Forest Roll On Deodorant from Pure Beginnings

by Sharné May 2, 2021

written by Sharné

After years of trying out various #zerowaste deodorants I’ve switched back to Pure Beginning’s Forest Roll On Deodorant.

Why I’ve switched back

I used this Pure Beginnings deodorant for years and when I went #zerowaste in 2018 I started trying out various versions of vegan, all natural, aluminium-free, plastic-free deodorants.

When investing in a product, and supporting a brand, there are many factors to consider, not just the packaging. After years of looking I could not find one that ticked all my boxes (see below), Pure Beginnings was by far the best, ticking all my boxes except one (plastic-packaging).

UPDATE: I recently found out that Pure Beginning’s is not 100% vegan as I had believed they are because of the over 50+ vegan products that they make, they do have a single product which is not vegan (contains beeswax). They are working on changing the ingredients so it is vegan, which will make them 100% vegan!

1. Locally made

2. Vegan Product made by a Vegan Company

3. 100% vegan stockist available

4. Product is Certified Cruelty Free (Beauty Without Cruelty accredited)

5. Made with Natural Ingredients

6. Free from aluminium chlorohydrate

7. Free from parabens and synthetic chemicals.

8. Will not pollute waterways when rinsed down the drain.

9. Contains Certified Organic Ingredients

10. Smells good

11. Works well

12. Does not stain clothes

13. Plastic-Free Packaging

Pure Beginnings

Pure Beginnings have an amazing range of all natural eco, vegan: baby, kid, and adult skin care products. I love their products, and the company, as their ethics align very much with my own.

Since going #zerowaste I have been very aware of the packaging a product comes in and I have been trying to reduce the waste I am responsible for. If I can find an alternative in reusables or no packaging that ticks all my boxes then I make the switch. It’s not always possible though.

The ingredients and the packaging

All Pure Beginnings products are packaged in plastic and I am hoping that they will start offering either refillable, packaging-free or reusable packaging in future.

The Pure Beginnings Forest Roll On is packaged in a type 2 plastic bottle plastic, which is recyclable.

99% of the total ingredients of the Roll on is from Natural Origin. This forest roll on has a fresh mint scent, which I love.

The roll on is made with Aqua (Water), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract*, Sodium Bicarbonate, Xanthan Gum, Mentha Soicata (Spearmint) Leaf Oil*, Tragacanth Gum, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil*, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil*, Linalool**, Limonene**

*Certified Organic Ingredient.

**Component of Natural Essential Oils under the *Certified Organic Ingredient

Why it’s important to buy natural

Did you know that 60% of the everyday beauty and personal care products that we use, is absorbed by our bodies? They contain harmful synthetic chemical ingredients, like parabens, aluminium, and synthetic fragrances, to name a few. To most, they might just be technical words written on the label of the product, but it is really important to know what they are, and how they negatively affect your body and the environment. Aluminium, for example, is a common ingredient in most brands of roll on and deodorants, and is used to block the pores that produce perspiration.

According to my research, aluminium is really bad for you. It is a neurotoxin, which is actually poisonous and destructive to nerve tissue. Aluminium is also estrogenic, which means it can promote the growth of both cancer and non-cancer breast cells. Some scientists have suggested that using aluminium-based antiperspirants may be a risk factor for the development of breast cancer.

High levels of aluminium have been found in the breast tissue of cancer patients that have undergone mastectomies. How this is even allowed? I have read that companies are permitted to use small doses of harmful chemicals in products we use every day. The problem is that we use many different products, each containing harmful chemicals, all of which are absorbed by our bodies. If you want to learn more about why these chemicals are allowed to be used in beauty and personal care products, watch the story of cosmetics.

By using natural personal care products we can help decrease the toxic load on our bodies & the environment.

Where to buy?

I bought this Roll On from The Organic Vegan’s online shop.

Have you tried any of the Pure Beginnings products? Do you use a aluminium-free natural deodorant? If you’d like to see more of the body & beauty products I have found, have a look here. If you’d like to see what home & garden products I have found browse my have a look here. New products posted regularly.

Let’s get Social!

Follow me on facebook and instagram to stay up to date with my posts! If you end up trying this product, after reading about it for the first times here, please tag me and let me know what you think. Remember to hashtag it #thegreenveganchick

© the green vegan chick. All images & content are copyright protected. Please follow my Sharing Policy if you would like to use or share any part of this post.

