While it’s impossible to be perfect on our own, when we’re in alliance and doing our best where we can, we can work together to reduce the damage of unethical systems and pressure companies to adopt more ethical practices. So this is a thread to bring those ideas together. What works for you to live more ethically?
I’ll start. My main interests are veganism and zero waste, which naturally go hand in hand with avoiding buying things. Here are some alternatives and resources I personally use that coincide with avoiding Proctor & Gamble:
You can avoid Hellman’s easily by making your own mayo. If the eggs squick you out, or you just want bonus points, I use this vegan garlic mayo recipe. It keeps for weeks and I don’t miss mayo at all. This requires a blender - any kind is fine.
Soap: someone near you makes bars of this that are better quality and sells them for roughly $5, I guarantee it. If not, making it is pretty straightforward as long as you follow instructions carefully and use established recipes. If you want to go custom, you can also use a lye calculator. This one requires an immersion blender.
Breyer’s/ice cream in general: Get yourself some xanthan gum for regular dairy, and add soy lecithin to your list if you want to do vegan ice creams. The xanthan gum inhibits ice crystals for a smooth and creamy texture, and helps with scoopability. Soy lecithin helps emulsify oil and water, so you can use it to bring up the fat content of soy or oat bases to be closer to a heavy cream. Requires a blender.
Gillette: get a safety razor. Mine’s a vintage lady Gillette I got off eBay. You will save so much money on blades it’s not even funny.
Lipton: your local grocery store might have loose leaf tea in the bulk section. If so, try that first. If not and you’re in the U.S., check out Arbor Teas instead. Small business, fair trade, high quality stuff, and the packaging is completely compostable, making it an awesome zero waste choice.
I also found this helpful website for when you do purchase something - it’s UK oriented, but covers a lot of global brands and looks like an excellent starting point for doing a bit of research before buying. https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/
Your turn. What works for you? All ideas are welcome, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Let’s make ethical choices accessible.
The true tragedy is when you get all the social signals and you have the thought “man I wish I could just date multiple people at the same time” and it doesn’t occur to you to try that because… ???
Now I’m old and have to work 1 1/2 full time jobs to pay my bills, so. That won’t be happening.