Why I'm Crying at a Computer Screen // + How You Can Help Me

I have a bit of a problem. 

It’s a good kind of problem, but also a devastating kind of problem. 

I got serious beef with chemical cleaning supplies and body products, and it seems everybody uses them. While I love everyone in my life dearly, I often find harsh chemical products in the homes of my loved ones and beyond, and a part of me feels like it dies inside when I see it. No exaggeration. I get really upset and I don’t know what to do about it. So this morning after some chemical dishwashing detergent appeared out of the blue under my counter, I had to get out my computer. I can’t not talk about this. It’s one of the most important choices our generation can make. 

Ok, I’ll start from square one...

I grew up in a ‘normal’ household. Tide, Clorox, Windex, Herbal Essences, Colgate - these were the brands I knew. I didn’t give much thought to them - I really had no idea what was in them, it just wasn’t something I thought about.

I remember one time when I was about 12 or 13, my best friend at the time sprayed Windex in my face as a joke. It was supposed to be funny. It wasn’t. I was shocked that she would compromise my well being by doing that.

Moving on from that, it still didn’t click. I knew Windex to be full of chemicals, and I knew I didn’t want it anywhere near me or my body, but if it was in the bucket of cleaning supplies, it was somehow OK. 

It didn’t click that all of this stuff was going into our air, and down the drain. City filtration systems are unable to filter out most of the chemical residues. It didn’t click that this stuff was making it’s way into our greater world, and on a big scale.

Fast forward about 7 years. I’m in University, and I’m starting to wake up. I’m learning about the tragedies of the food industry, and what big ag (corporate agriculture + massive conventional farming) are doing to the animals, the farmland, their employees, the surrounding landscapes, and the world. And I’m getting really upset. 

I then start to learn about the dead zones of the Mexican Gulf. My life really starts to change. Anger erupts from me, sadness overwhelms me. I’m crying inside. Devastated. Amidst a sea of my old friends who don’t seem to care much, it hasn’t clicked, I reach out to my boyfriend, at that time, the only person in my life who could relate to the absolute devastation a soul could feel at discovering their world is falling apart, and very few people are doing anything about it. Even now, I’m crying, tears shroud the computer screen. I’m still devastated. 

The Gulf of Mexico is currently a waste zone. Runoff from huge corporate farms - pesticides, and unnatural amount of manure from cows who are fed an unnatural diet and antibiotics to cover it up, are flowing down the Mississippi river, along with brand name cleaning supplies, shampoos, and the like. This toxic mix has become too much for the earth + ocean to deal with. The runoff has created a place in the ocean where virtually nothing lives. Nothing. There isn’t enough oxygen to sustain life there anymore, the mix of pesticides, antibiotics, and chemical cleaning supplies has wiped all life out. Everyday this ‘Dead Zone’ as they call it, grows larger. 

And this isn’t the only dead zone in the world. There are many. 

I could go on and on about the things I found in my research. Mass amounts of birds, dolphins, and tons of other animals have been turning up dead. Sometimes all at the same time, all in the same region. Bees. The animals of this planet are dying. They are trying to communicate to us through their sacrifice of life just what our actions are doing.  

What can we do about it? Isn’t it the corporations? Surely just an individual wouldn’t have the power to change this?

But the truth of the matter is that empowered individuals of the world are the ONLY ones who are going to change this. Every time we buy natural, local, and organic, we’re choosing to support our planet. Every time we’re buying from the drugstore or conventional supermarket, we are literally poisoning our oceans. 

To be honest, the ocean doesn’t have much time. We’ve gotta change things fast. We’ve gotta be shouting on the streets. This isn’t about preaching, this is about speaking for those who weren’t given a human voice. 

We are speaking for the whales, the dolphins, the deer, the trees, the bears, the birds and so many more when we choose to buy products that are truly biodegradable and safe for our bodies and our world. 

So speak up folks. Change up your shower products, get rid of all the stuff that’s poisonous under your kitchen sink. Go to the health food store, and ask the staff. What are their favourite natural cleaning supplies? What shampoos do they love? Spend your money on them. It’s important. You can also make your own cleaning supplies + more very easily and affordably. 

The key thing is: Waiting on ‘someone’ to ‘something’ about it just isn’t going to work this time around. WE are the someones, and DAILY ACTIONS are the somethings. 

If you’ve gotten this far, thank you so much for reading this. Deep soul shit, that’s what I call this. But we’ve all got it. This is mine. MUCH LOVE! And thanks for taking action. We need you.

xo Beth