Sustainability - choices that have a powerful impact
sustainability, health, beauty and you.
To me, there is no one thing that supports true health. It’s a combination of all of the things that ensure the health of you, me and the planet.
When we think about our health, we usually think about it from the perspective of our bodies and what we put into them, (the food we eat, the drinks we consume and the way we move), however what about what we put on our bodies, the beauty products we use each day and the clothes we wear that touch our skin, our largest organ?
Each of these choices depending on what we choose, either support our health and wellbeing or add to the toxic load that our bodies have to work hard to detox.
Research suggests that the average woman puts 515 synthetic chemicals on her body everyday without knowing it.
Mindful Consumption
With everything we consume, are we doing so consciously and supporting brands that are doing their best to support the world we live in and create in a more sustainable way or are we solely supporting profit over integrity?
The choices we make ultimately come down to a few key considerations; our personal values, our level of wealth, our style of course and the amount we are willing to spend. Education plays into this also and an understanding, or lack thereof of the true value of goods and the connection between the external world and our internal health.
These considerations apply to the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the wine we drink, the holidays we choose, the beauty products we use and essentially every choice we make in between.
It is becoming increasingly evident that we need to change our ways, both as a collective and as individuals in considering our impact.
I firmly believe that it is the repetition of small daily choices over a lifetime that can have a powerful impact and create real change as a collective.
This is a big conversation with many components that we can dive into another day, however I am hopeful that by learning together, how to best support our own health and wellbeing, we will grow to understand the full impact of how each choice we make effects the environment around us and in turn how the health of our environment directly affects us.
My personal belief has always been one of quality over quantity and supporting sustainable and ethical brands and whilst I still believe this is an integrous approach, I cannot help but wonder, if it’s enough and feel myself leaning toward the less is more conversation.
Platforms like sustainable fashion site, Rêve En Vert, are leading the way and supporting brands that both educate and inspire along the way and their ethos is certainly something to aspire too; “we offer an invitation to engage in the creation of a better world, and to make consumer choices that are in harmony with its natural balance.”
There are incredible brands big and small having a meaningful impact in both wellness and sustainability, because what is one, truly, without the other and part of this platform is to showcase and support those leading the way.
What inspires me most, are the smaller ever conscious local brands in both Australia and New Zealand, that continue to refine their offerings, redefine their values in support of continually reducing their footprints, inciting change and giving back in meaningful ways.
It’s also heartening to see brands like Mecca and David Jones joining the party and making an impact in support of wellness and beauty through the transition into more sustainable offerings with a focus of beauty through wellness, which in my mind is much more inclusive and supportive narrative.
“I don’t think any brand that’s out there selling something is really sustainable,” says Amanda Chantel Bacon, founder of Los Angeles cult wellness brand, Moon Juice. “But as a brand that is selling stuff, we take sustainability very, very seriously and have put a lot of time and energy behind it. It’s being sustainable and conscious with sustainability in mind.”
A sentiment I can definitely get behind.
This topic is something that is close to my heart and one that will be revisited, for now however, I will leave you with this.