LIVING IN INTEGRITY WITH MY VALUES: PART 1
I would say my three main values are:
Being environmentally conscious & friendly
Being healthy and prioritizing my wellbeing
Living an enriched, full life
Within each of these categories, there are a few ways that I approach my life so that I am living with integrity and according to my values. Living by what I value, not what others value, has is the easiest way I've lived more intentionally and authentically.
Part 1: ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS
I'm very lucky as I was raised by parents who taught me to be conscious of the environment. They took me to events where we learned about our impact on the environment and encouraged me to be conscious of my actions. We often walked and rode our bikes most places, we had a backyard veggie garden and composted as much of our food waste as possible. I've continued to live by these values as best I can as an adult. Some of the ways that I live in integrity with this value are:
(Imperfect) Zero Waste
Living "zero waste" is quite the current trend, especially among millennials. "Zero waste" is usually advertised as buying new items and products to support this new lifestyle, and I think it a lot of it is BS. I think that some companies have jumped on the "green" bandwagon and are just using this mission as a marketing tactic to sell products. However, there are a lot of great companies out there that are truly trying to do good. It's not possible to live without creating any waste, but I try to aim for the best I can, instead of perfection.
Using up all of something I have first. This is a no-brainer to me. I only buy the food I need for the week when last week's food is all used up. Meal planning helps with that (more on my experience with that here), it means that I eat all of the food I buy because I have planned ahead of time what I'm going to eat.
That's not to say I'm perfect. Sometimes food goes bad before I can eat it and I've chucked a few almost full skincare products that I had bad reactions to, but, I take these as learning experiences and consider them next time I'm at the store. Noticing the ways in which I am unnecessarily wasteful is an opportunity to improve my ability to reduce waste next-time.
Minimizing plastic packaging. Admittedly this was easier before the pandemic began. I used to shop at bulk food stores and bring my own containers to fill, however that program is understandably on pause right now. I do use re-fill bars for beauty products and cleaning products whenever I can. I currently re-fill my shampoo, conditioner, dish soap and laundry detergent. I avoid plastic produce bags for most fruits and veggies at the grocery store and instead buy them loose. If something comes in glass vs. plastic I'll buy it instead as glass is more easily recycled.
When something runs out, I do the research to find the most sustainable replacement I can afford. I tend to spend a little more money on more sustainably sourced products, however, a lot of them are much higher quality and actually last longer. My laundry soap for example is super concentrated (because water is a huge filler in traditional brands) and is actually much cheaper to use because it lasts so much longer. Taking the time to do the research is worth it as there are so many eco-friendly options out there!
Ditching Fast Fashion
We've likely all heard the stats about the horrendous impact the fashion industry has on the environment and human rights. Most clothing is made cheaply and most brands don't consider their impact on the environment and instead encourage excessive consumerism. It actually disgusts me so much. I've been caught in this trap in the past, buying nice-looking cheap clothes, only for them to fall apart in the wash. It sucks to realize we are part of the problem.
Shop predominantly from thrift stores. While this is often more time consuming, as you need to look through a lot more duds to find the gems, it can be so rewarding to find high-quality pieces second hand. It is most certainly cheaper in the long-run too as you can usually find quality pieces and fabrics at a fraction of the cost that they would be new. The higher quality materials usually mean they are in decent second-hand shape too.
Some brands and materials I look out for are: Levi's (in the jeans section), Adidas, New Balance etc. (in the athletic clothes sections), Franco Sarto (in the shoe section), wool, cashmere, merino wool (in coats & sweaters) and leather (in shoes, purses and belts sections).
A year of buying no clothing. In 2019 I decided that I had enough of getting sucked back into excessive consumption by the fashion industry. Whether it was through Ads, friends suggesting things or buying lots of second-hand clothing because it felt less guilty, I was buying too much stuff. So I decided that I would challenge myself in 2019 to not buy any clothing new or used for the entire year. I would make the most of what I had and try and make it work. It was an awesome experience and made me realize how nice the clothes I already had. In 2020 I bought minimal new clothing and a few used bits to update my wardrobe but by taking the year off I allowed myself the space to realize that I didn't need as many new clothes to stay on trend as I'd thought.
Making my own clothes. This is a relatively new avenue I'm exploring. I love sewing and consider myself decent at it, but haven't taken on making too many clothing items for myself. I've recently made some jogger pants for lounging in and have been inspired to try and make some more pieces this year. I think this has the potential to replace much of my "new" clothing shopping requirements and if I choose sustainably sourced materials it will reduce my environmental impact.
Prioritizing Cruelty-Free Products
This is actually one of the easiest switches that can be made in my opinion. Whenever I finish a product that isn't cruelty free, I don't re-purchase and instead find a cruelty free alternative. My only exception is medications and medicated creams because they have to be tested by law. There are fabulous cruelty-free alternatives for make-up, skin-care, razors, hair products, hair styling tools, dish soap, laundry soap- it's crazy what companies think needs to be tested on animals. It's cruel, unnecessary and the cruelty-free versions are usually more natural which ties in well with my value of my health and well-being. The chemicals in some products are horrible for us, and their inclusion is the reason that animal testing is done.
PERFECTIONISM
A note on perfectionism when it comes to this journey: following any of my values perfectly is both challenging and contradictory. Sometimes it's just best to ditch perfection as an option and just do the best you can. For example, I value "cruelty-free" products, yet buy animal-based materials in my clothing and footwear. For me, buying quality wool and leather items means they last longer in my wardrobe and are more practical to wear. By shopping second-hand for these items, I can reduce the amount of new materials that are needed and it is an appropriate compromise for me. It is impossible to live perfectly in line with every single value I have, so compromise is key when it comes to living with integrity.
