The other day after I had used the last of my toothpaste and tossed the empty tube in the trash, I made a decision that, from that point forward, I will make my own toothpaste and store it in a glass jar!
It makes me sad when I have to throw things away like that...
...It was a perfectly good little tube still! Not one of those metal kind that get all crinkly, yet I had no use for it at all ...at least not that I could think of.
Maybe you think that's silly, getting sentimental over an empty plastic tube, but someone took the time to design it. Others labored in mines and factories to produce these containers made of our limited natural resources ...exposing themselves to dangerous toxins, sickening their bodies and shortening their lives. And all of it becomes "garbage", as what was good is taken and made into toxic, useless forms, then thrown back at the earth to deal with.
But we have to "create jobs", right?
Once, an old seer of the native American tradition, told me that waste was akin to murder. Now, I 'm not suggesting that people should be put on death row for throwing away empty containers. But, it gave me something to think about.
Most of us grew up used to throwing things away without giving it a second thought. Metal cans, glass jars, bottles and plastic containers are tossed in our trash cans, every day of our lives, and hauled out to the end of the sidewalk, so the garbage fairy can make it all go away. Out of sight. Out of mind! If you really stop to think about it...
...It is absolutely insane to manufacture glass, plastic, and metal containers ..some with nice screw on lids or plastic pumps, just so we can take home 8-16 ounces of food, cleaner, or personal hygiene product, then throw it in the trash. Some of it will take millions of years to decompose, and return once again to a healthy, usable form ...if it ever does.
Having eliminated toxic chemicals from my life, and switched to a pure whole food diet, I have very little to throw away.
What can you do?...
- Replace processed food, which comes in cans, bottles, plastic, and boxes with real, whole foods.
- Buy whatever you can in bulk -- for example, grains, cereals, beans, large boxes of baking soda, or sea salt, etc.
- Replace toxic cleaning chemicals with natural, and safe cleaners you can make at home.
- Do the same with toxic personal hygiene products.
- Buy the highest quality products you can afford, so they last longer and you buy less of them. Remember heirlooms? ...Or simply buy used items.
- Buy products made of non-toxic materials.
If you recycle, that's great, don't stop! ..but recycling itself is huge cause of pollution. I had no idea how bad it was until I started researching.
One of the most interesting things I discovered is that just about everything which is harmful to our bodies, is also harmful to the environment ...either to produce/manufacture, grow, harvest or dispose of it. Nearly every product which comes in a can, bottle, plastic, glass or cardboard, is toxic. Putting an organic label on a metal can of cooked fruit doesn't make it healthy.
"As within, so without".
Look what you're throwing away. It's not just plastic and metal. It's your world -- a piece at a time.
Thank you for reading! Please resteem!!