How to care for your world without it costing the earth.

Here at Northern Flock, because we are eco-conscious, use sustainable ingredients, and care for our world, we thought we would write you a blog on how you can make small changes yourself to help the planet.

The earth is huge, enormous in fact with the surface measuring 510.1 million square kilometres. When you think of the size, it’s hard to believe that just a few of us can make a difference and it can seem like a never-ending job making sure it is still around for years to come. However, according to Forbes last year, 77% of you want to live more sustainably. That is a big proportion of the population, so imagine the impact that would have if we all made a few extra changes to our purchasing and recycling habits.

With so many different types of packaging, it feels like you need a calendar and to-do list to know exactly what recycling is accepted and when. We know that our local council does a great job in issuing a colour coded chart telling us what colour bins are for what waste, and which one to put out on what day. But how can you do more to help keep our planet alive?

First of all, we thought it would help to explain some differences between eco-friendly, organic, and sustainability. Whilst all three help with keeping our world beautiful and help sustain the longevity of it, they mean different things.

What is eco-friendly and why care about it?

Eco-friendly means not being harmful to the earth. As human beings, we tend to interfere with nature. Cutting down trees, using pesticides, and flushing chemicals down the toilet or drains to name a few, all affect the future of the planet.

Being eco-friendly doesn’t put a strain on the earth’s natural resources. So when you buy an eco-friendly product, you are helping care for the current state it is in, and prolonging its longevity.

What does organic mean and are organic ingredients and products eco-friendly?

Organic is defined as ‘not using artificial chemicals in the growing of plants and animals for food and other products.’ So we guess you could say that if you don’t buy organic then you are not being eco-friendly because artificial chemicals put a strain on the earth’s natural resources.

For example they may have gone through a manufacturing process which has drawn on the earth’s resources for fuel to drive that process.

The number of people buying organic food and products is on the increase. Whether you have health issues, you care about what you digest and goes on your skin, or are concerned about how plants and animals live their life, then organic is a great option for you. Organic ranges are expanding and are becoming a lot easier to find in supermarkets and independent shops.

And here’s an interesting fact – Did you know your skin is the biggest organ you have and it takes just 16 seconds for whatever you put on your skin to soak in? Whatever you put on your skin will affect you on the inside too. So watch out for those pesky chemicals in your skincare products.

What does sustainable mean and is it important to buy and use products containing sustainable ingredients?

In a word, yes. Sustainability is more important than eco-friendly with the United Nations providing the following definition of sustainability back in 1987: ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ If the material, ingredient, or product is not sustainable, it means that it can not be disposed of properly, or a heavy manufactured process has been involved in making the product.

That’s why you are hearing so much more in the media about ‘buying sustainably.’ It means that you are helping preserve the planet for future generations; your children, your grandchildren, your grandchildren’s children and so on.

Whether you are buying eco-friendly, organic, sustainably, or all three, then be proud of yourself for helping keep the planet alive for many years to come. Here at Northern Flock, we concentrate on all three categories and it fills us with joy that the products we make benefit both you and the planet.

How can you help save the planet easily without it taking up too much of your time?

Our best advice is to start small. Recycle using the coloured bins provided by your local council, because putting products in the right coloured bin helps massively. Each glass bottle, piece of cardboard, tin, or plastic tray you put in the right recycling bins helps protect our planet.

You could also start swapping your household products item by item for more eco-friendly products, particularly if you buy cleaning products with lots of chemicals in. When you rinse those chemicals down the toilet or sink, they end up in the sewer system. Yes, they will be cleaned out but equally, it means even more work is required to clean the water, and that will use even more of the earth’s natural resources.

Also, when it comes to garden waste, compost as much as possible including the trees rather than burning them. When you burn anything it causes problems for people with respiratory problems but it contributes to poor air quality too. That means it affects nature and wildlife which are fundamental to keeping the planet healthy.

Watch out for our next blog with plenty of other ideas on product swapping.

Why support small businesses when it comes to sustainability?

Many small businesses who make products from their front room, kitchen, or bedroom are better for the environment because there are no heavy manufacturing processes involved which draw on the earth’s natural resources. Small and medium-sized businesses also makeup 99% of the business population and are important in keeping the economy going.

Here at Northern Flock we use our hands and hearts, and sustainable, organic, and eco-friendly materials and ingredients as much as we can. And on top of that, we make environmentally conscious choices about the food and products we use personally.

Our Ethos

Northern Flock cares for your world, promotes recycling, and helps save the planet by making eco-friendly products and gifts that are kind to you and mother nature.

Visit our shop to treat yourself and buy someone you love a beautiful eco-friendly gift:

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/NorthernFlock

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