May 2, 2021 0 comment

honey

vegan honey from sunnybo-hunny

by Sharné April 30, 2021

written by Sharné

SunnyBo-hunny is a Cape Town based, vegan brand that makes a range of bee-friendly plant-based honey alternatives from apples.

Why vegans don’t eat honey

There are many reasons why I as a green vegan don’t eat honey but this one is very simple. Honey is made by bees for bees. I don’t need honey to survive, bees do.

Vegans are against the exploitation of animals and insects. When you consider that it takes about 12 worker bees an entire lifetime to create a single teaspoon of honey, which we then consume, then how is that not a very cruel form of exploitation?

Sadly, all over the world, the bee population is declining. As bees are responsible for pollinating a third of the the food we eat, our lives and theirs are deeply connected. We need them to survive, but we also need to learn to respect them and to stop exploiting them.

How bees make honey

Bees are such fascinating creatures. Worker bees are kickass females who typically live only for a few weeks, but in that time they travel many miles and pollinate many flowers, fruit and vegetables and suck up nectar all along their journey.

When their stomach’s are full they return to the hive and regurgitate the nectar and transfer it from their mouths to another bee’s mouth. The nectar is passed along this way from bee to bee, until it turns into honey. The honey is then stored in their honeycomb cells, which is basically their winter food supply. It takes a single bee an entire lifetime to make only a tiny amount of honey, which does not even fill a teaspoon. It is their food, why would I take it away from them?

Sunny-bo-hunny

SunnyBo-hunny is a Cape Town based company. Their logo is a honey pot in the shape of an apple because they use apples to make their cruelty free plant-based honey. There are 4 SunnyBo-hunny flavours: original, ginger, cinnamon & citrus.

The ingredients and the packaging

Sunny-Bo hunny is made from maltitol, apple juice (100% concentrate & water) fruit sugar and lemon juice concentrate. The hunny is packaged in a reusable glass jar with an aluminum lid.

Where to buy?

You can buy SunnyBo-hunny directly from their website (currently sold out) or from The Organic Vegan, Plant Pantry & The Plant Based Company (East Rand & some areas in Pretoria & Johannesburg.

I’ll be adding more vegan honey in the near future. If you’d like to see what food & drinks I have found have a look here. New products posted regularly.

Let’s get Social!

Follow me on facebook and instagram to stay up to date with my posts! If you end up trying one of these products, after reading about it for the first times here, please tag me and let me know what you think. Remember to hashtag it #thegreenveganchick

© the green vegan chick. All images & content are copyright protected. Please follow my Sharing Policy if you would like to use or share any part of this post.

April 30, 2021 0 comment

books

Vegetable glue written by Susan Chandler & illustrated by Elena Odriozola

by Sharné April 27, 2021

written by Sharné

“When my right arm fell off, I knew what to do. I stuck it back on, with vegetable glue.” Vegetable glue is a very cute children’s story with a message about the importance of eating vegetables.

The book

In this story vegetable glue, which is what you get when you eat your veggies, literally keeps the pieces of your body stuck together. 😜 I found this board book at a second hand book shop called The Book Shoppe in Tokai. The book was published by Meadowside Children’s book and was printed in China.

The illustrations are beautiful and the story is fun and quirky. It is meant for toddlers but I really enjoyed it so much when I read it in the shop that I had to buy it. Maybe one day I’ll get to read it to my future kids.

When my head rolled away, I thought it had gone, But I found it again, And stuck it back on.
Vegetable Glue

The Author & The illustrator

Vegetable Glue is written by Susan Chandler, a children’s book writer from The UK. The beautiful illustrations in the book was created by Elena Odriozola, a Spanish illustrator of children’s books.

Where to buy?

You should be able to order this book from your local book store. Just give them the book title and the ISBN no. and ask them to order it for you. (ISBN 978-1-84539-299-4). If you struggle with the title try this alternative title instead: What I do with vegetable glue.

Have you come across any similar books? I’d love to know. I’ll be adding more children’s books soon! If you would like some info about my green vegan lifestyle and the vegan products I use, please take some time and browse through my blog. I have a section where I post recipes I’ve created, or you could browse through the food and drinks section. Alternatively, you could head on over to the body & beauty OR home & garden section to see what products I personally use on myself and at home.

