6 PRODUCT SWAPS THAT WILL CHANGE OUR WORLD

I talked a lot about #plasticfreeJuly in stories on Instagram last month . . . mostly how I wish there was a better name. (Same with zero-waste!) Both feel like such an impossible goal that you want to quit before you even try, but someone mentioned to just keep the ultimate goal in mind, “planet, not perfect.” Once I moved past feeling like I needed to be perfect, it was a good time to reflect on small choices I could make which had a lasting impact on our environment. It started this year with #veganary. I could be spelling this totally wrong, but it’s where you try to go vegan for the month of January. It was pretty easy while we were in India except being able to find milk alternatives because there was no Oat or Almond milk in the cities we visited. It was an extra-long process I’ve never repeated while back in the states because I don’t have a tool to easily gut a coconut, but we ended up making our own coconut milk to use to replace milk while we were there.

When I came back, I was moved to do a beach clean up for our MLK community service project and it was nice to see how much my kids really got into it. I showed them photos of what it looked like in areas of India where so much trash piled up which really motivated them to even be more mindful of any trash we could possibly make during our beach trips for the rest of the year. Seeing their enthusiasm as I began to incorporate more talks about our planet and sustainability, it kind of got me thinking about why I hadn’t made a conscious effort to thinking about it earlier. As a child of the 80’s I was really into saving the rainforest and concerned about acid rain. I remember having my parents cut up their soda plastic rings so they didn’t choke dolphins and asking to not use aerosol hair sprays so the hole in the O-zone didn’t get bigger. However, as I got older, I eco-friendly was no longer top of mind.

When it came to eco-friendly products, I really looked at them as the “all-natural” category. I wanted nothing to do with natural because natural meant it didn’t actually work or was for hippies.

When it comes to beauty and personal care, I still care more about paying attention to the total ingredient deck vs wanting to use only natural ingredients, but this year I’ve really been paying more attention to items being eco-friendly because they help me create less trash because they cut down on my need for using single-use items. I’ve gone down the rabbit hole this year about the unknowing consumption of microplastics (did you know you are probably eating a credit card size of plastic every week?) and how every toothbrush ever made is still on this planet because it takes plastic 10 bajillion years to breakdown. Because I’m someone who usually believes shopping is good for the soul, my first instinct was to toss out a ton of things in my house and swap for more sustainable items, but the whole point of thinking more sustainably is not to mindlessly create more waste, so I’ve been using what I have instead of stockpiling products as a self-proclaimed product junkie and buying trendy swaps just because they are cute.

So if you are in the market for reusable products that could help you contribute less plastic to the world, I’m doing a round-up of a few of my favorite finds. If this post helps influence you to give some of these things a try, just remember the best way you can be more sustainable is to use what you have so bookmark this post so you know what to try as you run out of what you already have at home. Lastly, stay off the zero waste hashtag on Instagram! I don’t want people who go a year with only making enough trash to fill up 1/8th of a mason jar to discourage you. I also don’t want you to feel hard on yourself if you buy reusable bags and forget to bring it with you. I bought my first one in 2004-ish when the “I am not a plastic bag” bag was floating in the hands of the who’s who of NYC, but I didn’t always remember it every time I needed to shop. Even now in California, I would forget my bag in the trunk 50% of the time, but that was 50% fewer plastic bags then I would have usually used. I don’t always take my reusable straws or need to use a restaurant’’s plastic cup when I’m out, but it’s about progress over perfection. Don’t lose sight of that.

Small steps can make a big impact, so here is the list of easy swaps!

