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Bath vs. Shower: Which is Better for the Environment?
When it comes to taking a bath or a shower, which is the more sustainable choice? There are a few factors to consider, mainly water usage but also the electricity used to heat the water. The answer to which is better for the planet, a bath or a shower is: it depends. Water Usage On average, filling a standard bathtub requires about 36 gallons (136 liters) of water. That's a significant amount of water for a single use. It’s unlikely, however, that you are going to fill the bathtub all the way to the top. The water usage for a shower varies widely depending on factors like the showerhead flow rate and the length of the shower. A typical 10-minute shower with a standard showerhead can use between 25 to 50 gallons (95-190 liters) of water. So, if you have a habit of taking long, hot showers, you might be using a significant amount of water in comparison to a bath. But, if you limit yourself to a 5-minute shower, as suggested by the United Nations Foundation, you could save as much carbon emissions as is sequestered annually by half an acre of U.S. forest in a whole year of showers. A short shower is going to use less water and less electricity than it takes to fill the average bathtub. And keep in mind, heating the water for your bath or shower uses a lot of energy - up to 18 percent of your household usage, according to the Department of Energy. Tips for Using Less Water Here are some practical tips to minimize your water usage while maintaining your personal hygiene: Install Low-Flow Fixtures: Installing low-flow showerheads and faucets can significantly reduce water consumption without compromising water pressure. Time Your Showers: Set a timer for your shower to ensure you don't linger too long. Reducing your shower time by just a few minutes can make a big difference. Collect Bath Water: If you prefer baths, consider collecting the water you use and repurposing it for other household tasks like watering plants. If you use Plaine Products in your bath, you can feel good knowing that Plaine Products are gray water safe. Switch to a Dual-Flush Toilet: Upgrade your toilet to a dual-flush model, which allows you to choose between a full flush for solids and a partial flush for liquids. Fix Leaks: Even a small leak can waste a significant amount of water over time. Regularly check for and repair leaks in your bathroom fixtures. Consider a Navy Shower: A "navy shower" involves wetting yourself, turning off the water, soaping up, and then quickly rinsing. This technique can save a substantial amount of water. Use a Bucket or Watering Can: When washing your face or brushing your teeth, use a bucket or watering can to collect and reuse the water instead of letting it go down the drain. The choice between a bath and a shower is a personal one, but it's essential to consider the environmental impact of your decision. In most cases, taking shorter showers with low-flow fixtures is the more eco-friendly option. By making simple changes to your daily routine, such as installing water-saving fixtures and being mindful of your water usage, you can significantly reduce your water consumption and contribute to a more sustainable future. So, the next time you step into the bathroom, make a conscious choice to protect our planet, one drop at a time.
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Reuse to Help Stop Single-Use Plastic
RENEWables is a new podcast focused on the energy landscape of today. Everything from emerging renewable energy technologies to sustainability practices to why brands are changing the way they think, RENEWables is a source for current and dynamic conversation. Be sure to subscribe, follow, and like so you don’t miss an episode!Revolutionizing Self-Care: Sustainable Beauty to Help Stop Single-Use Plastic Season 4 of Renewables kicks off with an interview with Lindsey McCoy, CEO and Co-Founder ofPlaine Products . Plaine Products is natural, vegan, and cruelty-free hair and body products in reusable, returnable, refillable aluminum bottles. Founded in 2017 by Lindsey and her sister Alison, they have changed the way the world thinks about all of those plastic bottles filling up our showers! They are working to reduce waste and help stop single-use plastic with their subscription program. This episode shows us that we can still look good while doing good for the environment.Plaine Products is one family's answer to the earth's single-use plastic crisis. Offering a line of toxin-free personal care products on a per-item or subscription basis. They come in aluminum bottles that can be sent back and refilled time after time. The first of its kind and founded in 2017, Plaine Products has started a trend in personal care products that is quickly catching on. Based in Cincinnati, OH, all of the products are vegan, non-GMO, cruelty-free, biodegradable, color-safe, and free of parabens, sulfates and toxins, good for the body and the planet. Plaine Products is proud to be offering an alternative to single-use containers to help stop single-use plastics.Listen to the podcast and learn more about how Plaine Products can help you stop single-use plastic.
