Clover List in Depth
Bidets!
Bidets are a major way to cut down on your environmental footprint! There is a lot of literature out there about hoe environmentally destructive toilet paper is and how bidets are the answer!
"Toilet Paper Is Driving The Climate Crisis with Every Flush" - NRDC
Bidet's are healthier for your body, more sanitary and only require a minimal amount of (recycled or bamboo) toilet paper, or you can use a hand towel and simply throw it in the laundry when your'e done. It will be clean! The bidet washes you off and then you just pat dry. Its a game changer trust me! You'll never wanna go back to not having one.
Switch to Bird Friendly Coffee! Recommendations Below
We recently learned about the devastation that coffee farms are wreaking on forest habitats and migratory birds all over the world. There has been an alarmingly sharp decline in migratory bird populations, and a major contributing factor is the clear cutting of forest habitat by coffee farms. The Smithsonian Institute is addressing this issue by certifying bird friendly coffee. This means that instead of clearing land and decimating habitat, certified bird friendly coffee is grown underneath shade trees that provide bird habitat while at the same time sequestering cordon. The certification also enables growers to earn top dollar for their product, thereby benefiting the local economy.
Recommendations for Certified Bird Friendly Coffee are below!
Please read more here from the Smithsonian Institute.
"Three-quarters of the world's coffee farms destroy forest habitat to grow coffee in the sun and often use harmful pesticides and fertilizers that poison the environment. When forests disappear, migratory songbirds disappear, too. In order to combat population and habitat loss, Smithsonian scientists created the Bird Friendly certification.
Instead of clearing rainforest, Bird Friendly coffees grow underneath shade trees that sequester carbon, fight climate change and provide habitat for birds, including migratory species whose impressive journeys can take them from the backyards of the U.S. and Canada all the way to coffee farms in Latin America.
While much of the world’s coffee drives habitat loss, Bird Friendly habitat flies above the rest by ensuring a combination of foliage cover, tree height and biodiversity proven to provide quality habitat for birds and other wildlife. Certification standards cover everything from canopy height to insect biodiversity to protect the wildlife that lives where coffee is grown. Bird Friendly coffees are also certified organic, meaning they are grown without pesticides, which is better for people and for the planet.
Bird Friendly producers can also earn more for their crops. The certification gives growers access to gourmet market price premiums, and the timber and fruit trees on shade coffee farms provide farmers with additional income. Every cup of Bird Friendly coffee purchased rewards these farmers for being good stewards of the environment and encourages them to continue conserving Bird Friendly habitat."
Options we've found:
1) Birds and Beans is the only company we've found that sells exclusively Certified Bird Friendly coffees and all are organic and free trade. We switch between the French Roast and medium roast, both are delicious.
2) This roast by Java Planet organic is certified bird friendly and very good.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is wreaking havoc on Sumatran rainforest, driving Orangutans, Javan Rhinos, Elephants, and other beings that call that rainforest home, toward extinction. Palm oil is nearly ubiquitous, from food to beauty products. More brands are starting to catch on as consumers begin to demand that products no longer contain palm oil. The "Sustainable" palm oil ingredient is highly questionable, and products that have even that should be avoided. (Dr. Bronners is one that claims to use "sustainable" palm oil along with many others!)
Here is a list of palm oil free beauty brands: Palm Oil Free Brands