchen & Food & Such ☮

I haven't taken the time to actually really post much of what I have been up to with this personal challenge, so I decided it was time to check in ;)

I've had a busy two months and I wanted to share some of the things I've taken up lately. Some of these I was already doing, some are new, all will benefit yourself, your pockets, and Mother Earth. 

This post is looking largely to do with the Kitchen and Eating Environment...

☮ Composting: We realized that about 95% of our garbage was compostable so we'd cringe at our last place when we'd be taking out unneeded trash. We bought a composter (second-hand at that!) and so our new goal is to only go through...

☮ ONE GARBAGE BAG for the whole year! So far it's looking good. I hugely strongly encourage you all to do this! By composting and recycling, there is no reason this challenge is not possible. 

☮ Buying in BULK: at our local natural food store they have sooooo many items in bulk, we are totally loving it! We get to reuse containers so creating less waste, plus it's cheaper too! :) 

☮ ReUsing Containers: from food products, such as yogurt containers, cereal boxes (I reuse these as packaging boxes for Alter-Eco), etc etc. They make great containers to store leftovers in and such, so reuse them before recycling!

☮ Steer Clear of Over-Packaging! It is heavily engraved with both myself and the hubby that when we buy something we look at the packaging. Is it recyclable? Bio-degrable? Reusable? Or is it plastic that will end up in a landfill? Be conscious in everything you buy, all the time! 

☮ Reusable Shopping Bags: this one we are seeing everywhere and there is simply no excuse for plastic bags anymore. They are wasteful and they are destroying our habitats, especially our oceans! There is actually an "island" of plastic twice the size of texas in our ocean! Gross and so wrong!   

☮ Bring your own Mug: Next time you go to get your morning coffee, latte, or what have you, bring your own mug! There is no need for that wasted paper cup and plastic lid. Sure, lots of companies are starting to use compostable or recyclable cups but not all places will recycle them (Tim Hortons claims theirs are recyclable when in fact they are not), plus reusing your own cup is much easier on the environment than recycling.

☮ Bring your own Takeout Container: the same thing goes for any kind of takeout. Bring your own tupperware or container instead of using those wasteful takeout styrofoam or plastic ones that restaurants and fast-food joints use. 

☮ Use your own Water-Bottle: This one is a no-brainer yet so many people are still buying plastic bottles instead of carrying their own water-bottle with them. That plastic is aweful!!! And unneccasary! And cancerous and toxic for your body! Always use your own water-bottle. There is simply no excuse. Ever! 

There are so many easy steps we can take to help our Planet. Keep doing new things for yourself and for Earth. It's rewarding! Plus, there might be a world left for our children and theirs to come. 

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca   

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☮ "Be The Change" Challenge! ☮

Alright Lovelies, it's time to step it up! And I'm giving you some extra incentive to jump on board--although saving your own home (Earth) and human life (yourself) should be all the incentive you need. 

Changing and helping Planet Earth starts with Each of Us, as an individual to contribute to a Global Movement. 

I am making it a personal mission to use everyday as an opportunity to help the Planet. This means that Everyday I will find some new way to help or contribute. 

I encourage all of you to take up this Challenge as well! 

**This Challenge will be Officially starting in the New Year (2011) once there are enough people expressing interest! Leave a Comment to show you're interested!**

The Challenge:

When you wake up in the morning, ask the question;

"What can I do for Mother Earth today?"

Then, do something for your planet! 

Strive to make changes in your every day life that help. You may be surprised by how much fun it can be, how rewarding it is, and how passionate you will become about saving Earth. 

Keep track of all the changes and eco-goodness you've been up to throughout the week and the month. As an extra challenge, see if you can do something new for the well-being of the planet every single day. Then, Share what you've been up to on the end of the Month "Be the Change Challenge" blog post.  

The Reward:

Aside from saving your home (and therefor yourselves) and feeling great about doing something so important, I am adding a little extra incentive...

Once the Challenge is underway, I will have a draw for a $$ Gift Certificate(s) to Alter-Eco Clothing, as well as a package of other Goodies to include with your purchase ^_^. 

How to Get Entries in the Draw:

There will be a Green "checklist" in a Page on the Blog with all sorts of Eco Changes you can do. For each Green thing that you're doing, it counts as a point, and therefore an Entry in the Draw. That's right, each point counts for One Entry!! That means you can get tons and tons of Entries for the draw!! The Greener you are the higher your chance of winning!!  

Points will be tallied up at the end of each month so I can keep track. 

Again, post your Green List in the end of the Month "Be the Change Challenge" Blog post. 

Any New Green ideas will be added to our "Be The Change: Green List" as our Challenge progresses. We can watch it grow together!! Pretty exciting? I think so! ^_^

Little rules to follow...

It seems a bit redundant that I have to bother with some of these details, but here we go anyways...

*Be HONEST! Remember, Lying is Bad Karma. And no one should be lying when it comes to doing something good. 

*When posting your entries, be sure to give your full name with your entry (so there's no cheating by using multiple accounts to get more entries). If you don't want to share your name openly, send me an email through the ReLove Plan.et website with your username and real name so I know who you are. 

*Please don't make these Green choices for a day or a week and then abandon them. Strive to Green your life and become part of the Change. It is incredibly rewarding! 

I have created this Challenge to give you some extra incentive, please be respectful in return in your honesty and efforts for Planet Earth. 

Need Ideas?

Not sure what you can do for the planet? Plenty! But if you truly can't think of anything or just need some new ideas, worry not, I've got you covered! 

As well as our "Be the Challenge: Green List" that you can use for reference...I will, of course, be taking up this challenge (don't worry, I can't enter the draw ~_^) and will be sharing my own Green Changes in weekly Blog posts for some extra encouragement and motivation.

So have fun and get involved! Start today! 

If you want to take up this Challenge please leave a comment and get others involved! 

There needs to be enough people taking part in this Challenge to be worth while! Also, if this is a success then I will be advancing the Challenge as it progresses, with  extra goodies to win! ~_^

Every day is a Gift. Accept it and return the Love. 

"Be the Change you wish to see in the World" ~Gandhi

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca   

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.