[Physical]
At PAMA London we are advocates of living a life that eases the impact felt by the planet from those who inhabit it. There are several ways that we can all do this on an individual level and we believe that we are doing our bit by creating eco-friendly sustainable clothing!
If you are ready to take a look at your own household habits and lifestyle to determine how you can make positive changes for both you and the planet, then we have addressed two common problems here and provided ideas to help you get started!
Put the Plastic Down
Plastic is an undeniable disaster when it comes to the environment. The majority of plastic is made from petroleum or non-renewable natural gases*. The process of extracting these gases is known to be quite energy intensive and also damaging to the eco-system. Furthermore, the manufacturing process is a massive source of pollution – to land, air and water!
In the United Kingdom alone, we consume more than five million tonnes of plastic each year. It has been estimated that only 24% of this plastic actually gets recycled, meaning that 3.8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in landfills every year.
So, how can you ditch the plastic and stop contributing to this problem?
Recycling all relevant plastics is a good place to start but you can also work to eliminate this product from your shopping list entirely. Take a re-usable bag with you every time you leave the house so that if you do buy something you don’t have to purchase a plastic bag to carry it home in. The average person uses 425 plastic bags every single year* and you can easily get this number down to zero by taking your own with you!
You can also choose not to buy products that are wrapped or contained in plastic – such as water in plastic bottles or pre-packaged foods. Shopping for whole foods and fresh fruit and vegetables at the market is a great way to avoid doing so, as well as taking your own re-usable water bottle with you everywhere you go!
Cut the Chemicals Out
It is a scary fact that a massive amount of companies do not list all of the ingredients contained within their cleaning products. The sad reality is that there are simply no rules or regulations demanding that they do so, and this can lead to unwanted and harmful nasties in your home!
Fortunately, you can easily make your own cleaning products with simple to source things that you more than likely already have in your house!
White wine vinegar and baking soda are two of the most powerful ingredients when it comes to cleaning your home. Let’s take a closer look at these two things!
By simple mixing white wine vinegar with an equal amount of water you can effortlessly create a cleaning solution that works for most surfaces. For tougher stains you may try warming the solution slightly and leaving it on the surface for upwards of ten minutes before you wipe it off. The acidic properties of white wine vinegar are the reason that it is so effective at cleaning.
Baking soda is also fantastic for cleaning and strikes a balance between acidic and alkaline. This means that not only is it great for clearing up stains, but also that it can wok to neutralise odours. There are so many incredible uses for baking soda and you can click here to read 51 of them!
Ease Your Impact
By incorporating one or more of the ideas mentioned in this article you can begin to ease your impact on the planet and also potentially improve your own health and wellbeing! This is especially the case when it comes to limiting the amount of chemicals, and therefore toxins, that you bring into your home!