Planet Earth. The World. Our Home.
The third planet from the sun, and formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago. Air, water, land and life combine forces to create a constantly changing world that we still struggle to understand. And yet despite the literal wonders of the world, humans are destroying this beautiful planet and everything on it at a rate unprecedented in over TEN THOUSAND YEARS.
Here at White Rabbit Skincare, this does not sit easy with us at all, and we are determined to make a change - every little helps, after all!
So read on to hear just some of our suggestions - the ideas are limitless! - as to how together we can help save our amazing Planet earth.
White Rabbit Skincare - what we do:
- If our packaging isn't already recycled, then we've made sure it's reusable and recyclable after you've received it! Our actual product packaging are all made from aluminium, glass or PET plastic, and our postage packaging is fully recyclable too: we use cardboard boxes and a filler called Wood Wool, which is a timber based packaging solution. The timber is obtained from well managed forests backed by the FSC, which means that for every tree that is felled, another is planted in it's place.
- We offer our customers the option to either refill their current packaging, or send it back and receive 50p off the next item you order, and we'll recycle the old packaging.
- For every order placed over £50, the customer receives a free (ethical) cotton reusable shopper bag, to help reduce the number of plastic bags in circulation.
- Our new initiative encourages customers to send back 5 of the same product label, to receive a brand new, full sized product of the same type.
- We don't include order confirmations/summaries in with packaged orders - we think this is a waste of paper. These are available on request however.
- Back charitable causes. We already donate to the ME Association and Sea Shepherd UK, and plan to donate/support even more charities very soon.
Ecosia:
- www.ecosia.org - a website we literally stumbled upon by chance, and yet something which makes so much sense we think it was fate we found it!
- In a nutshell, Ecosia is a 'green' search engine, in that every time you use them to search online, the revenue generated from search ads (those you see at the top or along the sides of the results page) is used to plant new trees.
- Since they started in 2009, Ecosia has planted over 4 million trees around the world, and have generated 2.5 million euros for forestry programmes.
- Their most recent work is in Burkina Faso, in a bid to build a 'Great Green Wall' across Africa for increased social, environmental and economic prosperity.
- When you make Ecosia your main search engine, there is a little 'counter' on the top main screen, which tells you how many trees you have helped plant (it takes 11 seconds on a search engine and 0.28 euros of ad revenue to plant a tree). We're on 160 since last week!
Ecotricity
- Another new find for us, Ecotricity is Britain's leading supplier of green energy.
- They are unique in that they use customer's energy bills to fund the building of new sources of green energy - what they call turning 'Bills into Mills'(energy bills into windmills).
- They are a not-for-dividents company, meaning all their profits go back into their mission.
- We LOVE their vision: for a Green Britain - a place where we all live more sustainable lives, and where ethical business is the norm.
'New Age' Textiles/Materials:
- You might have read recently about the American brewery that created 6 pack rings which are completely biodegradable; made from left over wheat and barley from the beer making process. We hope and believe that this is the way forward for many manufacturers: creating new environmentally friendly products from by products of the main process.
- Pinatex - a natural and sustainable non-woven textile, made from pineapple leave fibres - and it looks EXACTLY like leather. Pinatex fibres are the by-product of pineapple production - and would normally be discarded and burned. This process creates additional income for pineapple farmers, whilst creating a vibrant new industry - and we can't wait for it to become mainstream!
- Bionic Yarn - and beyond! Hands up who knew Pharrell Williams had an eco-material company?! Ashamedly we didn't, but he does, and it's called Bionic Yarn, and they take discarded materials such as plastics, and turns them into durable yarn which can then be used for other purposes. In collaboration with Bionic Yarn, the dutch bran G-Star Raw are supporting Project Vortex, an initiative to turn ocean plastic into a new brand of denim clothes. You can read more about it on Sea Shepherd's article, here.
- Toms: with every product you buy, Toms will help a person in need - one for one! For shoes, for every pair bought, a child in need will also receive a pair. Each eyewear purchase goes towards sight repair for a person in need, and every bag bought provides a safe birth for a mother and baby. It is a fantastic idea, and one we wish every organisation could do!
Sustainable (and easy!) home/every day life tips:
- Take advantage of your local council recycling initiatives! Too many people we know don't bother sorting out their 'rubbish' into the different coloured bins and putting them out on the allocated days. This is literally a door to door service - don't let it go to waste (no pun intended!)
- Gather unwanted paper (for example paper which has only been printed on one side) and pin together as a notepad - handy for next to your computer or phone for those urgent notes!
- Avoid using hotel toiletries - decant and take your own from home. Using hotel toiletries means more plastic for the landfill.
- Match your saucepan to the hob ring size! (Both gas and electric cookers). This means you are not paying as much to heat the air, and will help prolong the life of your saucepans.
- Fit radiator reflector panels (or just good old tin foil!), to reflect heat back into the room, and help you achieve up to 20% reduction in heating bills!
- Planes, trains and automobiles (or in this case, ships!). Try to avoid flying - or going on a cruise. A vast amount of energy is required to get a plane into the air, and cruise ships cause both water and air damage (in fact cruise liners are a big cause of acid rain). If possible, try to travel long distances by train.
- Reuse coffee grounds and tea bags! As a nation of tea and coffee lovers, we dispose of astonishing amounts of product that can be reused. Coffee grounds and tea leaves can be used in the garden to help your plants, as they contain high levels of nutrients, and you can even use coffee grounds in your skincare regime, as an exfoliating face or body mask!
Examples of Youtubers/Bloggers to follow:
- Zero Waste Home
- A Thrifty Mrs (excellent for money saving, but this also ties in with eco-friendly practices!)
- Eco Thrifty Living