Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change: Week 5

To review once again, my SMART goal is to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles I use to one per week, and by the end of ten weeks, be only using a glass water bottle. I still have not purchased any plastic, non-reusable water bottles! But I have yet to find a glass water bottle I like. I focused this week on making sure I always had a water bottle of some sort with me so I wasn't tempted to purchase a cheap, plastic bottle I would just throw away. The challenge I faced was the fact that my favorite bottle I have been using is cheap and is leaking. In fact, I noticed this morning it had leaked all over the front seat of my car. Minor issue but I was pretty annoyed since it did get some papers wet. I think it's time for a new bottle! This week I learned that I need to invest in a new water bottle, obviously. So what are the plans for next week? I plan on continuing with my goal as it is, but purchase a new water bottle, one that preferably doesn't leak!


As I said above, my SMART goal is to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles I use to one per week, and by the end of ten weeks, be only using a glass water bottle. I didn't change my goal throughout the last few weeks. I found that I could be successful by planning ahead and having a water bottle on hand so I wouldn't purchase a plastic one that I would just throw away. I benefited from this project in a few ways. First, I saved some money! I used to buy plastic water bottles pretty often so it was good to save a little money. Also, I liked feeling like I was making a difference, even if it was a small one. I felt good about using a reusable water bottle on a daily basis, along with the fact that those cheap, plastic ones can store bacteria and be dangerous to your health. My goal has been beneficial to the environment since I quit buying plastic water bottles since they will most likely end up in a landfill anyways. I also learned that if you have a good reason behind setting a goal, it makes it all the more worth while and maybe even easier to accomplish. I set this goal because I really did want to change my behavior of buying plastic water bottles all the time. I plan on continuing with this behavior of using only reusable bottles and hopefully I'll be able to find the perfect, glass water bottle someday!


I think anyone can accomplish any goal they set their minds to, as long as they truly want to change. If someone wanted to make a lifestyle change, I would recommend they look over the SMART goal requirements, because I really do think those can help set a very good goal. Good luck to all those who have goals to achieve...if you put your mind to it, you can do anything!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

The Eye Opener this week was about finding out more information regarding a cosmetic item that you use. I chose to look up my foundation since I use it nearly every day and I have been using the same brand for years. I never really think much about the makeup that I use, but I know that I could use more organic, skin friendly makeup. I went to http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/101853/Maybelline_Dream_Matte_Mousse_Foundation_1_Tan/ and found out more about my foundation and what is in it. The overall hazard is in the moderate range and the cancer rating was pretty low. I did learn that allergies and immunotoxicity were above moderate. I don't have any allergies and have never had a problem with this foundation so I didn't really read too much into that rating. It was interesting to learn more about what's in my makeup but I'm not sure where to go from there. I realize that the stuff in it isn't very good for you but since I haven't had any bad experience with it, I'm not sure how I feel. I think I might look into trying some different, more organic makeup the next time I go shopping. The only thing about that is that it tends to be way more expensive than the makeup I use. I'll just have to look into it more and find out what will work best for me and be environmentally friendly!