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Youtubers Who Are Making a Difference

I stay watching YouTube, day in and day out. Before podcast, I would listen to YouTube as a form of relaxing and gaining insight. So when I started my journey on learning more about being eco-friendly, or sustainable, I turned to YouTuber’s to see if I can learn more from them. In doing so, I gained a lot of insight for a larger number of channels. I wanted to share them with you all today!

  1. Shelbizleee

Shelbi is one of my Favorite YouTubers! Not only does she walk the talk, but she also has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. She explains on a regular bases that she has a passion for sustainability and everything in her power to educate us on how we all can make a difference. My favorite thing about Shelbi’s Channel is she explains things so easily. I feel like I completely understand the impact of something, and how I can make a difference from my end. She even collaborates with others to get their expertise which is super helpful, because as a viewer, I don’t have to go to multiple videos to get the same information. This video is my favorite! Also her website, the best!!

2. Gittemary Johansen

Gittemary is one of my favorite YouTubers, not only because she is really optimistic, but also because she seems so approachable. I think when we’re in the learning phase, we get insecure or scare to ask questions, yet with Gittemary it seems easy to do so! Gittemary’s goal is to create inspiration, recipes, and guides on how to get started reducing trash and finding non-materialistic values. She definitely show’s us how to do so, along with showing us how to do more, when we feel ready to do so. I also read her blog posts! If you’re interested in learning more about Gittemary and her webpage, check it out here!

3. Cynthia Dam

Cynthia Dam is another one of my favs! Not only do I love her esthetic and vibe, but I love following women of color who are trying to make a difference. I really like her description, because I think it really outlines her videos well: “Inspiring you to be sustainability-minded in fashion, and to support brands doing good. I share what I learn about sustainability and ethical labour in fashion, in hopes of making it less overwhelming to learn how we can all make an impact together as consumers.” Her videos are about makeup, fashion, lifestyle and more. Therefore, I think as someone who cares for similar things, it gives me the opportunity of viewing the holistic process. Her website is fits her vibe so well. You have to check it out!

These YouTubers are some of my favorites! Are there any I missed that you may know about? Did you enjoy learning about these channels? If so, let me know below!

Why Being Sustainable is Important to Me

I love writing about fashion, makeup and lifestyle from a conscious lens. I think a lot of the time, we look at the fashion and makeup products of today and we care a lot about what influencers or celebrates are saying rather than other factors such as the production of the product. As someone who used to be like this, I remember not caring about anything other than being able to post the product on my Instagram or Tumblr (lol yes, that’s how old I am).

As I experienced college, and began to be more educated in social justice and environmental justice, I began to learn about little ways I could be better as a person and as a community member of this world. Growing up in a Mexican household, my cultural allowed me to use natural medicine and natural resources, therefore, adding more sustainable ways to my lifestyle came very easy. In Mexico, I legit just pick fruits off the floor, wash them and eat them!

So why it is so important for me to continue to grow my sustainable/ eco-friendly practices? Well for one, I learned that if we don’t start taking care of the planet, no one will. And my last goal is not to love the one thing that loves us. Your skin thrives in great environments/ weather, your nails and hair grow with the right ingredients, and you feel the best when you consume the best products. Therefore, I think it is a priority to worry about world and the future of it.

The next big reason I care about the environment is because of it’s impact on People of Color or BIPOC individuals. According to Princeton University, “Environmental racism refers to the unequal access to a clean environment and basic environmental resources based on race. Communities of color are disproportionately victimized by environmental hazards and are far more likely to live in areas with heavy pollution. People of color are more likely to die of environmental causes, and more than half of the people who live close to hazardous waste are people of color.” This is extremely important to me as not only do I identify as a women of color, but most of my friends and family belong to this group as well. Therefore, my parents, my nephews or myself can be harmed by such circumstances, and I know this is not the way I want any of my community members to live.

We can also go into the idea as to how being sustainable or eco-friendly is typically only for Middle-class/ High-class individuals as well. Which to me is a huge problem. Therefore, my goal is to not only show why sustainability is important but to also educate ways we all can do it without feeling that we can’t do it because of money, or resources. My goal is to help educate others where they feel safe and motivated to help make the world a better place, one step at a time!

