Here are some simple ways to live a healthier lifestyle that’s good for you and the planet, with brands that offer quality products worth supporting.
“Sustainability” is a word we hear often, and one that has become so common, some people might feel it has lost its meaning altogether. What does it mean to live a sustainable lifestyle, and how can it encourage a better quality of life too? One need not commit to grand acts like planting trees or running a house with solar power (though these are welcome actions too).
Maintaining these sustainable and healthy habits is more crucial than starting them in the first place, so it’s important to ensure that they’re, well, sustainable. That is to say, simple enough to do, with concrete ways to continue them. To get started, below are three easy habits that you can cultivate for a healthier, happier you and planet:
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Lessen Plastic, Opt For Alternatives
A great deal of establishments in the Philippines (and abroad) have already made the move to either lessen or remove the use of plastic altogether. This is especially true in supermarkets or retail stores, which encourage customers to reuse their own eco-bags when shopping. Thankfully, this has become a common practice among many consumers, which shows how simple it can be to lead a more sustainable lifestyle.
Not Your Average Bag
However, there are cases where one might need a plastic bag—or something similar—for their businesses, packaging, or even home use. This is where alternatives like the AKO Cassava Bags come into play. Designed by the proudly-Filipino AKO Packaging, these bags look and function like regular plastic bags, except they’re 100% compostable and petrochemical-free. There’s also no trace of plastic, as indicated in their “Hindi Ako Plastik,” or “I Am Not Plastic,” tagline. They’re made of cassava starch that supports agricultural communities and healthy ecosystems in the country.
This means throwing them away won’t harm the environment; in fact, you can use them to nourish it. Users can dissolve the bag in 60°C hot water, then pour the mixture into home composts or soil to return its organic materials (with 60% decomposition within 45 days). I’ve personally used the bags myself, and can attest they’re not only sturdy, but indeed dissolvable and compostable. They also have a nice, almost velvety texture to them, indicating that they’re indeed an entirely different, better material than your average plastic.
Choose Organic
Education plays an important role in guiding consumers to make the right choices, both for themselves and the environment. An example of this is the Danish Dairy Board’s (DDB) — an inter-brand organization representing dairies in Denmark — three-year educational campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the benefits of organic European dairy and inspire informed consumer choices.
You Are What You Eat
In its “From Pasture to Plate: Choose Organic European Dairy” event, the DBB shed light on how organic products play an integral role in sustainable farming practices. With elucidating insights from Jo Sebastian (a registered nutritionist-dietician), Dr. Noel Lumbo of the National Organic Agriculture Board, and pediatrician Dr. Joanna Cuayo-Estanislao, attendees also learned exactly what makes something organic, and how organic products can aid in proper nutrition.
Organic food is free of artificial additives, hormones, genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), pesticides, and other artificial agents. Organic European milk, in particular, features an EU green symbol that certifies its origins and authenticity. Ethical practices play a large part in the production process of products like these, where cows graze freely under the blue sky and sunlight for at least six hours daily, enjoying proper care and attention from farmers. This results in happier cows, and in return, tasty products that are rich in essential nutrients like protein, calcium, and vitamins B2 and B12, which all aid in the development of brain and body functions.
As the old saying goes, you are what you eat. Nowadays people are coming to realize that sourcing their food from the right places, which use the best practices, is key to a healthier lifestyle.
Support Local
Supporting locally-made products is also an easy and sustainable lifestyle choice that’s good for the economy. It lessens dependence on importation (which often requires large amounts of fossil fuels), and also supports businesses. Many local brands also practice circular economy in their processes. This extends a product’s life cycle by reducing waste, sourcing raw materials sustainably (and from within the country), as well as reusing and repairing.
According to data from the Geneva Environment Network, the fashion industry is responsible for two to eight percent of global carbon emissions. 85 percent of its textiles also end up in landfills, contributing to further waste. This is why it’s important to be mindful of the brands one chooses to support.
When it comes to paving the way for comfortable, healthy, and sustainable design, LAKAT is the company to look out for. The brand’s DNA is strung together by linkages to weaving communities in Kabankalan, Negros, pineapple farmers, local shoe makers, and family-run rubber farms. In developing their famous sneakers—which are made of pineapple cotton fibers—the brand made sure to seek the expertise of the Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI). Its founders Michael and Banj Claparols are also firm believers in the power of art and design to amplify the message of sustainability to a larger audience.
Better Fashion
LAKAT’s sneakers are not only very comfortable and lightweight thanks to the natural fibers that comprise them, but also better for one’s health, as they use azo-free dyes. This means they don’t contain the usual azo dyes that the industry frequently uses, which can be toxic for the skin and body (as well as harmful to the environment), as research has shown.
“Using the azo-free dyes was definitely important, especially since we have to be socially conscious of the objects we design and buy,” Michael shares in a statement.
The brand also collaborates with local artists and designers to create appealing products that highlight Filipino talent. Their latest collection of sneakers is a collaboration with leading design duo, Nazareno/Lichauco (N/L). Made up of eight styles, the collection features shapes and forms reminiscent of glamping near a lake or traveling to the beach. Color blocking of earth tones, as well as vibrant reds, pinks and purples, explore the design possibilities of using azo-free dyes and working with Philippine tropical fibers.
As founder Michael tells Lifestyle Asia in an interview, the collection was also made with the assistance of solar power, furthering LAKAT’s goals of creating a truly circular economy. Through the support of their customers, Michael and Banj have provided livelihoods for local weavers, who are able to upgrade their homes or provide their children with a full education.
“LAKAT is a product that will allow consumers to be actors in this new mindset- gaining happiness by contributing to the conservation of the environment,” the team furthers. “We endeavor to create awareness through sustainable streetwear and create happiness for those who wear LAKAT shoes.”
Banner photo by Karolina Kaboompics via Unsplash.