Let’s get Social!

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with my posts and the upcoming DIY’s!

© the green vegan chick. All images & content are copyright protected. Please follow my Sharing Policy if you would like to use or share any part of this post.

April 27, 2021 0 comment

skincare

Earth mask from Back 2 Nature ^

by Sharné April 25, 2021

written by Sharné

If you are looking for a vegan face mask that is certified cruelty free (BWC accredited) and made using natural ingredients then this one is a must try!

^ This product was gifted to me. Opinions expressed here are my own.

I’ll be honest and say that I’d never even tried a face mask before Back 2 Nature gifted me this one. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to use, and how good my skin felt afterwards. I’ve been struggling with acne for the first time in my life, since going off the pill a few months ago, and I think this earth mask has helped my skin.

Back 2 Nature

It is not every day that I find a green vegan brand that so perfectly aligns with my green vegan beliefs! Back 2 Nature is everything I could hope for a green vegan brand and more! They are a conscious business that is aware of the impact of their actions. They do everything they can to not cause harm to animals, and the environment.

Back 2 Nature products are made using, sustainable and natural ingredients. Their ingredients are not from animal sources, and they are not tested on animals. They source locally as far as possible and only sell their products to the local market. B2N remains 100% local, so there is no additional carbon footprint attached to their products!

Their products don’t contain harmful chemicals, parabens, or preservatives and are 100% biodegradable, and won’t pollute our waterways. Back 2 Nature avoid plastic whenever possible, so they package their products in either glass or aluminium.

If you still don’t have enough reasons to love this vegan brand as much as I do, you should also know that all Back 2 Nature products are approved by Beauty Without Cruelty & endorsed by The South African Vegan Society.

The ingredients and the packaging

The earth mask is packaged in a reusable glass container and is made with Aqua, kaolin clay, *cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, **glyceryl stearate, **cetearyl alcohol, **polyglyceryl-6 palmitate, *silt, prunus armeniaca (apricot kernel) oil, **shea butter ethyl ester, **glycerin, *carbon (activate charcoal), *malachite crystal extract, **potassium sorbate, **sodium levulinate, vaccinium myrtillus fruit (blueberry) extract, saccharum officinarum (sugar cane) extract, rose geranium, acer saccharum (sugar maple) extract, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) extract, citrus limon (lemon) extract.

*organic | **Plant derived

How to use:

Rinse & dry skin. Apply generously. Rinse off after 10min. ( No longer ) NB: The ‘silt’ in the Earth Mask encourages blood circulation which may cause the skin to appear red for +-30 after use. Therefore better to use at night. Apply a Face Food, Night Cream after use.

Where to buy?

You can buy this earth mask directly from the Back 2 Nature online shop, or from Shop Zero(online zero waste vegan store – physical store opening soon)

If you’d like to see more of the body & beauty products I have found, have a look here. If you’d like to see what home & garden products I have found have a look here. New products posted regularly.

Let’s get social!

Be sure to follow Back 2 Nature on Instagram & Facebook, and follow me on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with my posts! If you end up trying this product, after reading about it for the first time here, please tag me and let me know what you think. Remember to hashtag it #thegreenveganchick

© the green vegan chick. All images & content are copyright protected. Please follow my Sharing Policy if you would like to use or share any part of this post.

April 25, 2021 0 comment

Tips & Info

Earth Day 2021

by Sharné April 22, 2021

written by Sharné

“Earth Day should not be seen as a deadline but rather a spark that inspires future action.”
Earthday.org

April 22 is Earth Day, a day where people from across the world are inspired to protect the environment. The first Earth Day was celebrated on the 22^nd of April 1970, and since then Earth Day has recruited more than 75,000 partners in 192 countries to the environmental movement.

Each and every one of us has the power and influence to make a positive change. And together with millions across the world we can #restoreourearth, which is this year’s Earth Day Theme. The Restore Our Earth theme has been broken into 5 pillars, which I have listed below with a little explanation of each and links so you can get involved.

