The Green Product Junkie’s “How To Go Green” Guide!

Here are some small changes and products that really help the planet!   I also have an Eco Amazon store that I am constantly adding to each time I see something that helps cut down on plastic or makes upcycling easier. 

REFILLABLE GREEN BEAUTY

20% off.  Can you imagine how many plastic shampoo, conditioner, face/body wash bottles we use?  Well, Plaine Products is on a quest to do something about it!  Here’s how it works:  you purchase what you need from Plaine, when you’re finished, you send back the bottles, (they’re treat – they include a label with delivery) and they send you back new ones.  The products themselves are very green and the scents are wonderful.  Plus, the bottles are generous.  They’re perfect for families, too.  DEAL:  20% off with code: GPJ.  Get them here.

PLASTIC-FREE LAUNDRY SHEETS…NO JUG!

These vegan laundry sheets are brilliant.  You can use them in both hot and cold water, they are Paraben and Phosphate-free, free of added dyes, chlorine bleach, biodegradable, hypoallergenic and vegan.  They have a dramatically smaller eco-footprint than liquid and powder detergents. It’s light weight reduces transportation fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 94% compared to today’s leading-brand liquid and powder detergent.  This is a massive upgrade if you’re trying to quit plastic.  Get them by clicking here.

SHOWER FILTER + ECO RAZORS + SHAMPOO

I’ve gone on about how much I love my filtered shower water head that I’ve had for many years.  Why a filter? Chlorine vapors are unhealthy to be breathing in, unfiltered water dries out the skin and hair and filtered water will keep your hair color longer.  How about shaving your legs?  Well, it just got cooler as you can get a Preserve razor (I’ve had mine for over 9 years now, I just buy new blades).  These razors are made from recycled yogurt cups and will, once again, be recycled.  Another cool razor?  This set.  Traveling and don’t want to carry shampoo/conditioner bottles?  Get the multi-use Shampoo Bars from Meow Meow Tweet that you can use on both your hair and body and no plastic packaging.  Vegan, too.

GO PURE POD

Never buy plastic water bottles again!  Throw one of these pods into ANY water (water fountain, tap, whatever) and they filter 99% of lead and arsenic and 97% of chlorine and fluoride right out of your regular tap water.  This pod also re-mineralizes tap water while increasing pH balance.  So, instead of buying plastic water bottles, just carry this in your bag (comes in an cute little eco packaging of glass and cork) and drop it into your water and you’ll get clean, healthy and great-tasting water…EVERYWHERE  Get it here.

COMPOSTABLE/BIODEGRADABLE BANDAGES

PATCH BANDAGES How cool are these? Bandages don’t decompose as they’re made from plastic, making them just another strain on the environment. Patch bandages are made from bamboo, so they are 100% biodegradable (you can even put them in the compost bin). Sterile, there are three types: Light Bamboo for cuts and scratches, Activated Charcoal for bites and splinters, Panda Bamboo with coconut oil for abrasions and grazes and Tan Bamboo for burns and blisters. FDA approved, too.  DEAL:  Take 10% off with code: GPJ. Shop here.

WASHING BAG FOR SYNTHETIC FABRICS

Love this little eco-washing bag.  This is a very cool product and until washing machines come with a filter that does this for us, we’ll have to use these little guys.  This bag collects your microplastic waste from synthetic fabrics so it doesn’t end up in our waterways.  Sadly, fabrics like fleece and the majority of workout wear are made from synthetic fabrics, so this bag is pretty brilliant!  Check it out here.

PLASTIC-FREE DISHWASHING BLOCK

This plastic-free dishwashing block is plastic-free, fragrance-free, palm oil-free, won’t dry out your hands (has aloe vera) and all you need is a gentle scrub brush (lasts even longer with a rag).  This block replaces THREE plastic bottles of dishwashing soap and will keep even longer if you’re just using it for pots and pans.  Get it by clicking here.

ECO BAGS, WALLETS, SHOES + CLOTHING

If you were ever on the fence about wearing vegan clothing, bags or shoes, you need to check out the latest from  Matt + Nat.  Their work is phenomenal and completely high fashion.  They use over 1 million plastic bottles a year to line their bags with and that makes me pretty happy. They’ve also recently starting working with recycled bicycle tires, too and use other sustainable materials like cork.  It just makes so much sense to me to get rid of our plastic in such a great way.  Check out the line here.