Now that you have heard of some of my reasons for being more sustainable, let me know some of yours down below!

Traveling Goals: Living in Nature

I can’t lie, I love to travel! I know it’s not great for the environment, trust me I know. I try my hardest to be sustainable, but I do think that we live in a world where we can be sustainable and respectful to a community and the planet, while getting to visit it first hand. Respect means making sure you are keeping it clean along with following the guidelines and expectations of the community and the people of the community. My goal today is to show you why we need to take care of our planet. Seeing these amazing things in person is once in a life time!

1. Mosquito Bay on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico, USA

When I was researching Mosquito Bay, I legit could not believe it! How this happens is 100% mind-blowing to me. According to the Guinness World Record, “Mosquito Bay on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico, USA, contains up to 700,000 tiny dinoflagellates per gallon (4.5 litres) of water. When agitated, these microscopic organisms (Pyrodinium bahamense, ‘whirling fire’) react by flashing a blue-green light for about one-tenth of a second.” So this legit means the water has little lights NATURALLY! IT’s definitely a place, I need to see.

2. Bohol, Philippines 

People stay sleeping on the Philippines! First and foremost, anywhere you go to in the Philippines is amazing and so pretty! I feel that just like Bohol, Philippines, all of the Philippines is magical. It legit looks like a setting in a Disney Movie. The water is blue and green, clear and clean, the environment green and tropical! There is no way that people do not want to visit these areas!

3. Abisko, Sweden

Not only can you see the Northern Lights from Abisko, Sweden but you can legit see all the color of it’s national park! This is what we want to be around of, I think. I have never seen the Northern Lights, but to be able to be surrounded by it would be amazing. Also, being around so many mountains while also being surrounded by green nature must be a beautiful site to see. I really want to experience this!

I know there are millions of other sites to see! What are your goals or thoughts on places you want to visit? Let me know down below!

Mexico and it’s Peoples Sustainability Lifestyle

My parents are originally from Michoacán, Mexico. Every time we go back, the main things that captivate me is the land and the way our food was made. Most to everything is produce in a “sustainable” way. I put sustainable in quotes because sustainable isn’t a trend for this community, it’s been a way of life for centuries. Groups of indigenousness roots till this day practice the rituals and lifestyles of their ancestors. From when I was a kid, we would eat the plants and fruits surrounding us, we would eat beans, rice and a small amount meat (as my grandpa would have to kill an animal to eat to eat meat).

DW News did these awesome videos on the sustainable practices Mexican people do. One, to make a living and two to continue traditions and practices of their people. In the video above, the content focuses on people from the state of Oaxaca, mainly it’s rural and indigenousness communities that use Pulque to make a living. The making of the drink can be hard, but the community has pride in following the difficult practice as, again, it keeps them at root of their community and history. The company Rutopia also assist these communities by bringing in tourist to learn the community’s rituals and practices. If you have not tried Pluque, you definitely need to!

The next video DW News made was this one on Sustainable farms for biodiversity. They focus on the importance of using just enough of material, whether that being animals, plants, etc.. Here they also worked with individuals who had environmental expertise who could help them make the best of the materials they had. Another important factor of the video is explaining how cultural values and traditions are important to the Mexican people. How we do things, or what we use is very important to us, along with our history and stories. For example, there are legends that follow La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve, such as taking things from the mountains will not return home. The history, the culture and the need is amazing and much needed.

Overall, sustainability is definitely needed, yet many communities have been doing “sustainability” without the need to call it that. They call them traditions. Have you been to a community or country with goals to save their community with their traditions? If so, let me know down below!

Vegan Food, Pero Mexicana

I have to say this over and over, because I don’t want any confusion. I am not by any means vegan! But! I try to hold off from eating red meats and pork. I can definitely do a blog post as to why the meat industry is not the best, but that can be for a later day. Today, I wanted to talk about vegan food, but authentic Mexican-style. Honestly, growing up, we didn’t use “vegan” because that wasn’t what we considered it, we just considered it food. Like a variety of Latinx countries, we use plants, veggies, herbs, etc., in pretty much everything. I wanted to share some fun Mexican restaurants around the world that may come in favor!

