10 Tips to be more Eco

Want to know how to actually do, "Buy less, choose well, make it last"? Here are 10 easy home living or office tips that will get you there in a jif

Whether you are wanting to improve your personal behaviour, have an eco friend over or giving an eco gift and you don't want to f*up, this failsafe list of Do-s and mostly Don't-s, that will get you there and make you look like an eco rock star:

1. DON'T BUY LIQUID SOAPS OR SHAMPOOS
   
   There are plenty of excellent Bar options around and you can choose the oils the work for the your choice. Make sure you choose Palm Oil free.
2. DON'T BUY INTO PLASTIC / REFILLS THAT USE MORE PLASTIC
   
   This is where you buy a plastic container of household and body products which then gets refilled using plastic pouches that you send back and get more product (in a plastic pouch) when your current stash ends. (Businesses claiming to to be eliminating plastic waste by selling you plastic containers and then travelling them around the country are interesting, but possibly confused.) There are 4 widely available options when it comes to reducing single use plastic in household and body products. Each starts with you having a container you use over and over again.
   
   
   
   1. Buy bulk and refil yourself
   2. Take your container to the local store who allow you to refil
   3. Buy concentrates and add as you need to yhr containers you have
   4. Buy zero water products that you can put in containers you already have, add water and make yourself.
   
   
3. DON'T USE DISHWASHER TABLETS
   
   (or anything that forces you to use a set size). Buy powder and experiment with your own dishwasher till you get the amount that you really need right. (This also allows you to vary what you use based on the dishes you are washing.) Just toss the powder anywhere inside your dishwasher like on the door, close it and proceed as usual.
4. IF YOU BUY A DISHWASHER RINSE AID, WATER IT DOWN WITH VINEGAR
   
   At around 1/3 : 2/3 reduction, it works just as effectively, leaves no streaks, which vinegar alone tends to do. 
5. DON'T BUY PROCESSED VEGAN FOODS OR BODY PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN PALM OIL
   
   or any of its derivatives. Palm oil isn't an animal product, but it does render plenty of animals homeless.
6. DON'T BUY ANY KIND OF SYNTHETIC GARMENT OR TOY FOR A BABY OR SMALL CHILD
   
   The synthetic is most likely made from plastic (think polysester, fake fur etc) and you are essentially feeding the child microplastics as they chew, munch and breathe the fibres into their guts and lungs. 
7. DON'T BUY ANY KIND OF FRAGRANCE OR FRAGRANCED ITEM THAT DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE INGREDIENTS LIST
   
   When you check the list, make sure the 'fragrance' is made of recognizable essential oils. 
8. DON'T BUY ANY KIND OF FRAGRANCED ITEM FOR TOILETS, HOME LIVING, BATHROOMS THAT CLAIMS TO BE 'BASED ON BOTANICALS'
   
   Apart from not needing it, you are simply introducing a chemical cocktail into your home or office and there's likely to be very little about it that bears a relationship to an actual botanical. (Refer to Number 7).
9. BUY CONTAINERS FOR FOOD STORAGE THAT YOU CAN SEE THROUGH, THAT LAST AND THAT STACK IN DIFFERENT SIZES
   
   Typically, pyrex is the most functional. It doesn't recycle, but it will last you forever and you can put it in your fridge, oven or freezer. Most pyrex lids are plastic, but when they split, simply order new ones from pyrex or stockists.
10. BUY POT PLANTS OVER FLOWERS WHENEVER YOU CAN
    
    Even the plants you buy from supermarkets are likely to be local, whereas cut flowers, not so much. Flowers that have travelled from overseas typically contain a range of pesticides as broad as the colours in your blooms.

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