Beat Plastic Pollution and Create a Sustainable Lifestyle

Let’s talk about plastic! Think for a moment about all of the things in your daily life that are made of or contain plastic. A large percentage of this is most likely single-use plastic (soda pop, milk, shampoo, soaps/detergents, toilet paper wrapping, ziplock bags, saran wrap, packaging, etc, ad noisome.) Now think of the nearly 8 billion people on our planet using the same amount if not more pieces of plastic. All of those pieces of plastic are still here in one form or another. For instance, plastic bottles take about 450-600 years to decompose and some take a THOUSAND YEARS! Yep, that’s right. A FREAKING MILLENNIA! Overall, the world produces almost 300 million tons of plastic each year, and half of that is single-use plastic that’s thrown away after its first use, according to the nonprofit Plastic Oceans International

Recent shifts in awareness have more people taking steps to reducing plastic waste and helping take preventative steps to our growing problem. Thankfully more cities are making recycling more accessible, but we have so much more work to do! More common than not, our garbage is put into a landfill, or makes its way to our oceans. UV rays break down the plastic in the ocean into smaller and smaller fragments known as MICROPLASTICS and our sea life is consuming it thinking its food! Studies show that micro-plastics are now being found in the fish we eat!

The two most common plasticizers are called Phthalates and BPA. These are the culprits to the toxicity in our bodies. According the the EPA, plasticizers are over 10,000 to 1,000,000 times higher in our bodies than any other toxins!  So what does that mean?

-These create a ZINC DEFICIENCY which will compromise the metabolism of vitamins A and B-6. This could lead to indigestion, depression, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and accelerated aging. 

-They have been found to be responsible for damaging the Pancreas, leading to DIABETES, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome X. 

- Phthalates have been known to damage the chemistry of the fatty acid, DHA. This is the fundamental chemistry necessary for making every cell lining or membrane. These fatty acids are the foundation for brain health including MEMORY and recall. https://www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com/public/919.cfm

-They have also been linked to ADHD and Autism

Seeing the destruction to our oceans and sea life can be extremely heartbreaking, but remember those small changes YOU can make in your daily life are HUGE! 

I’ve compiled a list of sustainable products I’ve found useful for switching out in our household from Amazon that you might find useful!

https://www.amazon.com/shop/chenoa.brookins

Depending on where you live, you might find it useful to save this list and look for it in your local store too! I highly encourage you to give some of these things a try, and make some small tweaks to your normal routine. This is for you, your health, your well-being, your family, your food, and your planet. Take care of yourself and create a more Eco-Friendly life! You and your planet deserve it! I am always here if you need advice! xo

If not now, when? If not me, who? 

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”