- 1). According to the National Candle Association, 70% of US households purchase and burn candles. Parrafin wax is a petroleum based product, and is used to produce the majority of these candles. Choosing alternatives such as 100% beeswax or soy based candles not only decreases our dependency on petroleum, but improves indoor air quality and often helps to support local businesses.
- 2). Huge numbers of cosmetics are petroleum based, including lip gloss, face powder, nail polish, and many more. Use of these products, besides increasing our dependency of foreign petroleum, also means covering our skin with carcinogenic chemicals. Opting for natural, non-toxic alternatives is easy and will allow your skin to breathe better, which means restoring your natural glow rather than applying it each morning. EVO.com is a comparison shopping engine that allows you to search for petroleum free beauty products.
- 3). Avoiding petroleum based products is not always easy, particularly in the case of plastics. While corn based bioplastics do exist, and a number of products utilizing this new technology can be found if you do your homework, bioplastics are still a long way from becoming a mainstream alternative. However, there are some simple steps you can take in reducing dependence on petroleum that will not disrupt your daily life. Shopping with reusable canvas grocery bags is a simple but effective way to avoid petroleum based plastic bags, and investing in a stainless steel water bottle rather than disposable bottles can have a huge impact on your petroleum usage.
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