As an obvious start, Mexico is the first place to check out any type of Mexican food. How can you not find this food in it’s home-country? You can start very close- in Tijuana, MX with La Taqueria Vegiee! This Mexican restaurant attempts to captivate Mexican flavors and culture without using animal products. They have all types of traditional foods along with drinks. Chef Toni Quintero explains the love he has on this movement. Check out this cool video done by Goodful on the restaurant.

The next place you know has the BEST food is Los Angeles (lowkey little Mexico). One of my favorite plant-based locations is Hijo De su Madre. The history, the culture connect and food is so amazing. What I love the most about this restaurant is the connect to family, specifically the connect to the owner’s mother. As someone who’s culture focuses on collectiveness, this is definitely relatable. I found this restaurant through Munchies. Check out this awesome video they did for Hijo De Su Madre.

Lastly, my most favorite spot hits right at home. Reno, NV! House of Mexica is one of the first restaurants that helped me discover that you can substitute regular foods with planet-based options. Trust me, I was someone who constantly thought that in order to have Mexican food, there had to be meat in it. Well House of Mexica showed me that there are more options, and at that better ones! I took my mother here one time and she LOVED it. I wish I could share further content on this spot, but sadly, there is limited video content with it. Even with that said, check out their website and if you’re in Reno, NV, check out their food!

I am always happy to recommend more! Therefore, if you would like me to drop some more restaurants and their sites, let me know down below!

What is Palm Oil and Why is it Considered as a “Bad” Thing?

So in the time that I have been doing more and more research on sustainable products, a lot of experts or consumers of sustainable products have referred to the ingredient of “Palm Oil.” As someone who have been trying to understand ingredients and their impacts on our environment, I wanted to look further into Palm Oil. This is what I learned about it!

What is Palm Oil?

Per the WWF, Palm Oil is “palm trees are native to Africa but were brought to South-East Asia just over 100 years ago as an ornamental tree crop.” Palm Oil is a vegetable oil that can be found in nearly everything! According to WWF, “Palm oil is in nearly everything – it’s in close to 50% of the packaged products we find in supermarkets, everything from pizza, doughnuts and chocolate, to deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste and lipstick. It’s also used in animal feed and as a biofuel in many parts of the world.”

Is this a good or bad thing?

According to YouMatter, “Due to its (Palm Oil) massive use and efficiency, it is being overexploited – destroying ecosystems, biodiversity and supporting unfair human rights practices.” According to WWF as well, due to the deforestation of major forests and natural habitats, animals such as Orangutan, pygmy elephant and Sumatran rhino as starting to become in danger! My spirt animal are elephants, so I am not (NOT!) okay with this impact!

So what can we do?

Well overall, we need to advocate for our planet and EVERYTHING that lives on it. We need to start paying closer attention to the ingredients in our products. We need to ask companies and businesses to either sustainability produce Palm Oil or remove it from their products completely! Apart from that, we need to make sure higher power such as policies makers are involved in these conversations! We need to do better for us, animals, and our environment.

One of my favorite past blog posts from the Treehugger goes further into detail about other names for palm oil. Check these out as they can appear on your favorite product. (List is from Treehugger’s 25 Sneaky Names for Palm Oil blogpost)

1. Elaeis guineensis
2. Etyl palmitate
3. Glyceryl
4. Hydrogenated palm glycerides
5. Octyl palmitate
6. Palm fruit oil
7. Palm kernel
8. Palm kernel oil
9. Palm stearine
10. Palmate
11. Palmitate
12. Palmitic acid
13. Palmitoyl oxostearamide
14. Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-3
15. Palmityl alcohol
16. Palmolein
17. Sodium kernelate
18. Sodium laureth sulfate
19. Sodium lauryl lactylate/sulphate
20. Sodium lauryl sulfate
21. Sodium palm kernelate
22. Stearate
23. Stearic acid
24. Vegetable fat
25. Vegetable oil

What are your thoughts on Palm Oil? Comment down below!

