So last year I resolved to write in my blog at least 1-2 times
a month, but I somehow turned that around completely backwards and haven’t
written in my blog for months now! Writing for our newsletters at work are the
main culprit, but I do want to pick back up again this year (so we will see how
it goes!).
I hate outlandish New Year’s resolutions, but I have tried to
make a few achievable ones in the past year that I did follow through with… and
some that I achieved for the most part or, like my blog, totally ignored
because of life and its hectic ways in 2012. It’s over a week into the new
year, and I’m just now getting around to making my new, short list of
resolutions. One of them to increase my dedication to helping animals in 2013.
My day job is at a no-kill animal rescue, and most of my
volunteer work goes to other types of animals rescues. But there are so many
other aspects to humane treatment of animals, including the ways in which we
eat and the items that we purchase. I have been working to buy more
animal-friendly products, meaning that no animals were tested in any part of
the process. Many products falsely post on their bottles that “no animals were
tested/harmed/etc,” but the truth is, that isn’t always accurate. Many of the
products purchase ingredients for their products that have been tested on
animals, meaning that the product isn’t truly animal-friendly. The only
sure-fire way to know this is to follow the Leaping Bunny
standard, and they have their own icon that you can look for.
I am planning to try to only buy Leaping Bunny approved
cleaning products and personal care items this year if I can help it. Money is
usually the only reason why I haven’t this year, but in reality, there are
increasingly more affordable products that you can buy now. I use Method
cleaning products, and they also make dish soap, hand soap, body wash,
dishwasher tablets, and more. And the best thing is that they’re all affordable
and available at retail stores like Target and Kroger now.
As for other personal care items, it takes a little more
digging to find affordable options that my skin likes. I use Mineral Fusion
make-up, which is certainly more expensive that your Walgreens make-up brands.
But the catch here is that it’s made from minerals, so that nasty bacteria that
builds up on other make-up brands within just a couple of months (you’re
supported to throw out most make-up after three months) never grows on mineral
make-up and makes it ageless! It also has the nice side effect of not
irritating your skin because it is truly all natural—my eyes will get irritated
with most make-up, but I can wear mineral make-up all day and never have one
problem. Most of the Mineral Fusion make-up items will last for a good year or
close to it, so you’re actually saving money over time by using it, being nicer
to your skin, and not harming any animals in the process!
I have tried a new shampoo and conditioner that’s not
technically Leaping Bunny, so I plan to try another kind once this brand runs
out. There are some great options now, such as Burt’s Bees, that you can find
in Target and grocery stores—they are becoming much easier to find now. The
list goes on, but the point is to be more conscious of the products we buy and
the ways in which they do harm innocent animals far from our eyes to see. And
the really sad part of it all is that most of the ingredients that are used in cleaning
and personal care items that are tested on animals have long ago been proven to
be safe for humans to use—they are completely unnecessary tests!
So I vow to try my hardest to buy only Leaping Bunny certified
cleaning and personal care items this year and beyond, AND to try to get my
boyfriend on board. I need to do some research in men’s personal care products
to find some to suggest for him. Thankfully, Leaping Bunny continues to improve
its website and now phone app so that its much easier to find animal-friendly
products quickly. Do me a favor today—download the free phone app (available for iphone and andriod) or visit the
website, and pick one item to purchase this year that’s animal friendly and
that will be a substitute for a product you use daily that’s not Leaping Bunny
certified. Let me know how it goes and whether you decide to join me in changing
all of our items over to reduce the number of animals that are harmed unnecessarily
due to cruel animal testing!
(My food changes will have to wait for another blog posting!)
