Environmentally Friendly Curly Hair!

Sorry boys, but this post is mainly geared towards the beautiful women that want to save the world.  I mean, men can use this tip if they would like to.  Alright, now perfect curls are hard to come by especially since they take a long time to curl, use a ton of product to hold, and usually end up going flat by the end of the day/evening.  You never probably notice this, but having artificial beautiful curls does have an impact on our environment since you are using an electric heating device and spraying loads of product into your hair and atmosphere. 

However, I have a solution for you!  Well, Lucy has a solution for you.  This girl has found the secret to having beautiful environmentally friendly curls.  Watch this video to learn how you can curl your hair simply with a single sock!  She also has more videos other environmentally friendly hairstyles.  Now I know this sounds crazy, but it works!  Try it out, tell your friends, and get rid of those curling irons because socks are the next HOT item!  

Don't Buy, but RENT DVD's

A common cheap activity for college students is watching movies.  From being an easy hang out or a laid back “romantic” (maybe) date, most college students have a collection of DVD’s with some of their favorite movies on hand and ready to watch.  However, when you want to watch a more recent film I am going to suggest renting a DVD instead of buying one.  When you buy a DVD, you are supporting the production of new raw materials that will most likely never be recycled and pollute the earth.  By renting, you are reusing DVD’s and being more eco-friendly.  Renting will also save you money in the long run.  For example, a new flick just came out onto DVD and you bought it for about $17.  Now, you could go to your local Redbox and rent the DVD for $1 for the evening and return it the next day.  Just think, when you bought that DVD for $17, do you really believe you will watch it 17 times?  Probably not so you are better off renting it.  There are also other methods of renting movies besides Redbox such as having a Netfix account or renting them on Itunes.  An even more environmentally friendly method of watching movies is to borrow them from your friends.  One more thing, by staying home to watch movies you won’t have to drive anywhere utilizing gas that wastes money and pollutes the atmosphere.  

Switch to Dryer Balls

Do you love the soft fluffy feeling when your clothes come out of the dryer?  Well I have way for you to have fluffier clothing with a solution that is more environmentally friendly!  Purchase a pair of Dryer Balls and stop buying fabric softener dryer sheets.  This video will explain what Dryer Balls are and how to use them, however I will explain more as to why they are more eco-friendly.  

Dryer Balls can be reused while a fabric softener dryer sheet is thrown away after one use.  Dryer sheets have chemicals on them that are pollute the landfills they get tossed into because they are not recyclable.  By stopping the use of the non-reusable dryer sheets and using the reusable Dryer Balls, you will save a lot of money because you won’t have to buy more dryer sheets once your run out.  Also, the Dryer Balls speed the drying process of your dryer therefore you won’t have your dryer running for very long.  So get your Dryer Balls today!  

Check Out the Aveda Institute

One thing that college students typically have a hard time finding being away from home is a place to get a haircut.  You may eventually find a friend, who knows a friend, who may suggest a certain salon.  However, I have an easier solution for you.  Go online and find out if there is an Aveda Institute nearby and get your hair cut there!  You may have heard of Aveda before, they are known for their all-natural beauty products including hair, skin, and makeup products. 

The Aveda Institute is a school for students learning cosmetology practices and they get to practice their skills on you!  Therefore, they offer extremely reasonable prices.  The Las Vegas Aveda Institute does not accept tips so that will save you a little extra money and on top of that, if you show them your Rebel Card you get a 10% discount!  (When I go it only costs $13.50!)  Each institute has their own policies so make sure you ask.  The Aveda Institute also offers other cosmetology as well.  So what are you waiting for?!  Go to www.avedainstitutes.com to find a location near you and start getting cheap environmentally friendly services!  

Never Let the Water Run

I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase from our parents, grandparents, maybe even Barney …, “Never let the water run.”  This was often repeated when you were brushing your teeth or washing your hands and kept the water running when it wasn’t in true use letting money drip down the drain.  However, I am repeating this tip to you not as a common money saving tip, but as an environmental tip too.  Less than 4% of the world’s water comes from fresh water systems and with common water misusage and a growing population the danger of running out of fresh water is becoming a slow reality.  Therefore, we must be smart with our water consumption by not wasting it.  Saving water will also greatly reduce your water bill.  Visit www.watersmart.net to learn more and find other ways to conserve water and save some extra money.  

Yes... Beautiful Hair For Less

Taking a shower is part of everyone’s daily lives and that usually includes washing your hair.  Most people have the common tendency to fill the entire palm of their hand with shampoo/conditioner and then proceed to scrub their head.  However, I guarantee your hair will still be beautiful without THAT much product.  When washing and conditioning your hair, try reducing the amount of product you use.  For example, instead of using filling up your hand with shampoo, just use about a quarter size.  Or instead of taking two pumps of conditioner, take only one pump.  If you have more hair, I understand you might need to use a little more so adjust accordingly.  It may take a few tries to see how much product your hair will need, but overall just be aware of how much you used to use and try to reduce the amount you use.  This will make your shampoo and conditioner bottles last longer since you are using less.  In time you will buy less, reducing the amount of product produced/consumed by you and it will save you money too!  

Disposable vs Reusable Dinnerware

Happy Fourth of July!  Today we Americans celebrate the day we declared our independence from England and most commonly people get together with their friends and family for a heartwarming delicious barbeque.  Countless hotdogs, hamburgers, and corn on the cob are cooked on the grill while there is an endless supply of different salads, fruits, and chips eaten on disposable paper/Styrofoam plates with plastic utensils.  Thousands of pounds of waste are generated on this holiday since the dinnerware is thrown away and not recycled because a) people don’t know or b) they know they can, but there is food on it so the recycled material is not contaminated.  Therefore, try bringing your own plate, bowl, cup, and utensils to the party or barbeque you attend.  This will prevent an excess amount of waste generated by you.  If you are hosting the party, get your guests to bring their own and if they forget, provide the ones you have.  It may be a pain to wash the dishes after, but I guarantee you will save a lot of money doing this.  Since people bring their own dinnerware, you don’t have to buy any disposable ones saving you money.  Also, don’t be afraid to bring your own dinnerware to events you’re invited too!  It’s ok… you’re saving the world!  This EGOlogical tip can also be used for other parties or events you attend or host such as birthdays or winter holiday parties.  

Say NO to Plastic Bags

When it comes to storing food most people opt to using plastic bags, or what some of us grew up calling them, “ plastic baggies,” to keep our food fresh for a certain time period.  Whether it is packing up a sandwich for lunch or storing left over chicken and pasta from dinner, plastic bags have been an easy solution.  However, plastic bags are not good for the environment because almost 99% of the people that use them throw them away after they have been used and will pile up in our landfills taking thousands of years to decompose.  Therefore, the alternative I suggest you use are containers.  Yes containers are made of plastic, however they can be reused more than plastic bags because they are more durable and are most likely to be recycled when they get old.  Containers come in many different sizes that will best suit your needs from packing lunches to storing dinners.  If you want to even save a little more money and be even more environmentally friendly, look for used containers at thrift stores.  Used is always better than new because you are not supporting the demand for new containers and all the pollution that goes into the production of them.  Switching from plastic bags to containers will save you money over time because you won’t have to keep buying more bags once you run out.  With containers you get to use them over and over and they will last you a long time if you take care of them.  Save plastic from the landfills and save some extra money with this EGOlogical tip!