I am a first year student in DCU studying climate and environmental sustainability. I am looking forward to starting this 30 day challenge.
My challenge
To only use environmentally friendly cleaning products at home

So far I have not gone into autopilot and completely forgotten about my challenge. To be honest I am not the greatest fan of cleaning…so have been using this challenge as a way of avoiding the activity!! But I am also conscious of how excess cleaning can result in unnecessary water and chemical usage and therefore only partake in necessary cleaning ; ) 

One pattern I have noticed is that I have developed a very bad habit of relying on wipes for the quick and easy cleaning of surfaces. I had recently switched to the biodegradable wipes. But obviously these wipes are still causing more waste material than other methods do. So I am working on a finding a suitable replacement for these wipes during this challenge. 

What has surprised me so far during this challenge is how much I am thinking about it. I am thinking about what has stopped me switching to ‘greener’ products in the past. I am taking more time to look at packaging and what ingredients are in different cleaning products and where they have been manufactured. From there my thoughts go to where these chemicals and packages end up…why are there so many different products on the market that are harmful to the environment when we are now lucky to have more convenient safer alternatives and then my mind goes back to consumer habits.