Animal and Earth Friendly Lifestyle Guide

Image credit Ben Amstutz

Although I’ve managed to track down a number of great green horse products and feed, I wanted to provide resources for products we use and consume when we aren’t on our horses too.

The Price We Pay

As animal lovers and owners we have a responsibility to animals everywhere to use products that have the least amount of impact on the environment and the critters that depend on it.

The Good Things Never Are…

I’m not saying it’s an easy commitment but it is one that everyone needs to make before it’s too late. I’m here to help and I’ve tracked down a number of great companies who make everything from cleaning products, to socks to makeup.

*Some of the websites carry more products than just the categories I’ve put them in – why not browse a little?

Bentley Organic
Offer a range of products made with organic ingredients (which are listed on their site for each product) at reasonable prices.

Ecover
An international company, Ecover has been making safe cleaning products since 1980. They built the world’s first ecological factory. Their large product line is made from plant and mineral ingredients which have not been tested on animals, have minimal impact on aquatic life & biodegrade quickly.

Method
Method products can even be found at Target. They offer a variety of products that are made from earth-friendly and non-toxic ingredients. Method also follows a strict no animal-testing policy and only purchases ingredients from companies who do the same.

A list of animal-friendly fabric softeners

Fashion & Earth
They sell a number of different green brands, all adhering to strict sustainability and fair trade rules. All clothing sold through them must contain at least 90% organic and sustainable content and must be manufactured in a way that minimizes impact to the environment and exploitation of factory workers.

Greenloop
The products they carry are from a variety of manufacturers who believe in fair-trade, renewable energy & organic agriculture; who use eco-friendly & sustainable materials; and produce their products using environmentally friendly methods.

Happy Hippie
This one is a directory with tons of green, sustainable & recycled clothing options for the whole family.

Nvey Eco
Nvey takes a strict approach to sourcing their ingredients and their makeup line is free of talc, paraben, preservatives, sodium laureth sulphate, petroleum & GM ingredients. They do not test on animals and their products are certified organic.

Inika
Their cosmetics are 100% vegan, cruelty free and made from naturally occurring minerals. Their line is free of harsh chemicals, Bismuth Oxychlonde, parabens, talc & GM ingredients.

Organic Wear
Organic Wear’s cosmetics are made from organic ingredients that are free of parabens, synthetic fragrances, GMO’s, harsh chemicals, & synthetic preservatives. Plus they use eco-conscious paper compacts.

A list of Non-toxic nail polish companies

gdiapers
gdiapers use a cloth outer shell with a disposable & absorbent lining. The diaper lining is plastic-free and biodegrades in less than 150 days after use (wet ones can even be composted).

Baby Earth
Not all of their products are green, but they have a large section of organic products on their website & their mantra is based around making the world a better place for babies.

Kidbean
Kidbean sticks by a strict ethical policy with an end goal of leaving as little waste behind overall as possible. Their products are all vegan and they work closely with their suppliers and vendors to ensure their raw materials follow the same standards.

Local Harvest
Find local farms, farmers markets, and other sustainable sources local to you wherever you are (in the US anyway).

New Seasons
A large market that purchases locally from independent farmers, ranchers, fishers, brewers & coffee roasters (to name a few). Not all of their products are earth or animal friendly but they do have a decent selection of the good ones.

Whole Foods
One of the first retailers to ban High Fructose Corn Syrup, Whole Foods is ahead of the health trends. They are a global chain and offer a variety of GM-free & hormone-free products.

Bourgeois Boheme
Bourgeois stands by a strict ethical policy and only sell their own label. Their products are eco-friendly, fair-trade, organic, vegan and made in ethical factories.

Simple
They have a reasonably large line of shoes all made with sustainable materials like hemp, bamboo & coconut or recycled materials like inner tubes, cork & car tires.

Zappos
Believe it or not Zappos has a large selection of eco-friendly & vegetarian shoes to choose from.

Alba Botanica
Alba has a strong commitment to the earth, their offices & warehouses are 100% solar powered. They offer several product lines all made from botanicals, essential oils, vitamins & minerals.

Natural Organic Body
They are serious about reducing their carbon footprint, by using packaging that is environmentally responsible & sustainably harvested ingredients. None of their products or ingredients are tested on animals, they are all cruelty-free and vegan.

Raw Gaia
Products are made from raw, natural, organic ingredients and do not contain any harsh chemicals, parabens or preservatives. Neither the ingredients or the final products are tested on animals.

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps
These magical soaps have been made the same way for years, they are made from castile soap (vegetable oil-based) and produced using organic materials. One soap can be used as shower gel, shampoo, for cleaning, as laundry soap and as toothpaste.

Soapier
A family owned company who handcrafts their line of glycerine & goats milk soaps using quality ingredients. Thanks to reddit for this one.

Vermont Soap
Vermont’s soaps are handmade and cold processed using organic food grade ingredients and essential oils.

Brita
Brita offers a used filter recycling program which effectively recycles each part of the filter. Their program actually outweighs the impact created by you shipping them for recycling (or so they say). Preserve plastic products is responsible for their recycling and sells a load of recycled plastic products.

EcoWater
EcoWater offers a wide range of water filter and treatment options for both residential and commercial use. Their products improve water quality, increase life of appliances, reduce energy consumption and use recyclable materials.

StefaniAqua
A different take on water filters, the Stefani filters are made from terra cotta clay which helps to keep water cool & clean. This is a green product which supports local artisans, reduces plastic waste and requires no energy.

Whew

It’s a long list, but I did my research and each one of these should be worth supporting. Where possible, always buy as local as you can to eliminate the need for shipping. Happy shopping! 🙂