Greening Up My Act

In the first episode of this new green living podcast, learn all about unpaper towels -- what they look like, feel like, maybe even taste like. Tiffany and Kat help you understand whether unpaper towels are worth your money and time, or whether you might already have something in your home that will do the trick.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links below are paid links.
What We Bought:

• Bamboo unpaper towels

What We Mentioned:

• Swedish dishcloth we recommend
• Recycled paper towels
• No-sew and sewable unpaper towels
• Look up brands’ stance on viscose
• See the roadmap from Dirty Fashion to get to closed-loop viscose systems

Source Links:

• https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/ask-mr-green/2014/03/hey-mr-green-it-more-ecofriendly-use-rags-or-paper-towels
• https://www.patagonia.com/on/demandware.static/Sites-patagonia-us-Site/Library-Sites-PatagoniaShared/en_US/PDF-US/bamboo_rayon.pdf
• https://cfda.com/resources/materials/detail/rayon-viscose
• https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp111-c1.pdf
• http://www.ecolabelindex.com/
• https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/22/eco-guide-to-cleaner-cotton
• https://cfda.com/resources/materials/detail/rayon-viscose

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Be afraid... be very afraid... of your plastic Halloween costumes never degrading in the landfill. In this special Halloween episode, your favorite sustainability podcast hosts Kat and Tiff explore how to have a blast — maybe without the 16-foot skeletons. Listen as they chat about more eco-friendly costume ideas and how to do Halloween candy better.
Sources

• Instagrammers libery.mai fully vintage Scooby Doo costume
• Survey by HalloweenCostumes.com
• Survey by charity Fairyland Trust
• History Channel on history of Halloween
• Wallethub on Halloween stats
• Forbes on more sustainable Halloween
• Duke Today
• Yale Sustainabiilty
• The Honest Consumer
• BBC on costumes
• SaveYourWardRobe.com
• Orangutan Foundation on palm oil
• EthicalConsumer.org
• WildMinimalist for eco-friendlier candy

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Instagram: @greeningupmyact
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Email us with questions: [email protected]
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Washing your hands is probably second nature since the onset of the Plague 2.0, but the big question is: Which soap to use? And if you're interested in living as sustainably as possible, which soap has the least impact on the environment? Join marketing writers Tiff and Kat in this week's deep dive into potential greenwashing behind bar soap vs. liquid soap to learn which type of soap reigns supreme for washing germs down the drain without taking the Earth down the drain with it.
What we used

• Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap - https://amzn.to/3QJbEia

Sources

• FDA: FAQs on Soap - https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-products/frequently-asked-questions-soap
• The Good Boutique: The Environmental Impact of Liquid Soap - https://www.thegoodboutique.com/inspiration/the-environmental-impact-of-liquid-soap-why-bar-soap-is-a-better-choice
• Cleveland Clinic: Triclosan - https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24280-triclosan
• WFLA: Soap Showdown: Bar soap vs liquid soap for your daily cleanse - https://www.wfla.com/bloom-tampa-bay/soap-showdown-bar-soap-vs-liquid-for-your-daily-cleanse
• FDA: Antibacterial Soap? You Can Skip It, Use Plain Soap and Water - https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/antibacterial-soap-you-can-skip-it-use-plain-soap-and-water
• Minnesota Environmental Health Division of the Minnesota Dept of Health, Tricolosan and Drinking Water - https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/risk/docs/guidance/dwec/triclosaninfo.pdf
• NIH - Environmental impact of increased soap consumption during COVID-19 pandemic: biodegradable soap production and sustainable packaging - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8272010/
• The Healthy - Is Liquid Soap Better than Bar Soap? - https://www.thehealthy.com/skin-health/bar-soap-vs-liquid-soap/
• Huffpost Chemical Marketplace: Bar Soap vs Liquid Soap - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chemical-marketplace-bar_b_2104678
• What’s Your Impact? Liquid vs Bar soap, which is more environmentally friendly - https://whatsyourimpact.org/the-eco-guide/liquid-vs-bar-soap-which-more-environmentally-friendly
• Slate - Is Dove Soap Actually Soap? - https://slate.com/technology/2020/04/what-is-soap-coronavirus.html
• Lovely Greens - 7 Ways to Make Soap - https://lovelygreens.com/5-ways-to-make-handmade-soap/

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There are an estimated 550 billion cotton swabs thrown out every year. Now that's a statistic! So what's the alternative? In this greenwashing podcast, marketing writers Tiff and Kat examine the company LastObject's LastSwab and LastRound. The hosts say "swab" far too many times while determining if LastObject is full of it — or legit.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links below are paid links.
What We Analyzed

• LastSwab from LastObject: https://amzn.to/3tvBUVJ
• LastRound from LastObject: https://amzn.to/4avYwG3

Sources

• LastObject’s website: https://lastobject.com/
• The Guardian on cotton water usage: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/20/cost-cotton-water-challenged-india-world-water-day
• NIH on using cotton swabs: https://www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov/have-you-heard/cotton-swabs-ears
• UNC Health article called Put the Cotton Swab Down: https://healthtalk.unchealthcare.org/put-the-cotton-swab-down-clean-your-ears-safely/
• Tilted Map’s review of LastObject: https://www.tiltedmap.com/lastswab-vs-earthsider-review-zero-waste-greenwashing/
• MaterialsToday study on polypropylene: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214785321075969
• Plantish on the wastefulness of cotton: https://plantishfuture.com/blogs/zero-waste-living/the-waste-from-disposable-cotton-rounds
• Going Zero Waste blog on homemade cotton rounds: https://www.goingzerowaste.com/blog/diy-cotton-rounds/
• Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance article on the reliability of company’s carbon footprint: https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2021/10/04/the-reliability-of-your-companys-carbon-footprint/

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Minimalism is way weirder than Tiff and Kat thought. In this episode, dive into whether or not The Minimalists' recommendations are actually eco-friendly. Plus, compare the pros and cons to the Buy Nothing Project and Swedish Death Cleaning. Does following The Minimalists' rules automatically lead to more sustainable living? Listen to find out.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links below are paid links.
Sources

• The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan: Discover the Joy of Spending Less, Sharing More, and Living Generously book
• The Minimalists Podcast, website, and "16 rules" e-book
• The Commodification of Minimalism, Mike Grindle on Medium
• The Pitfalls and Potential of New Minimalism, Jia Tolentino for the New Yorker
• International Journal of Cognitive Therapy study
• Environment and Behavior study on office clutter
• JStor Daily on hoarding disorder
• Plain Simple Life blog on eco-minimalism
• NIH study on hoarding disorder
• Shelbizleee on YouTube
• The Swedes know the secret to happiness: You are not your stuff in Washington Post on Swedish death cleaning

Patreon: patreon.com/greeningupmyact
Instagram: @greeningupmyact
Facebook: Greening Up My Act
Email us with questions: [email protected]
YouTube: Greening Up My Act