Sunday, November 3, 2013

Shopping Cruelty-Free & Environmentally; All that 'Hippy Dippy' Stuff.

To cut to the chase- yes, I am the worst blogger on the face of the planet, but no I will not just stop writing. I like it too much, I'm just a pansy sometimes.

Moving on, here's why I shop cruelty free. In a few words, it's because I think animals are too important to be treated poorly and I can't bear the thought of an animal whimpering in a cage. Whenever I see those television commercials for animals in need, I have to get up and hug my dog until she basically tells me in her own way to "take a hike, needy." While I know these are different arguments, I have been educated by friends armed with facts, photos, and real accounts of the atrocities of puppy mills and if those horrors are a fraction or more of what's happening to animals in laboratories, then I think some reforms are in order.

So before I go further, I'm going to tell you not to buy a puppy, kitten, or whatever from a pet store unless YOU KNOW where the animal is coming from. If they say "Oh idk a farm?" ask them to be more specific, because not only could your cute new friend be extremely afraid of you, it could be incredibly unhealthy and need an expensive trip to the vet. Which is why you should adopt from a shelter or go to a breeder directly. If you choose the later, make sure you check their credentials. I got my dog from a breeder when she was a puppy and we not only got to meet her parents and her siblings, we got a file with all her healthy history and a bit about her ancestry (she came from some show-dogs with funny names; no wonder she's such a sass sometimes). Of course those animals from mills deserve to be loved, no doubt, but now this is where the double-edged sword comes in; they need homes but the people making a profit off their misery need to be reprimanded.

Oi. The feels.

But I'll get back to the point at hand. I'll  admit, I am not a scientist, I am an interior designer. Which means I do not know what tests need to be done to advance mankind and cure disease and all other such important things. I am but a humble player on the world stage. However I believe in the golden rule and I think that rule should extend to animals and the environment. So keeping all of that in mind, I think it's important to think about what you're buying and bringing home.

That's a daunting task, but it's something we should be thinking about more. Example, even though those mozzarella sticks are on sale at Wal-Mart for $2.99, what is going into them? What are all those ingredients that sound like stuff found in a lab and not in your food? And what does 'organic' actually mean? Is something actually 'organic' when it says it is? What about those chairs you just got from La Z Boy, all brand new. Do you know where they came from or how made them? Have you ever imagined the people putting together your chair and what their lives are like? You can do that for everything and anything and honestly, it all gives me a headache. I'm amazed I function some days or even get up in the morning. I would much rather hide in bed, almost smothered by my pillows and sheets from Target, pretending fairies from other worlds made them because they love working and just charged me for the materials. It's exhausting.

But it's thinking like this that can make us more inclined to shop wiser and make working standards for other people, animals, and the environment better and more, for lack of a more universally appropriate term, human.

So if I got your wheels turning, here's a way to get started:

1- Research, yo! Start looking up the companies you buy from the most on the web. Their website usually provides you with information about what they're doing these days and where they stand, if applicable, on the environment and animal testing. If you can't find anything about either, that's usually a sign they're hiding something which will require extensive investigating or, you can just start exploring new brands, which is pretty fun.

2- Cruelty free? Check this website! If you're looking to go cruelty free, here's a website to get you started: http://leapingbunny.org/shopping.php It's an easy way to check into cruelty free with just a few clicks. It may not be completely extensive however, since my favorite company skin and hair care company, LUSH, is not on the list currently even though they are actively fighting animal testing and their stuff is all 100% vegetarian (http://www.lushusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Lush-Site/en_US/AboutUs-OurStoryShow?cid=we-believe). I'm a little bit in love with them, even if they are more expensive. After all, your money is your way of showing you support a company's product; why not make it count?

3- Go vintage; shop secondhand! Well this is obviously not for everything, but for clothing, furniture or furnishing type things, this can save you money as well as keep landfills a bit lighter, which I am ALL ABOUT. There are all kinds of great stuff to be had at places like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and local shops with witty names. I spent a lot of time in a great place in NYC called Beacon's Closet (http://www.beaconscloset.com/) that was all about secondhand clothes. As a poor twenty-something with a style that includes wearing her mother's old clothes, this was a goldmine. I've found similar places all over the USA, so I'm sure it's trending near you.

4- Make science! If you're more of the 'hands on' type, then you'll appreciate this. You can actually make some of your own hair, skin, and cleaning products. I haven't gotten on that bandwagon yet, because, well, I don't have time for that. It is on my to-do list, but I don't have much information to pass on. When I get there, I'll have links to add here...AND A NEW ENTRY TO MAKE. BOO YAH!

 So there you have it. A few ways to start being a part of the 'hippy dippy' movement. Rock on, sons and daughters of the revolution.

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