With environmental living being all the rage these days, it’s reasonable to wonder if this is just another loud and passing trend. Dealing with the occasional diesel-driving yogi or finding grocery shelves filled with greenwashed products may be off-putting for environmentalists who identify themselves with the heart of the advocacy – and confusing for environmental-hopefuls who want to segregate fact from fad.

Before you hop on the sustainably-built bandwagon or dismiss your newly-vegan friend as a tree-hugging hippie, here are 5 substantial things you need to know about why green is the way to go:

1. Natural products are better for your health
The aspiration of producers of natural and organic food and cosmetics is to promote healthier and more nutritional consumption by eliminating the use of harmful toxins, synthetic preservatives, and other chemicals that bombard the commercial market. In order to promote a culture of conscious shopping, customers must be educated on what to think about before they make purchases – from the amount of antibiotics and hormones pumped into the livestock they consume every day, to which red flags to look out for on the ingredient labels and why. Knowing exactly what you put on and in your body gives you the peace of mind of knowing that you’re taking good care of yourself. 2. Natural products help preserve the earth Whether you decide to go natural for health reasons or environmental reasons, genuinely natural and organic products treat your body with the same care and respect that it shows the earth. Genuinely organic products respect the earth from growth – without chemical fertilizers, synthetic insecticides, or biotechnology – until biodegradation. Depending on their country of origin, most genuinely natural products contain at least 95% natural ingredients that are derived from renewable resources. They do not contain synthetic toxins that threaten the earth when they are flushed back into the soil and waterways, thereby reducing pollutants. Choosing natural and organic products allow you to live harmoniously with the earth in a sustainable manner, allowing for future generations to live similarly. 3. Natural products can provide farming communities with multiple sources of income and secure livelihoods
The Philippines is blessed with enormous agricultural potential; when maximized responsibly, our land’s fecundity can be beneficial for farming communities in more ways than one. Natural cosmetics create a demand for a host of different ingredients, which in turn requires farmland and farmers to grow and supply them. Natural and organic companies who employ rural farming communities understand that the costs of conventional production are as social as they are environmental. As a result, they are driven by the consciousness to provide farmers with fair and stable wages and dignified working conditions; they aim to develop (rather than restrict) production skills to promote empowerment and innovation needed to create the highest quality and most diverse natural ingredients possible. 4. Going natural promotes organic farming as a long-term solution in food production Factory farming has reared its ugly head with multiple reports of massive animal cruelty, worker safety hazards, environmental pollution, and consumer health concerns exposing the controversy surrounding intensive agriculture in the world’s busiest food-producing countries. Organic farming presents an optimistic alternative to conventional practices in agriculture by promoting animal welfare and taking a stand against the use of interventional pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and other chemical additives. By supporting organic methods of food production, you promote a less destructive, less polluting, and more sustainable and long-term solution to the way we create and consume the food we eat. 5. Going natural helps in redefining the status quo

Health buffs and eco-minded consumers alike have clearly stumbled upon a revolution – and there’s no turning back. Natural and eco-friendly living has penetrated the public sphere, offering constructive alternatives to the conventional harmful practices of production and daily consumption. By supporting natural food and cosmetics or committing to an environmental lifestyle, you support the growth of the green revolution. A gain in prominence consequently necessitates regulation; if more countries hop on the bandwagon, governments will need to establish stricter standards and regulatory bodies to ensure that the terms natural and organic are not used loosely and to overlook the production of quality products meet these standards.

With the rising consciousness among shoppers and their growing commitment to local, natural, and organic products comes a bright and hopeful future for national and global development. So before you embark on your next shopping trip, take a few minutes to put a little more thought into it – it can make a world of a difference!