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Sometimes you just assume that certain items are healthy. Like baking powder for example, it's not like I'm going to eat it with a spoon, but I didn't know until recently that it can contain aluminum. Who wants to eat a cake filled with aluminum? If you're not careful, you can end up with some really hazardous ingredients in your foods and cleaning supplies, ingredients that are not only harmful to you, but the planet as well.
Be a successful eco-shopper by following a few tips:
1. Read all your labels, even items that you would just assume are healthy. Make sure items like tofu, hummus, and granola bars are organic or sustainably produced.
2. If an item is organic, see where it was actually produced or grown. If you live in Virginia and it came from California, even if it's organic, a ton of fossil fuels were still used in order for that arugula to cross the country.
3. Don't mistake the words all natural for organic. Unless it's USDA certified organic it did not go through the rigorous certification process that organic products must go through. The words all natural can be slapped on just about any product.
4. Make sure all your cleaning products like laundry detergents, dishwasher detergents, surface cleaners, and bathroom cleaners are made with mineral or plant-based ingredients.
5. Make sure all paper products are recycled. It can be a little more expensive, but well worth it. Save money by cutting back on your use of paper products; use cloth towels instead of paper towels.
