Your Eco-Friendly Products Are Actually Damaging the Environment?

So you think you’re eco-friendly? Here are five products you may be using that are harming the environment.

Almond milk

An almond cappuccino may seem like the great dairy free option however, almond milk is having a long lasting environmental impact. “It takes 5 litres of water to grow one almond” according to a study conducted by Mother Jones Media. Not to mention 80% of the world’s almonds are sourced from California which due to the almond milk craze is experiencing a significant drought due to the high volume of water required for almond farms.

Palm oil

Puckering up for a night out? Turns out your lipstick might contain Palm oil. Palm oil can be used in products ranging from lipstick, to ice cream, to conditioner and chocolate.Palm oil trees grow in tropical rainforests, the high demand for such a versatile product has resulted in the destruction of irreplaceable rainforest and the habitat of endangered species such as the orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos. Unfortunately, many products that use palm oil use an alternative name in the ingredients list such as vegetable oil, Palm fruit oil. If you wish to find out more about which products may contain palm oil check out the the WWF website.

Check out which everyday products may contain palm oil.

Lettuce

Your breakfast BLT might be impacting climate change. According to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh USA “Lettuce produces three times the amount of greenhouse gas emissions than bacon.” Vegetables such as onions, carrots, broccoli and Brussel sprouts all have a decent sized environment footprint. Lettuce however requires 13.5 litres of water to grow one head of lettuce.

Out of season fruit and veg

Enjoying a citrus hit to stave off a cold could mean those Californian oranges have travelled 12,000 km to end up in your morning juice cleanse.Buying out of season fruit, increases the food miles of your shopping basket. Food miles is a term to describe the carbon foot print and distance produce travels to reach consumers in the supermarket. Try to buy only local and in-season produce.

Quinoa

Enjoying a nice bowl of quinoa porridge this winter? Quinoa is a grain that has been eaten for the last seven centuries by the local populations of Peru and Bolivia, who have recently suffered under the superfood hype of quinoa.Bolivia at present is experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history and as a result a societal malnutrition problem. Quinoa, the staple grain of Bolivia which contains all eight essential amino acids for the development of tissue is now 5 times more expensive than its rice equivalent in Bolivia.

So the next time you hit the supermarket, have a think about what you’re popping in your basket.

Maddie Lucre

Contributor

Maddie is in her first year of a Bachelor of Communications at UTS. She has a passion for writing, podcasts and photography. A self-confessed coffee addict Maddie loves all things to do with food, wine and the beach. In her down time you can often find her coffee in hand heading down to beach with plenty of sunscreen on.

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