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Make Your Own DIY Hand Sanitizer
We were just as sad as you to say goodbye to our Plaine Products Hand Sanitizer. But do not fret, we are back with a great alternative - DIY hand sanitizer! It’s so easy and smells just like our discontinued product you will hardly miss the Plaine Products Hand Sanitizer. And don’t forget, per the CDC’s recommendations, washing your hands with soap and water often is your best bet for staying safe and germ-free. And our hand wash isn’t going anywhere! Plus, our Hand Wash was just selected as the Most Eco-Friendly Hand Wash by U.S. News & World Report! Why Make Your Own DIY Hand Sanitizer? A homemade alternative to store-bought, packaged in plastic hand sanitizer can be customizable, cost-effective, and eco-friendly. By DIYing your own hand sanitizer, you can ensure that it's free from harmful chemicals and unnecessary ingredients and plastic packaging. DIY hand sanitizer is not only effective but also simple and can be made free of single-use plastics and vegan. Recipe for DIY Hand Sanitizer Spray Hopefully, you still have some small, 2.5 oz Plaine Products hand sanitizer bottles on hand! Combine the following ingredients in your reusable, refillable, 2.5 oz Plaine Products aluminum bottle and shake vigorously: 1.75 oz of 100% ethyl alcohol (aka ethanol) .75 oz water 4-5 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil* *The inclusion here of peppermint essential oil is mainly to make it smell good! Don’t like peppermint? You could consider trying a variety of other essential oils like Tea Tree, Lavender, or Citrus. Why Ethyl Alcohol? The CDC recommends a hand sanitizer contain at least 60 percent ethyl or isopropanol alcohol but no less than 60 percent. The best efficacy is found with ethanol at 60 to 85%. (The DIY hand sanitizer recipe above is 70%). Both ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol can kill bacteria, viruses, and other germs, however, ethanol is the best for your skin health, especially if you use it frequently. Sustainability and DIY go hand in hand. By embracing the DIY approach and making your own plastic-free, vegan hand sanitizer, and reusing your empty Plaine Products bottles, you're not only taking charge of your hygiene but also contributing to a more sustainable planet. So, why not give it a try? Your hands and the Earth will thank you.
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Our Eco-Friendly Hand Wash is Selected as a Best of 2023!
US News & World Report just put out their 2023 Best Hand Wash list and Plaine Products was chosen for Most Eco-Friendly Hand Wash. Along with Plaine Products, there were some well-known names on the list. They included: Mrs. Meyers, 365 by Whole Foods, Cetaphil, La Roche-Posay, Bath & Body Works, and Aesop. According to the CDC, washing your hands is one of the best ways to keep you and those around you from getting sick, which is why US News compiled the list. Eco-Friendly Hand Wash In selecting Plaine Products, US News & World Report editors noted, "If supporting eco-friendly companies and minimizing waste are priorities of yours, Plaine Products Hand Wash could be the soap for you. Not only is the formula biodegradable but your dispenser will create zero waste. Plaine Products Hand Wash is vegan and Leaping Bunny certified to be cruelty-free. It’s made without genetically modified organisms (GMOs), palm oil, parabens, phthalates, silicone, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances. It’s currently available in four scents." How US News Choses the Best Hand Soaps U.S. News 360 Reviews editors consulted with Dr. Jeffrey S. Fromowitz of Dermatology of Boca and Dr. Juanita Mora of the Chicago Allergy Center. The main takeaway from Fromowitz is for those with sensitive skin to look for mild, gentle cleansers with hydrating ingredients but without fragrance. Mora agrees but adds that such cleansers should also be free of sulfates and metals. This list was curated based on research regarding ingredients, formulas, and available scents.
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Fan-Favorite Hair Repair Now Available in a 10 oz bottle!
