Going Green with New Year’s Resolutions

“I’ve made my ‘Going Green New Year’s Resolution,'” becomes an epic fail.  Why does it happen?  It’s inevitable. It happens every January 1st. Most everyone makes New Year’s resolutions committing themselves to lose weight, make more money and eat healthier. They want to  live better, recycle more diligently or go back to school to finish their degree. Whatever the self-promise may be, the vast majority of people lose sight of their goal by the end of February. By Spring the dedication is lost altogether.

What causes the gung-ho New Year’s desire to be forgotten and put aside?

Over commitment to too many facets. People jump in with both feet to make major life-changes, because it’s “New Year’s.” It’s the time for renewal, and re-birth and closing chapters to hopefully start anew. People become so over-zealous in their end goal that they forget there’s a journey in the middle. Sometimes the journey is difficult, because it requires changing habits that have existed for a lifetime.

The number one resolution in America is to lose weight and become healthier. Gym memberships increase, sales at organic grocers and health food stores boom and since awareness to being “green,” now goes hand-in-hand with the concept of being healthy, more people commit to trying to be mindful about plastics and recycling.

Changing habits for these lifestyles is more than just fat or non-fat, high-fructose corn syrup or Stevia or in the case of sunscreen: chemical or mineral. Health is everywhere. It’s in everything or perhaps more to the point, is lacking in many things that most people give little thought to today. Whether it’s the choice to buy a hybrid vehicle, or attempt to go chemical-free in personal care products, or eat only organic, locally grown – at some point, life happens and simplicity or exhaustion can win out.

What’s the magic trick to sticking with goals for making better choices?

It’s actually quite simple. Start small. Pick one thing you can change that leads to better health, better wellness and eventually a cleaner way of life not just for you, but the environment as well. It’s all intimately connected. One small thing that can be done is to be aware of the ingredients in personal care products. That may not seem like a small thing, but it actually is quite easy to do.

When you’re shopping, turn the container over and read the ingredients. Most personal care products and OTC drugs are broken down in two ways: Active and Inactive ingredients. Active ingredients are the ones that make the product do what it says it’s going to do. Inactive ingredients are usually the carrier ingredients or botanicals that add something pleasant such as a moisturizing quality, a color, a fragrance or a stabilizer so the product has shelf-life and doesn’t begin to mold too quickly.

Healthy personal care products should do three things: Work effectively, not harm your health and not harm the environment either immediately, or long term by remaining as a pollutant in our waters.

How do you know what’s safe and what’s not?

Stream2Sea has made an effort to simplify that for you. We have an Ingredients-to-Avoid card which you can save as a screen shot, or download for quick reference, or print on your recycled paper to carry in your wallet. You can even get one from our site here.

For a list of ingredients to avoid in personal care products, you can also visit our page at: https://stream2sea.com/ingredients-to-avoid

Whatever your resolution may be, just remember to start small with choices that affect a habit. No one runs a marathon on the first day and making conscious choices for a better world works the same way, with the first small step.

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Stream2Sea has set a new standard for EcoConscious sunscreen and skincare. Along with standard human safety and SPF tests, Stream2Sea products are proven to be biodegradable in both salt water and fresh water,  have passed a comprehensive series of aquatic toxicity tests and was formulated without ingredients known to harm the environment.  Formulated with powerful antioxidant blends to protect skin from sun damage, the Stream2Sea line includes sunscreens, conditioning shampoo and body wash, leave-in conditioner, nourishing body lotion and lip balms. Stream2Sea products are currently available online at www.Stream2Sea.com or ask for them at your favorite health food store, dive center or outdoor retailer. Friend us on Facebook or call (866) 960-9513.