Janey loves spring 2023

This article first appeared in our Earth Day 2023 issue of My Green Pod Magazine, published on 22 April 2023. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox

I love the way Earth Day sparks conversations around how everyone can play their part, whether that’s a family heading off on a neighbourhood cleanup or a business using some of its profit to plant trees.

We may feel there isn’t much we can do individually to make an impact – but that’s where the lovely phrase ‘small change, big difference’ comes in.

We can all make sustainable choices with the products we buy.

One of the most significant ways we can celebrate Earth Day is by choosing natural, eco-friendly products for our homes, beauty and skincare needs.

As well as helping to reduce our impact on the environment, this also benefits our health and wellbeing.

Avoiding plastics and greenwash

It’s getting easier to avoid single-use plastics, which contribute significantly to plastic pollution.

According to the United Nations, over 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans every year, harming marine life and polluting our planet.

The great news is that there are awesome eco-products that come packed in alternative materials, such as bamboo, glass and metal, meaning you can get all the benefits of lovely products while significantly reducing your plastics footprint and helping protect our oceans.

Don’t be greenwashed though! Packaging isn’t everything. Many conventional beauty and skincare products contain potentially harmful chemicals such as parabens, sulfates and phthalates, which could cause skin irritation and hormone disruption and have even been linked to cancer.

These chemicals can also harm wildlife and ecosystems when they enter the environment through waste and pollution.

According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to protecting human health and the environment, over 10,000 ingredients used in personal care products have not been evaluated for safety by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Go natural for Earth Day

By choosing natural products that use plant-based ingredients, we can be sure that we are avoiding the chemicals that can harm ourselves and our planet.

As we celebrate Earth Day, let’s commit to making a positive impact on our planet by choosing natural products.

The question is, how do we determine which products have the right credentials?

The Janey Loves Platinum Awards recognise and award the best in natural organic and eco products.

It’s early days for entries but I am hoping some of these gorgeous products will enter, and you are welcome to vote for them.

Your votes will be counted and taken into consideration by our panel of judges, which includes Jo Wood, Carrie Grant and Glynis Barber.

Below are some of my favourites to mark Earth Day; they are previous Platinum Awards winners, have totally sustainable packaging and are completely natural. Enjoy!