Reusable SkinCare Products

As someone who hates wasting products such as cotton especially when it’s for one time usages. I can go on and on on why using one-time products is bad for the environment, but I am sure you already know! That has been the whole concept to my website! I wanted to share some products I use to on a regular that supports my skincare habits and aren’t one-time products. Please note, I am linking Amazon Links as for most individuals this may be one of the most accessible resources. Therefore, if you would like to use a more sustainable website, please let me know down in the comments and I am more than happy to provide alternative options. 🙂

  1. MUEROSA All in One Facial Cleansing Skincare Set

This set not only carries reusable Bamboo makeup remover pads, but it also carries a Konjac Sponge, a face cloth, a Headband, a cute bamboo storage box and a laundry Bag. Hands down one of the best sets. When I usually clean my face, I 100% use all of these products. Even the Konjac Sponge. Each of these products are durable and can be washed with your laundry or hand washed. I also love the storage box as it not only it cute but very useable!

MUEROSA All in One Facial Cleansing Skincare Set

2. Exfoliating Loofah Face Brush Cleanser

Personally, I don’t feel like I am exfoliating my face without a product that feels a little rougher on the skin. Most to all exfoliators are rough yet soft, and this is just another one of those products. These Loofah pads are made of 100% natural loofah sponge and terry cloth materials which are skin-friendly and hypoallergenic. For me, these really make my face feel smooth and clean. The other cool thing about this product is that it’s part of Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly initiative.

Sportout 10 Packs Exfoliating Loofah Face Brush Cleanser

3. DermaTech Skincare Reusable Under Eye Patches

I love eye patches! I usually don’t use them often because they are pretty expensive and they mostly one-time uses. After I found the DermaTech Skincare Reusable Under Eye Patches, I have never looked back. You can add product to the eyepatches before laying them down or even put them in the freezer for a little bit to get a cool affect. There’s times were I just need a little bit of care underneath my eyes and this is the perfect match!

DermaTech Skincare Reusable Under Eye Patches

I am including a few more links to my favorite items for skincare uses. Please let me know which you like better or if you have tried any!

Face Mask
Gel Ice Pack Reusable Cooling Eye Pads
Wrist Spa Washband
Ice Face Roller

What does your Body Care Look Like?

Okay we have talked about Facial Skin Care and makeup, but what about body-cleaning products! I am not a 3-1 in one kind of person, and if you are, we need to talk. I know for me, my face is more sensitive then my body, so I need to use different products. I wanted to share my favorite body products that help me stay clean and are still sustainable.

My first favorite product is Everist Body Wash Concentrate! This product is 100% planet-based concentrate with zero water (most of our products have ALOT of water). This Body Wash is made with aloe vera, vegetable glycerin and betaine, as well as a refreshing blend of five essential oils: bergamot, orange peel, rosemary, clary sage and peppermint. Apart from the amazing ingredients, this product is also free of parabens, sulfates, silicones, dyes and synthetic fragrances, and like every product on my blog- it is vegan and cruelty-free! A must try!

My next favorite product is the Osea Salt of the Earth Body Scrub. This product has three ingredients: Gigartina Seaweed, Shea Butter, and Mineral Salts. The goal of using this is exfoliate and hydrate the skin. I have dry patches, so using this once to twice a week, really helps my skin feel smooth! Osea is one of my favorite brands, as they focus a lot on trying to make a better impact on the world. They focus on advocating and creating sustainable products. Most of their products are packaged in reuse material like glass! This is a must use!

My last favorite product is Viva La Body’s bar soaps! Literally, any of them! I found this brand through Biome. The company has from Natural perfumes to deodorant to body wash! As I mentioned my favorite is their body wash bars. They smell incredible and they live by the zero waste lifestyle. As the company does not sell to the USA yet, Biome is a great way to grab yourself a product! Plus Biome’s shipping process is eco friendly.

Overall these products have helped my skin tremendously! As someone who cares about the holistic approach, knowing that these brands put time and ethical approaches to their products really shows me their worth! Let me know down below, have you tired any of these products? Are you interested in trying them? I hope you are open to trying them, as I promise they’re worth it!