“We must Restore Our Earth not just because we care about the natural world, but because we live on it. Every one of us needs a healthy Earth to support our jobs, livelihoods, health & survival, and happiness. A healthy planet is not an option — it is a necessity.”
Earthday.org

Five Pillars of Restore Our Earth

1. The Canopy Project

Donate to The Canopy Project so that Earth Day can continue planting trees across the globe. With the help of various global partners Earth Day has planted tree in areas that is in dire need of rehabilitation as well as areas that is home to the most at-risk communities which has been impacted by climate change and environmental degradation.

2. Food & Environment

One of the most powerful ways you can fight climate change is by changing your diet.

“Our food system is rapidly deteriorating the planet, and in its current form, we will not be able to feed the over 9 billion people inhabiting Earth by 2050. Our growing population is pushing food security to the edge, and what we’re eating is pushing the planet to the breaking point on climate change and deforestation.”
Earthday.org

Use a foodprint calculator to learn exactly how your diet affect the environment. Make your next meal plant-based (recipe ideas here), and who know you might be inspired to have more plant-based meals in future.

3. The Great Global Cleanup

“79% of all plastics ever produced have accumulated in the natural environment or landfills.”
Earthday.org

Global waste impacts everyone and there are multiple ways individuals can help reduce waste. You can do a cleanup on your own or as a group. Every piece of litter picked up makes a difference.

If you organise a cleanup event or attend one, don’t forget to Tag @EarthDayNetwork and use the hastag #GreatGlobalCleanup

In order to make a big impact on the global waste epidemic, each individual should look at reducing their own personal waste at home.

“Small choices, amplified enough times, have big impacts.”
Earthday.org

4. Climate Literacy

Sign the Climate and Environmental Literacy petition on Earthday.org. We need to urge our governments to provide students worldwide with climate and environmental education, so that they can make informed environmental choices. This will not only help them in the way they live but will also empower them to build a stronger sustainable economy where everyone is accountable for their actions towards the environment.

5. Global Earth Challenge

Earthday.org, together with the U.S Department of State’s Eco-Capitals Forum and The Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars have a launched the Global Earth Challenge™, a transparent citizen science database. The goal of this database is to combine data collected by individuals via a new mobile app as well as from existing citizen science projects to shed light on key environmental issues.

To become a Citizen Scientist, all you need to do it download the Global Earth Challenge™ app so you can start collecting data on bee populations, or support research on air quality, plastic pollution, food security, etc. The resulting data will be displayed on a public map and is available as open data. This data will be used by researchers and it has the power to drive change.

Let’s get social!

© the green vegan chick. All images & content are copyright protected. Please follow my Sharing Policy if you would like to use or share any part of this post.

Follow Earth Day on Instagram & Facebook and be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to see what I am doing to make a positive impact in the world!

April 22, 2021 0 comment

Tips & Info

Beauty without Cruelty

by Sharné April 12, 2021

written by Sharné

Simply saying something is cruelty free (not tested on animals), does not make it so. I’m on a mission to get local brands to become Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC) accredited and I need your help!

The stop motion animated short, Save Ralph, has created world wide awareness about cosmetic animal testing which is still legal in many countries including here in SA.

In order to ensure products have not been tested on animals, companies needs to be audited. Here in South Africa, the Beauty Without Cruelty bunny, on the label of a local product is the only way to make sure that the product really is cruelty free.

Who is Beauty Without Cruelty?

Beauty Without Cruelty is an animal rights organisastion in South Africa, that has audited and endorsed 120+ local brands that sell personal care, cosmetics and household cleaners. These brands have proven their humane status according to a strict set of criteria. BWC list all of the accredited brands in a humane guide on their website. The BWC auditing process is a public service, and is 100% free, so there is no reason for a company to not get audited!

How does the BWC audit work?

As I understand it, when doing an audit, Beauty Without Cruelty checks that all the products created by a company has not been tested on animals, that none of the products use any ingredients that has been tested on animals, and that the company itself is not owned by a parent company that tests on animals.

As of April 2018 in order for a company to be BWC accredited, all their products must be 100% plant based. This means that all the products must be free from animal ingredients or animal by-products. Companies that got their BWC accreditation prior to 2018, are still allowed to use the BWC bunny on their products.

Are the products you use BWC approved?

