What I mean when I say it ain't easy...

There's a site called Cosmetic Safety Database where you can look up brands, products or ingredients and see how safe they are for you. They're rated 0-2 low hazard, 3-6 moderate hazard, and 7-10 high hazard. They also take into account how safe it is for the environment.
Most of the items I use are rated at least a moderate hazard. It's so depressing. It seems like everything these days could kill you.
My choices are to either pay through the nose for something more natural and safer that doesn't have ingredients that could give me cancer, or spend most of my time making my own products. Or keep using the same products I've been using, and risk giving myself cancer.

Disposable culture

A perfect example of "disposable culture" is the new LG commercial with the tagline: "The only thing standing between you and your new LG french door refrigerator is your old refrigerator." with images of the "old" refrigerator being destroyed in various ways.
The disposable culture has this idea that old=bad and new=good. So, even though that "old" appliance (or car, or whatever it might be) might still be in perfect working condition, you should get rid of it and buy this shiny new appliance because it has more features, it keeps your food colder, it gets your whites brighter, and did we mention it's shiny and new?

We, as a society, have to change the way we think about things if any real change is going to happen. People seem to think that you can just throw something away if you don't want it anymore, but there's really no such thing as "away". Garbage goes into landfills, where it sits for hundreds, even thousands of years where it releases greenhouse gases like methane into the atmosphere, and releases toxins that seep into the ground and make their way into groundwater.

Alternatives to disposable razors

The EPA estimates that 2 billion disposable razors end up in landfills every year in the US.

If you don't like the idea of being responsible for dozens of disposable plastic razors going into the landfill every year, there are alternatives to disposables.

Those old-fashioned safety razors that your grandpa used to shave with are making a comeback. Since it's made of metal, the handle will last a long time, and with only one little blade to dispose of, there's much less waste, and it's better for the environment than plastic.
If you're brave enough, there are also straight razors.

If you'd rather have the tried and true double or triple blade razor, you can have your cake and eat it too. Preserve sells razors made of 100% recycled plastic, and when you're done with them, you can recycle them or mail them back in the postage paid envelope they provide, and they'll recycle them for you.

If you'd rather wax than shave, there's good news for you, too. You can make your own environmentally friendly cold wax with the following recipe:

1 cup of sugar
1/8 cup of water
1/8 cup of lemon juice


Mix together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat (just so it's simmering). Stir until sugar is dissolved. Cook until the sugar reaches 250°F or softball stage. (If you don't have a candy thermometer, drop some of the mixture into a cup of cold water. Pick it up with your fingers and form it into a ball. If it forms a soft ball, you're done).
Pour it into a heat resistant container and let cool.

To use: Use a popsicle stick or butter knife and spread it in a thin layer in the direction of the hair growth. (If it doesn't spread easily, put it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to soften it). Put a waxing strip or piece of cotton cloth over it, and pull off quickly in the opposite direction of the hair growth.

And since it's water soluble, it's easy to clean up.

Car ownership doesn't make sense

If you stop and think about it, owning a car doesn't make much sense, financially speaking. First, there's the cost of the car itself. Then there's gas, oil, insurance, repairs, tires, etc etc etc. Then when that car reaches the end of its life, you get to buy a new one and start all over again, burning thousands and thousands of dollars in the process. And in the end, you have nothing to show for it. It's like putting $40,000 into a savings account, but after ten years when you take the money out, you'll only get $4,000. It just doesn't make sense.