We know more today than at any other time in history about the impact humanity has had and continues to have on the environment. This knowledge must motivate us to take action to do what we can to minimize our impact today and tomorrow, and mitigate the impact of our actions of the past, ensuring we are passing on to our descendants a healthy planet.
What actions can we take to safeguard and minimize our impact on the environment at Lac Sam and benefit our own health?
We can use eco-friendly and biodegradable products for household and personal care products that are eco-certified and made using naturally derived, safe, non-toxic, bio-degradable ingredients and sustainable manufacturing practices that don’t impact the environment.
That sounds easy enough, but sorting through the vast amount of available information to enable us to make the right choices is not. What do some of these buzzwords mean?
| ECO-FRIENDLY | Products not harmful to environment |
| BIODEGRADABILITY | Ability of product to break down or decompose under natural conditions by living microorganism such as bacteria, funghi and yeasts |
| COMPOSTABLE | Ability for products to breakdown under specific environmental conditions. Relates to solid materials not liquids. |
| ECO CERTIFICATION/ECO LABELLING | Products that have been verified by a third party that the environmental claims made by a company about their products are credible |
| GREEN WASHING | Refers to misinformation and misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product. There are no standards that regulate the meaning or usage of words like green or natural. |
| OECD 301 or 306 biodegradability designation | Product will biodegrade in 28 days. When possible use products with this certification. |
For a more detailed definition of biodegradable and composting see:
http://www.greengood.com/terms_to_know/biodegradable_and_compostable_definitions.htm
The following link will take you to the Gov’t of Canada Office of Consumer Affairs web site which shows eco labels found on Canadian products that meet the appropriate criteria and other labels with related environmental considerations: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/oca-bc.nsf/eng/ca02742.html
Home Cleaning Products
- Contain ammonia or chlorine, phosphorous, and other toxic solvents
- Enter the environment when rinsed down drains and flushed down toilets as we clean
- Hazardous to health and safety – to breath or touch, deadly if ingested
- Affect eco systems, fish, birds, and other wildlife
Switching to eco-friendly cleaning products lessens water and air pollution, climate change and ozone depletion, and is better for your health.
When choosing home cleaning products review the product label and look for products that:
- have eco certification
- have information related to how quickly the product biodegrades
- clearly list all product ingredients – look for these words
Plant Based
Chemical free: Chlorine Free
Ammonia free
Solvent free
Phosphate free
No synthetic fragrances or dyes
OR
Make your own eco-friendly cleaning products with ingredients you likely already have such as vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice to name a few.
The internet has many websites with various recipes for green alternatives to household cleansers. The following link is to one such website – The Queen of Green – where you will find recipes for homemade all-purpose cleanser, laundry soap, and more:
https://davidsuzuki.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/queen-of-green-green-cleaning-recipes.pdf
The following link is to a list of worldwide eco labels on cleaning products:
http://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabels/?st=category,cleaning
Personal Care Products
- Contain chemicals – some that are known carcinogens- harmful to the environment including aquatic life, waterfowl, and you
- Enter the environment when flushed down drains
- Or directly by washing off our bodies when we swim
The dirty dozen is a term coined by the David Suzuki Foundation as shorthand for 12 ingredients of concern that are found in personal care products. Some of these are the same chemicals found in household cleansers.
INGREDIENTS OF CONCERN USES IN PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS
| BHA AND BHT | Preserve skin care and cosmetic products |
| COAL TAR DYES | Hair Dye |
| DEA/COCAMIDE DEA | Foaming agent or thickener |
| PHTHALATE | Nail products, soap, shampoo, hair spray |
| FORMALDEHYDE-RELEASING PRESERVATIVES | Nail polish/hardeners, makeup, eyelash glue, hair gel, soap, lotion, shampoo, deodorant |
| PARABENS | Preservative |
| PARFUM (greater than 3000 chemicals used) | As Fragrance, in almost every type of personal care product (as well as household products) |
| POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL (PEGS) | Emulsifier, cleansing agent, skin conditioner |
| PETROCHEMICAL – Includes Petrolatum, paraffin, petroleum, or mineral oil | Lip glosses and balms |
| SILOXANES-known as MICROBEADS | Moisturizer and facial treatment |
| SODIUM LAURETH SULPHATE | Makes soap and shampoo foam |
| TRICLOSAN – considered to be a pesticide | Soap and deodorant |
When choosing personal care products review the product label and look for products that:
- have eco certification or contain 100 per cent all-natural ingredients that come from plants, flowers and mineral origins*
- have information related to how quickly the product biodegrades
- contain no chemical ingredients as listed above
- were never tested on animals
- manufacturing process retains the integrity of the natural ingredients
*Depending on the product, ingredients such as
algaes, aloe vera, argan oil, bees wax, coconut oil, flower and essential oils,
ginger, glycerin, jojoba oil, shea butter, witch hazel and zinc oxide will be listed
OR
Make your own eco-friendly personal care products. Follow these links to recipes on how to make shampoo, deodorant and skin care products:
https://wellnessmama.com/4992/natural-skin-care-options/
https://wellnessmama.com/5801/diy-beauty-recipes/
The following link is to a list of worldwide eco labels on personal care products:
http://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabels/?st=category,cosmetics_personal_care
Sunscreen
- Ingredients in sunscreen, such as Octinoxate and Oxybenzone are known to harm coral reefs
- Sunscreens wash off our bodies in the lake when we swim
- Chemical sunscreen ingredients are hormone disrupters and accumulate in fish, amphibians, the environment and you
When choosing sunscreen, review the product label and look for:
- Mineral based products that use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide (nano particle free) and/or sunscreen that is coral reef friendly or reef friendly as these are less harmful to ecosystems.
- Wait 30 minutes after applying before you go in the water.
- Reduce the amount of sunscreen you need, by wearing hats, shirts and other clothing that have UV protection.
Summary
When choosing products for household cleaning or personal care it may sometimes not be possible to choose a product that meets all the criteria needed to be completely eco-friendly, in those circumstances choose products that do the least harm to the environment. Think about the health and beauty of the lake we love and make choices that will protect Lac Sam.
Sources:
David Suzuki Foundation
Marine Safe/Sun screen pollution
Environmental Working Group (EWG) https://www.ewg.org/
The Ecoholic (Now Magazine)
Enviro Citizen https://www.envirocitizen.org/
Groom and Style https://groomandstyle.com/eco-friendly-skin-care-20-companies-leading-change/
Organic Consumers Association https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/how-toxic-are-your-household-cleaning-supplies
What’s Your Favorite Eco Product/Brand?
If you have a favorite eco product/brand to recommend please share the names of brands of products that you use and like or your recipes for eco-friendly home made products, with the environmental committee. We will post them on our website as a resource for fellow cottagers to access.
EH