CLOTH MASK

After my first flight of 2020, once I got back from India, I went to LAX and looked around to see that I was one of the very few people traveling without a mask. When I got to my destination to meet with friends who had flown in from around the country, everyone had a pack of masks with them so I grabbed a few for my flight back because it was already impossible to find at a store. It was still not a directive for everyone to be in N-95s, but after speaking to someone who was already quarantined in China, I felt better wearing one when out anyway. By February I had stockpiled a few boxes which I was glad I had when shutdown happened, but seeing that this was going to be part of the new normal, the first thing I ordered was cloth masks from China that I could wash like the ones I had for my children which I had ordered last fall to keep at their school after a fire evacuation. It was harder to find back then, but much easier now. Check out stores like Old Navy which sells a pack of 5 for $12.50. That’s perfect so you can wash between uses to help prevent Maskne or satisfy young kids that want to match their mask to their outfit!

BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH

You may not be going somewhere every day right now, but we are all using a toothbrush. The toothbrush is probably one of the best inventions ever made. Can you imagine if morning breath was just . . . your breath? Gross. It’s the first thing I reach for in the morning, but remember how I said every toothbrush ever made is probably still here? That’s because it can take up to 1000 years to breakdown. Now think about this when I also tell you that there’s approx 1 Billion toothbrushes thrown out every year in the US alone. Considering I’ll go through a few toothbrushes a year, it feels silly for me to not switch over to a bamboo one. Here’s one that includes brushes for the whole family for $7 on Amazon!

PLASTIC FREE TOOTHPASTE

Now let’s chat toothpaste since you are using that every day with your toothbrush. I never really care about flavors enough to care about the brand (except when I was into the fancy Jasmine Mint when I was younger), but anything I get is always in a plastic tube. Fast forward to Indie Beauty Expo in January and one of the companies that stood out the most to me had nothing to do with makeup or skincare, it was about eco-oral care. Check out Georganics for plastic-free toothpaste and scroll through their tablets and powders which come in glass jars. I added their oil pulling mouthwash since I was on an Ayruvedic bender from my month in India, but they also have mouthwash tabs as well. I love that those products are not only free of plastic, but waterless as well!

PERIOD CUP

I thought Thinx was the grossest thing anyone could have ever thought about. In no way did I want to have period panties as a replacement for a tampon. Fast forward a few years and now I’m open to sticking a cup in my vagina. Again, I swear I’m not a hippie. I actually first saw these two years ago at a clean beauty shop, but it was too early for me to be open to this yet. So first of all, I was surprised to find out my regular tampons had ingredients in it instead of just being made from cotton. I looked into Lola which is organic cotton, but I ran into someone from Saalt at a beauty conference and had never considered switching to a period cup could replace up to 5 years of tampon usage. I have an IUD now and hardly ever get my period, but having this was great when traveling because my cycle was all over the place when I got my replacement IUD earlier this year. If you are someone who regularly gets their period, this product is a game-changer. I notice them commonly in the tampon isle at Target, but here’s a link to the brand I’ve tried, Saalt.

STASHER BAGS

So these two aren’t as big of a deal right now since we…no I. . . am homeschooling since we’ve been doing distance learning since March. (OMG I can’t even believe I’m typing that.) When school starts back up, the kids get lunch + two snacks like clockwork daily. Our school makes a big deal about asking to not send the kids with a ton of plastic bags, but it’s no denying it is so convenient. I had plastic containers I would reuse for everything until I brought my next item back from India, but these are great to stuff and seal food in even if we are just using it for going to the beach and the park now. Whatever I bought was just at Target, but Stasher Bag looks like a great option as well. Of all my swaps, these food-grade silicone bags are one of the more pricey options.

STAINLESS STEEL CONTAINERS

One of the swaps I’ve used the most while we’ve been home has been stainless steel food containers I brought back from India. Technically I would use them for school to replace my plastic containers, but my kids think they are really pretty so I use them for grazing bowls or to do picnics outside to break up our school lunch week (when it isn’t smokey out here.) Unfortunately in the states it seems more like a sustainability trend so I only see over-priced “eco-lunch boxes”, but I bought a ton of steel containers for under $20 in total. If you have an Indian market near you, they may sell it in-store cheaper then what you

Do one of these items feel like something you can switch to? Maybe you have another easy switch?

I’d love to hear what it is so feel free to shoot me a DM on Instagram at @JasminePennamma!