REUSABLE DIAPERS

Hmmm…when I read that it takes 500 years for disposable diapers to decompose, I was shocked and really sad.  I mean, I don’t know anyone who uses reusable ones and the ones they’re making now are waterproof, adorable and save money and the planet.  How could you go wrong?  Check out some of these cute ones here. 

REFORMATION X NEW BALANCE SNEAKS

These new eco sneakers are killing it.  These sneakers are made using eco-friendly materials like post-consumer recycled polyester in the linings, laces and labels, chrome free suede, and shoe inserts made from a combination of EVA foam and BLOOM algae.  Shop here. 

COFFEE?  TEA?  STARBUCKS LOVER?

Keep Cups.  Okay, time’s up, everyone.  It’s enough with the coffee/tea “disposable” cups.  This is what you need and why you need it:

• Over 58 billion disposable cups are discarded to landfills, so that’s, 158 disposable cups for every US inhabitant…gross.
• We’re ripping about 4 billion trees out of the ground for paper products…sad.
• Your coffee/tea-cup is most likely lined with polyethylene, so it won’t be recycled so it’ll end up in a landfill.
• Litter is a big issue.  How many of these cups do you see thrown on the ground or left in stores on shelves?
• What about those plastic lids?  Yeah, about 700-1,000 years to biodegrade.  In a word?  Senseless.  My full review on Keep Cups is here.

ECO ORAL + NEW RECYCLING PROGRAM

Two of the top items found during beach cleanups? toothbrushes and floss containers.  Firstly, there’s plenty of natural toothpastes out there that are not in plastic packaging.  I recommend tablets here or Davids toothpaste in sustainable packaging. You can also get yourself an inexpensive Preserve toothbrush that has been made out of recycled yogurt cups and will be recycled into another toothbrush when you’re finished with it.  If you want to use a bamboo one, that’s great too, as it’s biodegradable, has non-BPA bristles and the packaging is compostable. Floss containers are also a colossal waste…a little plastic container that goes straight into a landfill?  Eco-Dent is housed in a paper container that is recyclable. Plus, it’s inexpensive AND there’s lots of floss in there.  If you have old plastic toothbrushes, containers and toothpaste tops, they most likely will NOT be recycled.  The Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program with Terracycle will recycle them for you.  Get the details here.

MORE LAUNDRY OPTIONS…

Even though I was buying eco-friendly laundry detergent packaged in an eco-friendly container, there was still a plastic cap on the bottle and that annoyed me.  So, I got myself some compostable and eco-friendly soap nuts.  Use about 3-4 of them per load (they can be re-used until they break down), put them in a muslin bag (usually comes with a few), throw the bag in your laundry and start washing. They also soften clothes, so there’s no need to use dryer sheets.  For cold water cycles (which we all should be using) just take your bag of soap nuts, soak for a minute in a little in hot water, and throw both the soapy water and the wet soap nuts in the wash. The hot water helps the soap nuts get prepped for their job.

KITCHEN

There’s so many changes that you can make in the kitchen from cleaning supplies to compostable bags (yes, composting is essential for the planet).  There’s lots of products here. 

EATING + DRINKING OUT

Instead of using plastic utensils when you’re out, bring your own reusable utensils  and if you’re having a party or an event where you need straws, make sure to get yourself some gorgeous reusable straws.  Having a party? Amazon has beautiful Chevron paper straws that definitely are better than plastic and look it, too. Did you know that each day we use 500,000,000 straws and most end up in our waters?  A plastic straw will take between 700-1,000 to biodegrade too…whatta waste! In addition, if you’re having a party, you can also get your table wear from Earth’s Natural Alternative or any compostable table wear brand.  Seeing a black plastic bag filled with plastic plates, forks and knives just about kills my soul.  

YOUR NEW, AND BASIC, WATER BOTTLE

Who doesn’t love a Mason jar?  I use one of these every time I go to the gym.  This bottle can be used over and over and rids you of the need for a plastic straw.  Use for hot or cold, it’s gorgeous and eco.  Great for keeping in the house, too.

*This post contains affiliate links so if you purchase, I may get compensated for my writing.  Isn’t that wonderful?  Thanks for your support!