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Why Natural Toothpaste is Better

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12 Sustainable, Non-Toxic Candle Brands

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Why Taking Care of Your Mental Health is Vital When Advocating for Sustainability and Social Justice

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👉🏽What’s your favourite novel? I’ve been

👉🏽What’s your favourite novel? I’ve been an avid reader since I was young, and have always been a huge advocate for reading fiction📖 These days, so many of us do read, but it seems the genres of choice have become hugely around self-help, personal development and guidance - essentially, non-fiction. While this is of course incredible and necessary work, stepping away from meaningful storytelling undoubtedly has had an effect on us, and our ability to relate to others who are different than us.📚 Deeply immersing yourself in the story of another is a profound way to expand your mind, become more accepting, and view things from a different perspective👀 It’s a way to build compassion, understanding, and interest in the lives and experiences of others, something that is so necessary in the fight for justice and sustainability, especially at a time like right now when so many of us are so divided✊🏾 As humans, we’re naturally drawn to storytelling, as we are more receptive to information when it’s delivered through the lens of a lived experience (think: children’s fables)📙 It’s no secret that the past year has greatly tested all of us. The past few weeks especially, have felt heavier than ever, as our collective energy is feeling stagnant and low. Challenge yourself to nestle into the depths of a moving story, one that might shift your focus, reignite your energy centres, and open your mind to something new📘 What are some of your favourite novels?👇🏽 Here’s a (very) short list of mine:
▫️All the Light We Cannot See
▫️Shantaram
▫️The Hungry Tide
▫️The Kite Runner
▫️The Huntress Are you an avid reader? Share your faves below!👇🏽 #forageandsustain

Things have been a wee bit quiet over here. I’ve

Things have been a wee bit quiet over here. I’ve been busy working on something new for you guys and I’m so excited to get this out into the world! It’s been a long time coming and it’s finally felt like the right moment to launch. Stay tuned ☺️ #forageandsustain

It’s no secret that loungewear has been 2020-202

✨Back with the sustainable switches! This time -

✨Back with the sustainable switches! This time - beeswax birthday candles over paraffin ones! Why?👇🏽 You all know how much we aren’t into paraffin wax over here. Paraffin wax is made from a petroleum by-product, and is the cheapest material to make candles from🛢 Paraffin is basically the grey sludge at the bottom of a barrel of gas, which is then bleached and processed before it is suitable to work with…I don’t know about you, but celebrating someone special with grey barrel-bottom sludge…🤢 Additionally, mainstream birthday candles are covered in glitter (itty bitty pieces of plastic) and potentially toxic dyes✖️ The EPA has detected 7 major toxins in paraffin wax. When we light these candles, they contribute to the pollution of our indoor air quality by releasing carbon soot. Also, a wee bit of wax inevitably makes it onto our cake, so..yum?🧐 The cult hype around beeswax candles is there for a reason - beeswax, the OG wax of the world, is one of the best to make candles from, as they burn cleaner and far brighter (said to mimic the light of the sun). Now, isn’t that how you want to ring in a new birth year?☀️ Beeswax candles not only smell incredible, but they are better for us. And no, bees are NOT harmed in the production. Some benefits include: ✔️Lower toxicity: paraffin candles can produce traces of chemicals known to be carcinogenic, but beeswax is all natural and do not emit toxins when burned ✔️Neutralize pollutants: beeswax candles produce negative ions when burned, helping to neutralize pollutants in the air. This helps eliminate dust, odours and mold in the atmosphere ✔️Naturally scented: the mildly sweet, natural honey scent of beeswax candles not only aid in relaxation, but eliminate the need for artificial heavy perfumes that many candles use ✔️Light: beeswax candles have the brightest, purest light of any of the candle waxes, making them the closest to natural sunlight 🙂 Grab these cuties from @goldricknaturalliving or @ovothings and celebrate another year around the sun with sun-filled candles!🥳 Have you used a beeswax candle before?👇🏽 #forageandsustain

Because, collectively, it IS possible!💪🏽 Ho

Because, collectively, it IS possible!💪🏽 Hold it in your thoughts, always, and watch how fast change happens #lawofattraction am I right?✨ What’s one radical transformation you’ve been gunning for? Or better yet, what radical transformation have you already seen happen? Some examples:
🩸Scotland making period products free
🍄@ikea switching from styrofoam to mushroom packaging
🚇Luxembourg making public transit completely free #forageandsustain

Is natural toothpaste actually better? And what’

Is natural toothpaste actually better? And what’s wrong with a good old tube of Crest in the first place? 🤔 👉🏽👉🏽Link in bio to read the blog post! After years of being wary of mainstream health products laden with questionable ingredients and additives, toothpaste is the next product to have come into review, and that too for good reason🦷 We have to wonder – are these additives necessary for something as basic as cleaning teeth?🤨

