Conscious consumption simply means engaging in the economy with more awareness of how your consumption impacts society at large.
Basically, being a conscious consumer focuses on making positive decisions in the buying process, with the intention of helping to balance the negative impacts that this decision has on the environment.
For example, growing your own vegetables, wearing organic cotton clothing, or using silicone bags instead of plastic is a decision. The goal of sustainability is to reduce your ecological footprint, which is a measure of how fast we consume resources and generate waste compared to how fast the planet can recover from our bad habits/decisions.
Lucky found out that being a conscious consumer meant being aware of what was impacting her family. This became reality when she became aware that the prepared foods they were eating from outside, were slowly making her family sick.
Her husband had constant headaches, she was having stomach issues, but when their five-year-old started having several issues, that warranted a visit to the doctor. The doctor asked what they were eating daily. This is when she realized that it was the food that they had been ordering. After thinking about it further she realized that the meals were all served in plastic containers and cups.
Lucky had a very busy lifestyle as an entrepreneur and business owner and her deadlines and appointments made it almost impossible to predict a set time for dinner. So, to eat together they mostly had meals delivered. However, after this realization, she decided that she would make a conscious effort to get her family’s health and life back on track. Understandably, she started looking for products that would help them solve their health issues and give them a healthy lifestyle. But first, she wanted to know what caused this crisis and why she had not been paying more attention to it.
Like Lucky, it’s not always easy to be attentive in this day and time. Our world is so busy, it’s hard for us to slow down and focus. But we must. You should take time to focus on the things in your environment with all your senses — touch, sound, sight, smell, and taste. Why? Do you ask?
Because our environment is slowly killing us, due to the things we buy and consume, without being mindful of them.
Do you follow me on this? I am saying that you should start paying more attention to your environment and the things you consume?
Even headlines recently have been spreading awareness of the negative impact of staple plastic goods like straws and cutlery on the environment. These corporate companies are now responding positively to the use of environmentally friendly products in increasing numbers. Starbucks vowed to remove all disposable plastic straws by 2020 is just one example.
The question is why should we be mindful of things we buy.
Why should we slow down and reconsider how we buy things.
And why should we consider the environment in the things we consume?
What does it mean to be more mindful of our environment?
Lucky did this when she stopped what she was doing and started asking more mindful questions about what had happened.
What were the chemicals in the plastic that made the container not safe?
Some research I found shows that plastic takeout containers are anything but safe:
It shows that the plastic in the containers and just about everything around the containers is made up of petroleum products, which emits greenhouse gas. That even includes our most used type of container, single-use plastic cups. These products are derived from ethane. To make them into plastic cups and containers, the ethane is combined with other chemicals. This chemical causes toxic emissions that contribute to climate change with every use.
We now understand that these plastics often contain toxins that also can leach into our food, especially when heated. And more so when put into closed containers and transported to our door.
This is because when plastics were created, manufacturers will often include “additives” to enhance their performance, according to a 2009 study by Mike Neal and Dr. Anthony Andrady (published in Philosophical Transitions B). These additives include fillers to make the plastics stronger, thermal stabilizers to allow them to be heated, plasticizers for pliability, UV stabilizers to keep them from degrading in sunlight, fire retardants, colorants, and more.
In other words….Plastics are bad for our health.
In short, all plastics are a veritable soup of chemicals, and all are capable of containing toxins, depending on a given manufacturer’s secret plastic “recipe”. In fact, a July 2011 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives looked at 500 diverse types of commercially available plastics, from baby bottles to food packaging, and found that especially when exposed to heat, they release estrogen-mimicking hormone disruptors, regardless of their recycling code numbers. The study authors also note that a single plastic part may contain five to 30 chemicals, and a plastic item made up of many parts may contain up to 100 chemicals.
So, that takeout container was NOT harmless.
Understanding the chemical content of a plastic container is certainly a step in the right direction. But there is an abundance of consumer goods that are made up of plastic materials. This means that consumers are faced with fewer choices in their ambition to ‘go green.
That is why purchasing non- toxin products in many cases means paying a premium. This also explains why retail stores and restaurants (online and off) are less likely to purchase green (eco-friendly) items.
