How to Go Organic for Organic September
Many of us lead a conventional lifestyle and don’t take into consideration the chemicals that we are consuming through our diet, or the impact that growing these crops can have on the environment, or those involved in the farming process. We also often forget to consider other products such as clothing and personal care products and what happens to them once they have been used, and don’t question how long they will remain in the environment for if they are not recycled.
There are many steps that we can take to develop some healthy habits to lead an organic lifestyle. It is important to remember that swapping to an organic lifestyle won’t happen overnight, taking baby steps will help to reach an end goal in the long run.
1. Start with staples
It is a great motivator and eye-opener when looking into the foods that you consume on a daily basis and what is actually in them, because once you know you won’t want to put any of it in your mouth. Soil Association states that our food and farming system is stuck on a chemical reliant treadmill and we need to stop it.
In fact, Government figures show that the number of chemicals applied to major crops (including wheat, onions and potatoes) – have increased between six and 18 times from the 1970’s to 2014. (‘Pesticides use in the UK’s intensive agriculture’, The Guardian, 7th June 2018).
Fresh fruits and vegetables are easy to swap, large grocery stores will more than likely have an organic alternative available for you to pop in your basket, just look for the Soil Association logo or the EU Organic logo on the packaging or ask a member of staff. Organic, free range eggs and meat is also a great way to swap, if your store doesn’t have any available then locate a local butcher or farmers market, you’re guaranteed to find some organic and locally sourced meat there (and most likely fruit, vegetables and possibly other things like cheese). By speaking to people from that industry you can also get up close and personal with the produce, this allows you to learn about how it is grown/reared and where it comes from.
If you can, try to prepare one to two meals a week that are made from organic produce. Remember your meals don’t have to include meat or fish, you could always opt for a vegetarian or vegan meal to get you started.
Eating organic isn’t just beneficial for your health but the environment too. Organic farms have around 50% more bees, butterflies, and other pollinators in comparison to those that heavily rely on spraying crops with chemicals. (Soil Association, 2020)
2, Clothing
Unfortunately, only 14% of consumers look for organic clothes when shopping according to the Soil Association. Thankfully, demand is slowly growing for sustainable fashion, many stores are now introducing sustainably sourced materials, most importantly cotton and wool.
One important ingredient that doesn’t show up on your T shirt label is water. It can take an astonishing 2,700 litres of water to produce one non-organic cotton T shirt if the cotton is sprayed with chemicals and pesticides whereas organic cotton farmers in Pakistan reduced their water use by 39% when working with WWF’S Better Cotton Initiative. They also used 47% less pesticide, 39% less chemical filters and increased their income by 11%. (‘The Impact of a Cotton T-shirt’, worldwildlife.org 16th January 2013)
It may be slightly more expensive to buy an organic cotton T-shirt in comparison to one that contains conventional cotton, but you will feel a million times better knowing that you are supporting the planet. No chemicals will have been used when growing the cotton that you are wearing, it will have also given the farmer a better income and be much safer for their health.
3. Personal Care Products
Switch to organic and natural brands. When it comes to sanitary pads and panty liners responsible brands are focused on using sustainably sourced and vigorously audited materials such as organic cotton. These natural materials allow the air to pass through the pad or liner more freely allowing your skin to breathe. Whereas conventional brands use cotton which has been continuously treated with chemicals and may have been bleached, all of which add up and irritates your intimate skin. Organ(y)c in particular is the only organic brand which is clinically proven to meet the needs of women suffering from skin irritations as their pads and liners are made with a 100% certified organic cotton woven top sheet to be gentle on the skin along with a 100% certified organic cotton absorbent core. Tampons also contain conventional cotton and a lot of unseen plastics so swap to brands that offer organic cotton tampons as this will mean that they do not contain materials such as polypropylene or rayon (a synthetic ingredient which is derived from wood pulp and is then processed into an absorbent cellulose fibre). Although it is said that it is safe to use many believe that the abrasive fibres from this material create micro abrasions in the vaginal walls which can make women more susceptible to infections. Organic cotton sanitary products will also break down much faster in the right conditions in comparison to conventional products which can take up to 500 years to break down and still leave behind micro plastics in the environment.
We also often forget that our wet wipes and cotton buds are also full of plastic, and once disposed of can either take years to break down or if flushed they can cause fatbergs (a congealed mass of non-biodegradable solid matter such as wet wipes). Opt for wipes which are made from an organic cotton cloth along with choosing cotton buds which have a recyclable cardboard stem instead of a plastic stem.