Boycotting palm oil/ using biodegradable products/ avoiding meat.

[SapphireSeptember]

A mixed bag, I started avoiding food with palm oil in it at the start of the year, I know there are issues with the production of it, so that was my New Year's resolution, to cut it out entirely. So far so good, other than it's more expensive, and sometimes difficult to find alternatives, (I have a lot more sympathy for people who have to avoid certain things because of health reasons now after I nearly cried in Sainsbury's because I couldn't find any palm oil free bread, which sounds pathetic, but I was so annoyed! )

The next thing is worrying about how much plastic I use that is then just thrown away, cotton buds and sanitary towels being my bugbear at the moment. Currently researching on where to get the biodegradable versions, (M&S for the former and Amazon for the latter, yes I know Amazon are evil, I cannot say I've reached the ultimate level of hippy just yet, and I quite like Amazon...) Again it'll be more expensive, but I suppose I'm lucky that I have the luxury of being able to afford it, (not a brag, I work in a supermarket and don't earn that much, but I can afford to pay more for sanitary towels if I spend less on other stuff that I don't really need.)

I've also tried to stop eating meat, (I've forgotten about that a few times though) no ethical reasons, I just don't like it very much and it always gets stuck in my teeth, swapping it for responsibly sourced fish for my protein. I suppose the upside is I will no longer eat meat when I've figured it out.

Is all this normal stuff to worry about? I've got more concerned about this sort of stuff as I've got older and the impact I'm having on the planet, and hoping that just doing my little things will help. Or I'm over thinking and need to chill out.

[Zeitgei5t]

Have you looked into washable sanitary towels? More of an upfront cost but saves in the long run.

Is it normal? It should be!

[Viewofhedges]

I'm with you. Don't stress about it - if everyone made a few of these changes.... I'm currently using up last pack of San towels before promising myself I'm moving to washables.

One thing I think is don't beat yourself up if you occasionally slide. Every ethical choice is an improvement even if occasionally we mess up. E.g. Far better we all eat less meat than people give up if they can't be 100% veggie.

[BluePheasant]

Every bit helps. We try and do similar things except being veggie but we do stick to British high welfare produce as much as we can.

We started trying harder to cut out palm oil earlier this year. Bread is a nightmare! All the main brands contain it. We get Duchy wholemeal from Waitrose, am sure there must be more palm oil free options but am yet to find them! Changed the types of biscuits we buy etc. After a while it gets fairly easy to avoid once you find your alternatives.

[Brittbugs80]

I moved to cloth pads, honestly the best move I've made. I feel cleaner too. I spend about £9 per pad so I did it by purchasing a couple each month until I'd enough to switch completely. Now I don't buy an sanitary products and will only need to replace these once they start to fall apart.

I get them from the treasure trove. You can pick size and absorbency to suit.

Palm oil is my next thing to give up and sugar.

I also spend a lot of time stressing about roll on deodorant and the cancer link and I refuse to let my 9 year old use anything with Parabens in.

[Apileofballyhoo]

DH and I are starting to boycott palm oil - actually I have been for ages, but now he is too. I'm largely vegetarian. I just try my best to make ethical choices as much as I can, with a limited budget!

I look up the scores on ethical consumer before buying anything and get the highest score I can afford.

Haven't bought new clothes for a couple of years now. Though I'm badly in need of a few new casual things, so I'm hoping to get jeans from livingcrafts.de - have got a few things for DS there, and the quality is good. Just don't like not being able to try them on!

[wildbuttercup]

Have you tried a mooncup? No need for any sanitary waste but does take a little while to get the hang of it. Give it a Google, I think its worth a shot (and will save you money in the long run).