Young activist shares simple swaps in routine to be more eco-friendly

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - April is Earth Month. Climate change and zero waste are front of mind for most of us but trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle may seem overwhelming. Author, international speaker and wellness activist Haile Thomas, 20, got involved in tackling global issues at a young age.

“I really got interested in health and wellness initially after my dad was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and our family was able to completely reverse his condition without medication, just eating healthfully and changing our diet and lifestyle, so that in of itself really inspired me to learn more about the things that I was consuming and how it was impacting my body,” Thomas said. “But along this journey of advocacy I learned that everything is interconnected, and our planet is also impacted by the things that we consume.”

Thomas joined NewsChannel 7 at 4 on Monday to share simple tips to help us be less wasteful. She said it starts by looking at our own self-care as it relates to planetary care.

“Oftentimes our essential routines and personal care is deeply connected and creates a really big opportunity to be more mindful and lower our environmental footprint.”

Thomas said that’s why she uses products that are sustainably-sourced, uses naturally-derived ingredients or uses recyclable packaging, like the brand Tom’s of Maine.

“One of the most crazy facts I’ve learned on this journey of swapping my essentials is actually that over one billion tubes of toothpaste are thrown away in landfills annually, which just blows my mind,” she said. “In learning this, I was happy to hear that Tom’s of Maine is creating a first of its kind recyclable toothpaste tube, and so this will help reduce plastic waste. They also have a natural-strength deodorant that uses 100% plasic-free packaging.”

She said if we make small swaps just like that in our daily, personal care routine, that makes a huge impact and shows that those simple steps can be the difference we need.