However, avoiding the use of plastic products like straws and cutlery which harms the environment is becoming a much more prominent behavior. With the help of big businesses, like Starbucks, this initiative could help raise awareness. The information to convince is out there.
The environmental research center in Oregon states that the plastics that we eat from can contain toxic chemicals such as BPA (often found in the lining of aluminum cans), phthalates (found in food packaging, toys, etc), and PFAS (found in cookware and food packaging). They leach into our food and water and end up in our bodies. There are studies that show those chemicals have detrimental effects on humans, particularly developing fetuses and children. One study shows the average human ingests about a credit card worth of plastic each year. However, plastic is relatively new on the timeline of humanity — over half of the plastic ever made was done so in the past 15 years — so we really don’t know all potential consequences from its existence.
Researchers said that “ only 9% of the plastic that has ever been made in the world has been recycled. Most kinds of plastic are hard to recycle, not recyclable, or it costs more to transport and recycle the material than the end product is financially worth’’.
This was also, a shock to me, I thought all the plastic I put in my recycle bins was done for. Also, I found out that the little numbers on the plastic are almost meaningless. Some places won’t take the plastic no matter what number is on it. So much for, making it into something less harmful.
Plastic might be cheap to buy now, but we will pay for it in the future.
The environmental center states “that it may now be less expensive for a restaurant to buy single-use Styrofoam than use the non-toxic alternatives today. But, are our children, our governments, and our planet going to have to pay for the repercussions of its use, in the future?”
Will they pay for it with money? Or will they pay for it with poor health? Our bet is with both.
So this is where our mindful thinking and useful practices come together. This is the true meaning of being a conscious consumer. First, you found out there is a problem, then you ask questions about the problem and then you find out ways to solve the problem.
Well, we know more than before, that there is a problem, we are asking a lot of questions about the problem and its alternatives. But it will be a long time before we solve this problem because it is so multi-faucet. But that will not keep us from moving towards a solution and helpful measures that can help us now with the problem.
Some suggestions are to just buy less plastic. However, I find it’s even better if you use reusables and find other alternatives to toxic plastic.
We won’t stop eating out or ordering out (due to the pandemic), but we can take the lead in telling restaurants that we do not want some of their plastic and wasteful items. It would save them money and our health. That means suggesting they let people opt-out of single-use extras, especially straws.
I think you know that it’s not realistic to ask people to give up plastics cold turkey. But, I know that if we all become more mindful about using less wasteful, toxic single-use plastic, we could make a great and lasting change for the better. If you are still not convinced that our environment is in need of a mindful change. I have one more conscious person, green activist, Beth Terry who can give you more information. https://myplasticfreelife.com/blog/
As I have mentioned before, Lucky’s company I Know Lucky Moon has embraced Purging Plastics. And has made a lifelong commitment to finding products and companies that are environmentally friendly and committed to a healthy lifestyle.
Therefore, to play our part, we at I know Lucky Moon is presenting IKLM silicone storage bags as our way of embracing eco-friendly products as a mindful medium.
We are looking at brands that are conscious of the environment and that give back to the community. And we are willing to take the road less traveled on unique products that are environmentally friendly, reusable, and also add a spark to our lives.
We also package our products to send a message with stories and visual quotes to add more purpose to your connections.
We will carry this mission forward by conscious research and in-depth reviews of eco-friendly products and companies, that are committed to fulfilling our mission.
Please feel free to share your story with us as we continue to be more mindful in our fight against wastefulness.
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I Know Lucky Moon is a collaboration of two working mothers who recognize the value of creating meaningful interactions not only with people but also with the products we consume.
6 Responses
Awesome!!!!!!
Thank you for your affirmation. We really are motivated by the communities’ comments.
Durability with the ability to be biodegradable is good for the earth.
Thank you Gwen, That’s encouraging. We will keep trying to do the best we can for our planet and our followers.
I am happy to know there is an amazing product IKLM Silicone bags, and after trying it I know that I made the right decision.
Thanks for the information very informative.
Thank you so much, Josephine, we strive to give the best information about the product, so that it takes the guesswork out of using them.