Our fan-favorite product just got BIGGER. Introducing 10 oz. Hair Repair! Our beloved 2.5 oz. Hair Repair is now available in a supersized 10 oz. bottle! That's right – we've listened to your feedback, and we're here to deliver a bigger and better solution for your hair care needs.
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5 Different Uses for Face Toner
This post was updated on August 22, 2023, to include more information. At Plaine Products we love products that do more than one thing. We've shared different uses for our Beauty Oil and now it's time for Face Toner ! What is Toner and How Do I Use It? Facial toners help cleanse, moisturize, and even your skin tone. Toner removes traces of dirt, grime, and impurities stuck in your pores after you wash your face . As a part of your daily skincare routine, it can have a major positive impact on the appearance and tightness of your pores (hello, aging skin). Used daily, toner can also restore your skin's pH level, refine rough patches and improve skin tone. That's a lot in a little bottle! As for application, you can use toner with a spray pump or without. Either way, you'll want to soak a reusable cotton round with the toner and gently sweep it across your skin after cleansing morning and night. This should be your second step so it preps the skin to absorb your facial moisturizer .Skin toner has evolved over the last 20 years. Previous toners may have contained harsh, astringent ingredients that cleansed but did not provide any moisture benefits. It's one of the reasons there's no alcohol in our toner although it has been a traditional ingredient in other brands. What's in it? Our Face Toner’s unique formula is full of ingredients to helpbring moisture back to your skin, calm skin irritations, reduce redness, and shrink pores naturally.Here are 3 key ingredients you can find in our Face Toner: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice cleanses the skin by stripping off oil and residue, while also hydrating and soothing your skin. Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Flower Extract is high in omega fatty acids, and anti-aging antioxidants including Vitamin E and Vitamin A. The Vitamin A helps encourage skin cell turnover, leaving you with glowing skin. Sea Salt is a natural antiseptic that helps clear your skin of acne-causing bacteria and provides gentle exfoliation. Aniba Rosaedora (Rosewood) Oil is a powerful tissue regenerator, it softens, embellishes, firms up the skin, and works to remove stretch marks, wrinkles, eczema, acne, and other skin disorders. Different Uses for Face Toner Here are a few different ways we're currently using our face toner: Cleanse : Toner is typically used after aface wash to remove any impurities, residual blackheads, or skin grime missed by your everyday cleanser. We also use it for a quick cleanse mid-day or after work to refresh you and your skin. It's a water-free option so you can take toner to work or out on the town! Reduce pores & Balance skin pH size : Used post-face wash, toner may help tighten skin and minimize the appearance of pores. Washing your face can disrupt the pH of the skin because cleansers tend to be overly alkaline. Using toner right after face washing can restore the skin’s pH balance, thanks to the slightly acidic formulation in most facial toners. Body Spray: Our Toner comes with the option of a spray pump so it can also be used as a body spray for a post work pick me up, or mornings when you skip the shower. Even skin tone : For those with skin that has red areas or uneven texture, a toner may help reduce the appearance of uneven skin tone. An exfoliating toner may work for those with bumpy skin; people with red patches should consider a toner for sensitive skin Moisturize : Our face toner's aloe and rosewood oil ingredients give your skin a moisturizing boost after cleansing if you prefer not to have to moisturize twice a day.How do you use face toner? We'd love to hear your ideas!
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Earth 911 Podcast: Personal Care Circular Products
Plaine Products, CEO Lindsey McCoy was recently featured on the Earth911’s Sustainability in Your Ear podcast to discuss circular products. You can listen to the podcast here and read below for a quick synopsis of what they chatted about. How does a small startup launch a mail-back recycling program to deliver circular products that massive brands struggle to make? Meet innovator Lindsey McCoy, who started Plaine Products with her sister, Alison, in 2017. Today, Plaine Products offers 16 fully circular personal care products, including shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, and lotion. These personal care products are made with vegan ingredients and come in aluminum bottles that customers rinse and return for refilling when empty. When a customer runs low, they order a new bottle that arrives before they run out along with a return mail label; after swapping the pump to the new container, the empty is placed in the shipping box to send the battle back to Plaine Products for cleaning, refilling, and use by another customer.Imagine the circular economy, a world in which everything we buy and use is collected, recycled, composted, or passed on for continued use to lower our environmental impact. The vision sounds a long way off, and it may be a long time until everything can be recycled or composted economically. Among companies, Walmart, Kroger, and Burger King are pioneering circularity through Loop, a consortium of consumer packaged goods brands spearheaded by specialty recycler TerraCycle. Loop has not disclosed how much packaging it has prevented from reaching the landfill. To date, Plaine Products has prevented more than 547,000 plastic bottles from being used once and tossed or escaping into nature as pollution. Lindsey also discusses how more than 270 retail stores now offer Plaine Products circular products in refill stations.