Since January I have been assessing all the products I use, because I only want to buy products from vegan brands that only sell plant based products, and who don’t profit from animal cruelty in any way. And as part my checklist I want to make sure that those products are cruelty free (not tested on animals). Most of the products I use is BWC accredited but two of the brands I am currently using have submitted their documentation to BWC and are awaiting their approval. I will be posting about all the BWC approved vegan products I use, and the amazing brands that make them.

If I find a local vegan brand that states they are cruelty free, I immediately ask them if they are BWC approved. If they are not, I urge them to do so. Please help me, by talking to local brands about why it’s important to be BWC accredited. As consumers we have the power to demand change, and I for one, demand that brands prove they really are cruelty free!

World Day for Animals In Laboratories

April 24 is World Day for Animals In Laboratories and BWC is putting together a video montage of photographs of South Africans who are against animal testing. The plan is to send it to parliament to encourage them to ban cosmetic animal testing (notice 497 of 2020)

BWC has already submitted a memorandum supported by welfare organisations and social groups, along with a 5000+ strong hand signed petitions, but each and every additional voice helps!!!!

In order to take part, head on over to their website, and print or recreate one of the two posters, and take a selfie with it. Use the hashtags #letsdothistogether #makeadifference #choosecompassion #stopcosmeticstesting #leavethemalone post it on social media (be sure to tag Beauty Without Cruelty) OR send it to toni@bwcsa.co.za

About my blog

If you would like some info about my green vegan lifestyle and the vegan products I use, please take some time and browse through my blog. I have a section where I post recipes I’ve created, or you could browse through the food and drinks section. Alternatively, you could head on over to the body & beauty OR home & garden section to see what products I personally use on myself and at home.

Let’s get Social!

Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to see what I am doing to see all the ways I am making a positive impact in the world!

© the green vegan chick. All images & content are copyright protected. Please follow my Sharing Policy if you would like to use or share any part of this post.

April 12, 2021 0 comment

ice cream

vegan cannabis ice cream from Lis

by Sharné April 11, 2021

written by Sharné

Ever since I went vegan I’ve been looking for creamy and delicious chocolate and vanilla flavoured ice creams and I’ve found them! They happen to be infused with CBD.

About Lis

Lis is a small Cape Town business. They have created CBD infused plant-based ice creams that are kind to the earth, the animals and your body! They use 8mg of CBD that is perfect to use day and/or night, that you don’t even taste. Their ice cream ingredients are locally sourced and they have some ice cream flavours that have some unexpected ingredients.

Liss flavours

Lis make familiar flavours like this deep choc and vanilla coconut as well as choc mint. They also have some exotic flavours like dose of rose, river of paradise and rumi that contain spices like saffron and tumeric to name a few.

I’ve tried all their flavours and have to say that the deep choc is my absolute favorite and the vanilla coconut is next on the list.

The ingredients & the packaging

The Deep Choc is made with 80% dark chocolate, cocoa powder, coconut milk/cream, cane sugar, soy lecithin infused with 8mg of CBD oil. The Vanilla Coconut is made with Madagascan Vanilla, cane sugar, Coconut Milk/Cream, vegetable starch which is infused with 8mg of CBD.

The Lis ice creams are packaged in paper tubs and each flavour has a different colour branding.

Where to buy?

I buy Lis ice cream directly from their online shop and you can also buy online or in store at Lekker Vegan.

To see more of the ice cream I have found, have a look here. If you’d like to see what food & drinks I have found have a look here. New products posted regularly.

Let’s get Social!

© the green vegan chick. All images & content are copyright protected. Please follow my Sharing Policy if you would like to use or share any part of this post.

April 11, 2021 0 comment

films

Seaspiracy

by Sharné April 9, 2021

written by Sharné

Over the Easter weekend I watched Seaspiracy, a powerful Netflix documentary that has made headlines across the world for exposing the harmful environmental impact of industrial fishing, and arguing that the only way to help heal the ocean is to stop eating fish.

The creators of Seaspiracy

Ali Tabrizi is a documentary filmmaker from the UK, that has a deep love for the ocean and passion for environmental issues. Ali is the narrator, director and filmmaker of Seaspiracy.

Lucy Tabrizi is a documentary filmmaker originally from Australia that is passionate about conservation and animal rights. Lucy is the assistant-director and filmmaker of Seaspiracy.

