Green Technology Alternatives to Household Products Crimson Waller Melissa Burgoyne

Introduction  The purpose of this project is to research chemicals that are commonly used in household products (cleaning products, shampoos, conditioners, make-up, etc.) and find alternatives to those products.

Background Information  Although most products are filled with chemicals, not all are harmful and some are even made naturally. "Chemical" is a very vague term. The actual definition is "a compound or substance that has been purified or prepared, especially artificially." When most people think of chemicals, they assume they are harmful manmade liquids that you find in science labs. Although that is true to some point, there are many benign chemicals as well. In this project, however, we are focusing on malignant chemicals.

Problem  People rely on products filled with malignant chemicals too much in their daily lives, while there are many simple alternative that are better for human health. These alternatives can be made with completely natural items that can easily be obtained at local stores.

Shifting Baseline  A shifting baseline is basically a change in human perception about a certain issue. When it comes to household products, there has been a very significant baseline shift. In ancient times, people used completely natural products for cleaning and improving human aesthetics and it was considered very normal. Overtime, however, more and more chemicals were put into these products, and the baseline continued to shift to accommodate the new ways. Now, a majority of household products are made in factories and include harmful chemicals and preservatives. Although most people do not think much about this, it is an extremely urgent issue.

Where This Problem Occurs  This issue is present everywhere. Nearly all homes contain products that can potentially harm the environment and most are given the opportunity to do so.

How This Problem Impacts the Environment: Short Term  Human health problems (due to bioaccumulation)  Chemicals getting into the waterways.  Cost of the products.  Manual labor to make the products.  Increase in solid waste due to packaging

How This Problem Impacts the Environment: Long Term  Biomagnification from water sources.  Cost of products adds up.  Pollution from the factories  Destruction of Habitat due to pollution  Accumulation of toxins in aquatic biomes  Microplastics “Ocean Confetti” from packaging ( oFeELi_vQ) oFeELi_vQ

How This Impacts Society  Shifting baseline.  Intoxicating people with products.  People expect to pay a lot for products that could easily replaced with cheaper materials.  Damage to human health.

Possible Causes  Industry  Capitalism  Lack of Education  Advertisements  High Societal Beauty Standards

Possible Solutions  Education (inform people of the dangers)  Providing more available alternatives  Advertisements for green products

Cost/Economic Impact of Solutions  Individual: price of materials, less available jobs  Society: less available jobs, many companies will become bankrupt, worse economy in the beginning

Positive Actions Being Taken Now  There are many people that are taking actions to make environmentally friendly products. More people are being educated about these problems and are making changes in the products they use.