Here’s a short list of some of the ingredients in conventional toothpaste that don’t score well, and that are known to cause health implications👇🏽 ▪️Triclosan - a chemical used in hand sanitizer and meant to reduce plaque and fight gingivitis, but also is a known endocrine disruptor (the FDA has banned it in body wash and baby products, but it’s allowed in toothpaste?) ▪️Propylene Glycol - commonly used in antifreeze and industrial paint, this is also found in toothpaste, to make it silky smooth. But, it is known to cause cancer, skin irritation, and reproductive complications. ▪️Plastic - basically all mainstream toothpaste comes in plastic tubes that can’t be recycled. Aluminum tubes that other brands use as a sustainable alternative aren’t the best either, as you need to scrape out all the paste before attempting to recycle it. Natural toothpaste is devoid of these harsh chemicals and focuses on plant extracts and ingredients found in the earth, and that have been used for centuries🌿 Ingredients like coconut oil, bentonite clay, sodium bicarbonate, essential oils, aloe vera etc! My dad told me once when he was very young in India they would just chew on neem sticks as they are naturally antiseptic, and use clove buds for fresh breath! Neem is a powerful plant that is used for many health and wellness treatments in India, and is now being used in natural toothpastes here in the west 🪥 I absolutely love @livinglibationsofficial neem toothpaste - it comes in a reusable glass jar, keeps your mouth fresh and clean, and is vegan + plant-based, with no chemicals at all 🌱 👉🏽👉🏽Click the link in bio to read the entire blog post! Have you made the switch? Or do you DIY your toothpaste?👇🏽lmk! #forageandsustain

🌿 Anyone else dreaming of spring, foraging, and

🌿 Anyone else dreaming of spring, foraging, and days gathering sweet aromatic herbs?🙋🏽‍♀️ Today has been SO warm, so I’m hopeful spring is on its way! And with that, SPRING CLEANING!😉 I know cleaning doesn’t usually garner this much enthusiasm, but when you have a gorgeous cloth to use, how could it not?✨ Have you grabbed our zero-waste, reusable sponge cloth from @ten_and_co yet? For those who are new to the sponge cloth game, these amazing reusable cloths are 100% biodegradable and compostable, with just one cloth replacing 17 rolls of paper towels!😮 They’re super soft, absorbent, and made from plant cellulose, instead of virgin, bleached paper towel that is quickly contributing to our ancient Boreal forest’s demise🌳 There are so many creative uses for these cloths that go beyond just cleaning, so I suggest heading over to @ten_and_co’s page to see how you can get the most out of your cloth!🍄 To buy: click the link in my bio! 👉🏽👉🏽 #forageandsustain
Pic: @ten_and_co

✨With lockdown monotony getting to the best of u

✨With lockdown monotony getting to the best of us, endless binge-watching marathons, social media scrolling, and screen hangouts have, sadly, become our day-to-day📲 That crisp, fresh, fiery sensation of going somewhere new, attending an inspiring event, or doing something super rad seems to be a mere memory, and our collective brains are losing their edge🥴 How can we ensure we keep our brain health optimal? 👇🏽 Well, Shlomo Breznitz, an Israeli neuroscientist, states that the brain needs a lot of stimulation in order to stay in shape. He mentions that “there is a tension between what is good for someone and what they want to do. This is because people, especially older people, like to do things as they’ve always done them. The problem is that when the brain develops ingrained habits, it doesn’t need to think anymore.” In our at-home routines, many of us have become monotonous, living on autopilot. How can we change this and challenge ourselves?👇🏽 ✔️Mental Stimulation: Engage in activities that are stimulating and that help you do “mental gymnastics” - word puzzles, math problems, drawing, painting, crafts. I do a crossword every morning, and I love the how it makes me really think! ✔️LEARN: So many of us leave new learnings behind once we’re out of school, working on autopilot in our jobs and home lives. If there is something that’s always intrigued you, or a subject you’re interested in - learn! Read books on it, take a course, attend a virtual webinar / lecture, host a book club with other like-minded individuals, download an app to learn that language you’ve always loved. ✔️Physical Exercise: Using your muscles also helps your mind! We all know about the science behind this - oxygen production enriches blood cells, and movement releases endorphins. And thanks to Ellle Woods, we all know how endorphins make us feel! So, while I’m a huge advocate for doing things that feel good, try to challenge and boost your brain health by stepping slightly outside of your comfort zone. Even if that means something simple!🌿 #forageandsustain
Sources: @greenharvard @ikigaibook

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