Eco Friendly

"I think it's crazy for us to play games with our children's future. We know what's happening to the climate, we have a highly predictable set of consequences if we continue to pour greenhouse gases into the atmosphere."
Bill Clintons speech at United Nations Climate Conference 2005

A growing number of people care about the effect their purchasing decisions and lifestyles have on the world around them. They want to know where their groceries come from, how their clothing was made, and what is in the products they use.

Eco friendly is one of the many terms used to indicate that a product or service does not harm or minimises the impact on the environment. Other terms include: ethical clothing, green products, environmentally friendly products organic products, eco products, sustainable and more. Being environmentally friendly means having a lifestyle and making daily choices that either minimises the environmental impact or is beneficial to environmental sustainability.

As consumers, we now have more choice than ever. Most supermarkets now carry eco-friendly products for the home, food, and living, and other shops carry ethical clothing. People who want to live green and buy green products have a wide selection of choices available to them today that did not exist a few years ago. As consumers, we need to educate ourselves about what products are genuinely environmentally friendly products, and what are simply marketing campaigns with the aim to sell more products.

Find out how My Heart Beats Green creates an eco friendly and sustainable company.

We can all do things every day that take better care of our planet and ourselves. Below are some tips to help you continue to create a way of living that is eco friendly and more sustainable. Of course we must start with clothing - buy organic cotton clothing

• Organic food – organic foods are richer in vitamins, minerals and fibre and stay fresher longer. Choose foods that do not have unnecessarily packaging. When buying fruits and vegetables, think twice before taking a plastic bag.
• Reusable shopping bags – prevent more plastic bags ending up in landfill by remembering to take reusable bags when you go grocery shopping.
• Take a Nude Lunch – instead of wrapping lunch items in plastic wrap, simply put them into washable containers that can be used again and again.
• Recycle. We are now able to recycle so many products. Have two bins in your kitchen to make it easy for everyone to recycle every day.
• Composting - it's easy to do and you get free fertilizer.
• BPA free drink bottles – BPA free drink bottles are available and considered much safer. Using a refillable drink bottle is better for the planet by reducing waste.
• Reduce Your Paper Waste. Copy on both sides of paper. Think before your print. Use recycled paper.
• Donate to your local charities – so that others can reuse your unwanted goods.
• Hop on a bike for short trips, such as to the shops.
• Buy home appliances with an Energy Star Rating to save on electricity.
• Turn the power off at the wall when not using an appliance like the TV, toaster, kettle, mobile phone charger.
• Choose a green energy option with your energy provider.
• Use natural cosmetics and toiletries such as toothpaste, hand wash, shampoo.
• Bed Linen - organic and natural fibre fabrics for cotton sheets, comforters, blankets, pillowcases and throws.
• Household products - help protect the environment whilst taking better care of your health by choosing green products for cleaning, laundry, dishwashing, and other household supplies.

What colour does your heart beat?

 My Heart Beats Green