goodguide.com

After the lecture yesterday, I was inspired to check out the environmental ratings of the health and beauty products I routinely use. I would not consider myself a materialistic person, but I do like to take care of myself. I tend to buy more expensive products because I like to get the most out of what I pay for. However, after checking the ratings on goodguide.com, I realize that my ideas are jaded. I like MAC makeup, which is one of the more expensive lines on the market. Although they do have above average ratings, I saw that less expensive brand names such as Mabelline and Clairol are better for your health and for the environment. This really opened my eyes to the fact that I am paying much more for products that are worse for me. For example, MAC foundation costs no less than $30-40, whereas Mabelline foundation costs no more $10-15. For a college student like myself, the more money I can save the better. And this will no doubt save me tons of money considering the amount of product I buy per year.
Before discussing the harmful effects of products on the environment, I never really took that into consideration when shopping. This class has really changed my perspective on life and the effects that my life and lifestyle has on our world. Everything we do, everything we purchase, everything we dispose of has a negative effect on the environment. Something that was said in the interview we watched was that every man made product has a negative effect on the environment. This statement really hit me hard. I have been thinking about how many cases of water I have consumed in my life, how many bottles of shampoo and conditioner I have used, how many bags of chips I have eaten, and how many sandwich bags I have thrown out. I will never know the extent of my lifestyle on the environment, but what I do know is that I can change my lifestyle to ensure that I have the most positive effect on the environment as I can.