Zero-Waste Makeup

So last time, we spoke on skincare, this time makeup! Whenever there is something new in the market, whether it’s skincare products or makeup, I used to buy it right away. As mentioned last time, now that my goal is to focus on sustainable products and minimize my waste, I have also looked into companies that have similar goals. My goal is to introduce three makeup brands that can provide great products while also focusing on minimizing their footprint on the world.

Axiology

Axiology was a small company that originally started on Etsy. Now they sell in larger stores like Ulta! The makeup brand is a plastic-free, vegan, beauty company that creates multipurpose products such as their Lip to lid Balmies that can be used for lips, lips and cheeks! The awesome thing about this brand is ethically sourced, cruelty-free, vegan, and the tubes were made from 50% post-consumer recycled plastic. Because the company knows the products will still end up in landfills, they have moved away from plastic packaging to where all their packages are made from island trash and are 100% recyclable.  Go check them out!

Zerra & Co.

The goal of Zerra & Co. is to provide safe, natural and easy to use low waste cosmetics. Therefore, the company has offered products from skin care to makeup! The company is strives for low waste, therefore, all products have clean ingredients, are contained in plastic free packaging, and are honestly some of the best in my opinion. For example, my favorite is the Eyeliner, something about the package and liner that makes me feel classy and clean! The company really focuses on being vegan & cruelty-free, Paraben & Petroleum Free, along with more awesome things like having Carbon Neutral Shipping. You all have to let me know if you’ve tried them before.

River Organic

This company strives on providing formulating safe and hydrating products for all skin types. The company works towards having paper-based packaging that is fully compostable! How amazing! The products also have a range of different type of products from lips to eyes to makeup brushes! They are legit the best! My favorite is their imperfects provides because they show that even if the product is not manufactured the same, or doesn’t fit the mold, does not mean they don’t work just as good! Definitely give them a check-out!

Now that you have seen a few more products that focus on waste-free and low waste, let me know your thoughts on the idea. Are you willing to try them? Do they seem accessible to you? Let me know down below!

Zero-Waste Skin Care

Today we’re talking about aaaallll things skin care that are waste-free. So as a reminder, waste-free is a way to minimize or remove packaging or ingredients that impact the environment negatively. So what are some good options? Well first I want to mention this awesome video I came across of by Shelbi (Shelbizleee) and Hyram (Hyram). This video not only presents skincare dos and don’ts with zero-waste, but it goes into depth on ingredients that may not be great for the skin. As someone who cares about my skincare products, I need to look at both of these two factors: how it impacts our environment and how good it is for my skin. This video is a great introduction for individuals who have expertise in these fields.

Video on skincare by Hyram and Shelbizleee

So listen, let’s be honest for each of us to be 100% Zero-Waste might be impossible! We live in a world were, unfortunately, we can’t control how companies ship or deliver products. And also, we might not be able to afford products that cost a lot of money. That’s the reality! Although, we definitely can try!

So let’s start talking about a few products that may help you lower your environmental footprint!

First on the List is Youth to the People’s Cleanser

Youth to the People’s SUPERFOOD CLEANSER is known to be one of the best on the market. The cleanser is known to be formulated with superfood antioxidants from kale, spinach, and green tea. As someone who has big pores, I need to make sure my pores are cleaned out! This product actually prevent buildup in pores, remove makeup, and balance pH without drying or stripping. The packaging is amazing as it legit is in a glass bottle and can be reuse!

Next pretty much any product from The Ordinary

Similarly to the packaging for Youth to the People, these products are all in glass bottles and each product has its own purpose and reason. The amazing thing about these products, especially their serums, is that are usually one ingredient in each bottle. This means you can get any product that can help your skin!

Most important thing on the list! SUNSCREEN from Kinship is the best!

Sunscreen is one of the most important things on this list. The sun not only ages your skin but it also can give you skin cancer if you are not protected, so wear sunscreen. This sunscreen product from Kinship is probably one of the best, ingredient-wise, but all of it’s product packages are created by recycled ocean waste plastic. So they legit go into the ocean, remove all of the toxic plastics and utilize them to make the product cases! It’s super cool

Overall there are so many products that may be waste free and made of the best ingredients. If there is a product you would like to share, comment down below!