Kip Andersen is an artivist from the US. Kip was the co-producer, co-writer and co-director of the film What the health and he was also the co-producer, co-writer and co-star in the film Cowspiracy : The Sustainability Secret. Kip is the executive producer of Seaspiracy.

About Seaspiracy

In Seaspiracy, Ali tells us that he has always loved the ocean and that he dreamed of documenting it’s beauty. When he discovered that whales where washing up on the shores across the world, with stomachs full of plastic he realised that there was a much darker story that needed to be told.

But Ali’s discovery of plastic pollution in the ocean was just the tip of the iceberg, as he together with his now-wife Lucy, discovered many other ways in which the oceans were being harmed. In this documentary Ali shows us the reality of overfishing which includes various subtopics such as bycatch, sustainability laws, and even modern day slave labour.

Ali shows us the environmental importance of the ocean and the various ways in which we are causing it environmental damage. Ali also uncovers the truth of the shark finning industry, as well as the whale killings in the Faroe Islands, and dolphin killings in Taiji. But ultimately Ali shows us that killing trillions of fish worldwide every year, is just as cruel as killing whales or dolphins, as fish feel pain and fear too.

By the end of Seaspiracy, Ali’s has shown people across the world that the only way to truly help save the ocean, which is vital to humanities survival, is for us all to stop eating fish, as there is no way to know with a 100% certainty if something is sustainably fished or not.

My thoughts

I read a lot, so I had already known most of the things mentioned in Seaspiracy, but there was some things, like the slave labour, which I did not know about. I was glued to the screen from the get go, and I watched it all the way through, even through the parts where animals where harmed, tears and all.

Learning about the reality of what’s happening in the world, with regards to animals, sustainability, pollution and climate change is why in went vegan 10 years ago, and it’s why I continue doing what I can to make a positive difference.

The truth might not always be nice to hear, but I believe we should all know what truly happens in this world, so we can make informed decisions.

I honestly feel that everyone should watch this documentary. And I’m not just saying that as a vegan, I’m saying it as a steward of this earth. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to treat our natural world and the animals that live on it, with respect and to protect it for current and future generations. This is our home, and it’s very clear to me that as a society we have no respect for our planet. We seem to still not have realised that if we don’t make drastic changes to protect our planet, then we will make our home inhabitable. The threat is very real, so I’m very thankful that documentaries like Seaspiracy exist, because awareness is the first step towards change.

For those who think this is a big ConsiraSEA, I recommend that you first watch the documentary and then go do some further research and read as much as you can about the topics covered in Seaspiracy.

How to protect our oceans

According to SeaSpiracy here are some things you can do to protect our oceans.

Step 1. Shift to a plant-based diet. There is a meal planner on www.seaspiracy.org

Step 2. * We must enforce No-catch marine reserves with the short term goal of protecting 30% of our ocean by 2030.

Step 3. * End all fishing subsidies. $35 billion in tax payer funding props up the most destructive industry in our oceans.

Step 4. Watch Seaspiracy on Netflix, follow @Seaspiracy on Instagram, share this post. and join the movement at www.seaspiracy.org

*In order to do point 2 & 3 we must urge our local governments to protect our oceans.

More ways to help:

Share what you have learned from watching Seaspiracy with friends and family. Talk about it, debate it, create as much awareness as you can.

If you are already vegan or plant-based, show your friends and family the plant-based seafood alternatives you enjoy and be sure to share them online as well. Familiar foods make diet transitions easier.

Follow @seashephard & @dolphin_project on Instagram and share their posts to spread further awareness. Donate to these amazing organisations if you can.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my post about Seaspiracy. If you’d like to see what other films I recommend watching, have a look here. If you have decided to stop eating fish and desperately need some vegan recipe inspiration, have a look here.

Let’s get Social!

Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with my posts!

© the green vegan chick. All images & content are copyright protected. Please follow my Sharing Policy if you would like to use or share any part of this post.

April 9, 2021 0 comment

films

Save Ralph

by Sharné April 7, 2021

written by Sharné

Save Ralph is a stop motion animated short film about a rabbit that “works” in a laboratory where beauty products and their ingredients are tested on him in various cruel ways. If you have not watched it, I urge you too! (Watch here)

About the film

Save Ralph is presented by the Humane Society International in association with Arch Film studio and Blue Tongue Films. The short film is written and directed by Spencer Susser and stars Taika Waititi, Ricky Gervais, Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, Pom Klementieff, Tricia Helfer, and Rodrigo Santoro.

