Lucía Cecilia Mercado/ COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
For some time now, I’ve been preoccupied with the notion of what I can do in my day to day to contribute to my immediate environment. From a personal standpoint, I try to do something, anything that will make the people I interact with happier, and from a professional standpoint, I try to be better every day.
What about my surroundings? How can I contribute to cause the least possible impact on Earth? It is clear that, as Marie Curie said, “You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement” or, in the words of Victor Hugo, “It produces an immense sadness to think that nature speaks while men do not listen”.
These two quotes ring in my conscience day after day, and for that reason I decided to take action.
I am especially proud of working for a group that upholds sustainability as a fundamental axis of its business strategy. I believe that it is perfectly reasonable that building a better world is not only in the hands of collectivities or companies, but also in every single one of us, like my favorite scientist said.
Therefore, after making a small initial investment, I decided to take my contribution to the environment a step beyond recycling correctly.
To summarize the changes I introduced into my home, and little by little, my family -some of them are harder than others- I’m going to tell you about some items that are now part of my every day use.
To give you a rundown of my daily routine, at the beginning of each day, I use bar soap for my shower. It lasts longer and there is no need for packaging. I wash my hair and body with bar soap and shampoo.
When preparing breakfast for my kids, I use bees’ wax wrap to pack their snacks. Aluminium foil has no place in my pantry. However, I keep a roll of recycled aluminium foil for emergencies.
I got rid of most of my reusable plastic containers, but I still use the newer ones. For now, I use flexible silicone containers to store half-eaten foods or to pack whatever I want to bring with me (fruit, sandwiches, cheese, etc.)
Also, single use plastic straws, plates or cutlery are forbidden at my home. We always use glass or metal straws. Whenever we need to cover our containers with leftover food, we use adjustable silicone covers.
I always brush my teeth with a bamboo toothbrush and powder toothpaste, which lasts longer and is less contaminating. I also use toothpaste made from vegetal ingredients and dental floss with natural xylitol. Oil pulling is a great alternative to mouthwash, it is completely natural, and you normally use coconut oil, which is less contaminating and less aggressive on your teeth than traditional mouthwashes. As for deodorant, I use one made of potassium alum.
Regarding feminine hygiene items, I no longer use disposable pads. I switched to cloth pads, which I wash like our grandmothers did, and a menstrual cup.
At night, I use cloth makeup remover pads to take off my makeup. You can throw them in the washer and are reusable.
If I have lunch at work, I always try to bring my own food in a container to avoid using plastic. However, on those occasions when I forgot, I was glad to see that Deliquo now carries paper containers.
For daily cleanup at home, I use kitchen towels made of bamboo fibers, that you can throw in the washer. My kitchen gloves and scrub sponge are made of recycled materials.
I could go on and on about sustainability in my daily life, but this post would be too long. I also have room for improvement. In this journey, apart from recycling, reusing also comes into play. And purchasing at stores like Unpacked, where you can buy many products in bulk, or Humana, for clothes, is very frequent in my life.
Despite all this, I still can make larger changes, that I will incorporate as soon as have the money to do so, like powering my home exclusively with renewable energies, buying an electric car… In time, I’m sure they will be part of my reality.