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Back-To-School Sustainability Tips and Swaps
It's that time of year again - Back-To-School! Going back to school doesn’t need to create more waste and does not have to mean more plastic, despite what the plastic-filled school supply aisles might lead you to believe. Read on for how easy it can be to be an eco-friendly student with back-to-school sustainability tips we all can use. Swap Your School Supplies Use what you have first and buy new only when you need to. Once you’ve used up everything, including the last of the paper in that old notebook, consider the plastic-free options. Swap plastic highlighters for wooden highlighters. Avoid notebooks, folders, and binders with plastic covers and choose those made from 100% recycled paper or cardboard instead. Look for metal pencil sharpeners and rulers and choose 100% stainless steel scissors so they are 100% recyclable. Bring Your Own Lunch School lunches can involve a lot of single-use plastic, but they don’t have to. There are many plastic-free options from reusable water bottles to reusable sandwich bags and cutlery sets. There are also great, plastic-free lunch boxes to choose from including bento-style boxes and tiffins. Shop Your Closet Ditch the back-to-school clothes shopping and shop your closet instead. Better yet, try thrifting! Buying clothes, shoes and accessories secondhand extends their lifespan and can also save you money. Walk, carpool, or take public transportation to school Play a role in reducing carbon emissions by reconsidering your commuting habits. Choose to walk, carpool, or utilize public transportation for your journey to school. By taking these greener options, you contribute to a cleaner environment and demonstrate your dedication to a sustainable future. By following a few eco-friendly tips and embracing plastic-free swaps in your daily routine, you can make this Back-to-School season your most sustainable yet.
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Consciously Clueless Podcast
Small Changes, Lasting Impact: The Story of Plaine Products with CEO Lindsey McCoy We can’t buy our way out of the climate crisis but hey we still need shampoo!I'm incredibly excited to share this week's podcast episode with you! I had an inspiring conversation with Lindsey McCoy, the CEO and founder of Plain Products, an innovative bath and body products company that's changing the way we consume and dispose of our personal care items! In this episode, Lindsey shares her journey from being aconservationist in the Bahamas to starting her own company. Her passion for sustainability was ignited when she saw the devastating effects of plastic waste on marine life, which led her and her sister to create a Netflix-style returnable system for shampoo bottles - and so, Plaine Products was born. We also delve into the complexities of sustainable living and the importance of progress over perfection in our eco-conscious endeavors. Lindsey shares valuable insights from her time in the Bahamas, highlighting the need for collaboration rather than division in tackling environmental issues. Plus, we discuss the challenges of making eco-friendly choices in our daily lives and how small changes can create a lasting impact on our planet. So, if you're looking for motivation and hope in the face of overwhelming environmental concerns, this episode is for you. Join us in this inspiring conversation as we learn from Lindsay's experiences, the mission of Plaine Products, and how we can all play our part in creating a better future for our planet! Listen to the podcast episode here:Podcast Episode More about the Consciously Clueless Podcast The Consciously Clueless podcast with Carly Puch teaches you how to live a healthier lifestyle that makes you and the planet happier. You're here because you want to learn how to live a healthier life, live more sustainably, and take your everyday actions and make them work for you and the planet. Sometimes it might feel like you've got this figured out and other times, you probably feel lost. That's why I'm here. Together, we will learn how to live happier, healthier lives without the need to be perfect and always allow space for a little cluelessness on this journey to living a more conscious life. Here we go!
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