Cosmetic testing on animals

Sadly cosmetic testing is a reality, as 500,000 animals across the world, are tortured and killed every year, all in the name of beauty. The suffering and death of these animals are completely unnecessary as there are many #crueltyfree alternatives available.

According to the Humane Society International, animal testing is still legal in 80% of countries. There are already 40 countries that have full or partial bans on cosmetics animal testing. Sadly here in SA, animals are still being used.

How to help?

We can end this needless cruelty! Head on over to hsi.org/SaveRalph and add your name to urge the South African government to ban cosmetic testing.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my post about Save Ralph. If you’d like to see what other films I recommend watching, have a look here. I’ll be adding more soon.

Let’s Get Social!

Be sure to follow the Humane Society International on Instagram & follow me on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with my posts!

© the green vegan chick. All images & content are copyright protected. Please follow my Sharing Policy if you would like to use or share any part of this post.

April 7, 2021 0 comment

on the go reusables

collapsible cup from Stojo

by Sharné March 29, 2021

written by Sharné

This reusable Stojo biggie cup comes with a heat sleeve, reusable straw and can collapse completely, which makes it the perfect addition to my zero waste kit. #byocup

Single use coffee cup

Most paper cups are not just made of paper. There is a thin layer of plastic (polyethylene) inside which prevents the liquid inside from bleeding through the paper. There are many studies that have been done on liquids in plastic lined paper cups and they show that when hot water is added, microplastics and other toxins are release into the water.

Another problem with the plastic lining is that it makes the cup very difficult to be recycled because many recycling facilities can’t separate the two materials. This is such a common problem that billions of cups end up as waste across the world! You might be thinking that there must be a better single use option out there, and yes there is, but it also comes with problems.

Compostable paper cup

The compostable paper cup is the greener alternative to the plastic lined paper cup. It also has a plastic lining to keep liquid inside. but this plastic is plant based.

The biggest problem with these cups are that most people who use them are not going to take them home and add them to their compost heap. They are going to throw them in the bin, which means they will most likely end up in landfill.

The reality is that many types of compostable coffee cups can’t be added to a home compost heap and can only be composted in a commercial composting facility which speeds up the process.

Here in SA, we don’t have compost bins in our coffee shops or in our streets so how is a consumer supposed to responsibly discard a single use coffee cup? That’s why I believe reuse is the best solution!

stojo

The stojo cup was created by 3 New York dads, who wanted to create a reusable product that was so easy to carry around that coffee lovers could easily boycott single use disposable coffee cups.

Since creating their first classic 355ml stojo pocket cup, 3 new sizes have been added, 2 of which are available in SA (classic & biggie) I bought the 470ml Stojo biggie in dove (colour) which is the perfect size for a smoothie, or decent cup of coffee. Stojo also have a collapsible bottle and bowl in their range, which is not yet sold in SA.

The stojo cup and straw is made from LFGB Certified (European Standard) food-grade silicone. The polypropylene lid and heat sleeve is BPA-free. The lid has a mouth tab that the straw fits through, which creates a leak proof seal. All components can easily be disassembled and reassembled for cleaning and are dishwasher safe.

How to use

To collapse the biggie stojo cup, simply remove the heat sleeve, open the mouth tab. I’ve tried collapsing the cup with the mouth tab closed and it does not work. You’ll notice that without the heat sleeve the cup is more wobbly and easy to collapse, by simply pushing down on the cup. You can collapse the cup whilst the straw is inside, because it is also flexible. Once collapsed, add the heat sleeve to the underside of the cup, and close the tab for a leak-proof seal.

Where to buy?

I bought my biggie stojo cup on the SA stojo website for R299. It fits in my laptop so I can easily take it with when I travel for work.

Do you have a reusable coffee cup? Do you have any other ways that I can reduce my plastic waste? I’d love to hear from you in a comment below. If you’d like to see more of the on the go reusables I have found, have a look here. Alternatively, if you’d like to see what body & beauty products I have found, have a look here. New products posted regularly.

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March 29, 2021 0 comment

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