General

What do you eat to have a healthy complexion?

Nutrition is of great importance for beauty. You cannot keep your skin healthy and smooth if you do not provide it with all the necessary ingredients from within. What vitamins and minerals are necessary to achieve beautiful and firm skin?

Foods that are good for the skin contain antioxidants. These are a whole group of different compounds, vitamins and poly phenols. They scavenge free radicals, protect the skin from UV radiation, and act as anti-inflammatories. One of the most powerful antioxidants is resveratrol. Resveratrol is found in red wine, grape skins, and peanuts. Antioxidant bombs are green tea, coffee, cocoa, garlic, acai berries.

While both silicon and zinc counteract sagging, prevent wrinkles, and improve skin elasticity, silicon prevents cellulite and strengthens blood vessels. Silicon can be found in dates, bananas, buckwheat groats and seafood. Zinc neutralises free radicals and supports collagen production. To provide it, eat nuts, fish, seafood, meat, beans, and whole grain products.

Moreover, B vitamins counteract the glycation process, and make the skin firmer and more elastic, while inhibiting inflammatory processes. To make sure you do not lack these vitamins, include pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, legumes, avocado, salmon, yeast, milk, eggs in your diet .

Vitamin A, which oxygenates the skin, slows down ageing and strengthens collagen and elastin fibres. Vitamin A in food in the form of well-absorbed retinol is contained in eggs, butter, and liver. In the form of beta-carotene (which is converted into retinol in the body ), it is found in yellow, orange, and red fruits and vegetables (carrots, tomato, apricots, peppers) and in green vegetables (lettuce, spinach, broccoli). 

Vitamin C in food supports collagen production. It is found in peppers, blackcurrants, kiwi strawberries, spinach, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and citrus fruits.

Coenzyme Q10 has antioxidant properties and is produced by the organism, but over time we produce increasingly less of it. Therefore, you need to supplement it with a diet. It is worth consuming it in the company of fat. Products rich in coenzyme Q10 are fish, offal, whole grain products, oils, bran, broccoli, spinach.

We all know that sometimes it is difficult to get all these substances out of food. The key to success is not to give up and to fight for your body as much as you can!

The Coca Cola Company was founded in the late 19th century. Today it is one of the most popular worldwide companies with annual revenue of USD 32 billion. However, throughout its existence, the company has faced criticism, which it has successfully covered up. 

What is the problem? 

    Coca- Cola is the largest producer of single-use plastic in the world. It manufactures 3 million tonnes of plastic a year, how does the company respond to such allegations? 

“We will continue to package in plastic as customers like lightweight bottles.”

In 2017, Greenpeace published a report criticising Coca-Cola for failing to meet their targets – namely those of sourcing 25% of plastic bottles from recycling and failing to introduce any targets for reducing the use of single-use plastic. Coca-Cola actively lobbied against recycling programmes in several European countries. At the same time, the company maintained its green marketing facade by making public donations to similar programs (causing greenwashing). 

Coca-Cola launched its new ‘green’ drink in the hope of reaching health-conscious consumers. The cola drink with the vibrant green label contains fewer calories and less sugar. 

It is an example of how changing a logo, calling a drink healthier and painting it green can trick people into thinking they are making a healthier choice for themselves and the environment, which is not true. 

Moreover, over the three years of the Brand Audit Cleanups, thousands of volunteers collected the most litter in the most places from Coca-Cola than from any other brand. In addition, the organisation needs three litres of water to produce one litre of Coca-Cola. To satisfy these water requirements, the company takes control of water sources around the world. 

Coca-Cola often chooses impoverished areas where it is easier for cheap water and marketing propaganda about alleged help and investment in developing countries. One example is India, where the company set up a bottling plant in the village of Kaladera in late 1999.  Farmers there rely on access to groundwater, but since the arrival of Coca-Cola, they have faced a serious water decline, thus putting entire families at risk of losing their livelihoods. Between 1995 and 2000, the water level was stable, and after Coca-Cola built the factory, the water level dropped by 10 metres in five years.

Another example is San Cristobal De Las Casas in Mexico, where the town’ wells are drying up while the Coca-Cola factory uses 1.08 million litres of water a day. With no sewage system and wells drying up, residents must walk two hours a day to get water for daily use.

However, there is no shortage of water at the FEMSA factory, as Coca-Cola can afford to draw water from a lower level than the villagers can. How much do they pay for access to water? 2600 pesos, less than £100 a YEAR. Therefore, in the villages it is easier to buy Coca-Cola than water, which is even worse when we know that cola consumption is the main cause of diabetes, which in turn is the biggest cause of death in the country.

One million plastic bottles are sold every minute worldwide and 91% of them are not recycled. Every day the plastic pollution crisis seems to be growing. There is no perfect solution and if plastic is an effective and affordable source material, political and environmental pressure is the primary mechanism to influence global brands.

How can we help to prevent this?   

1. Do you think this topic is important? Share it with your friends and show what Coca-Cola is doing.
2. Please stop buying coke! It is neither a good option for your health and especially for the environment! 
3. Educate yourself! Checking where products come from and how they were produced. That gives you a better idea of what practices companies are using. If you do not know the answers to these questions, you can find out with a bit of research.

Recently, we covered the most polluting brand Coca-Cola Company, this time – we will focus on Nestlé. Nestlé is the largest global food company, not only in terms of revenue but also in many other metrics.  In 2020, Nestlé was ranked 84^th on the Fortune Global list and 41^st on the Forbes Global list of the largest listed companies in 2020.

They produce baby food, confectionery, coffee, tea, pet food, snacks, ice cream and much more. Additionally, the company owns shares in several cosmetics companies. Nestlé has 447 factories, operates in 189 countries, and generates annual revenue of $96.8 billion.  

However, why is Nestlé called “the world’s most hated company”?

Let’s start with West Africa, where the company exploits children (who are between 12 and 15 years old) in cocoa production. In 2019, Nestlé announced that they cannot guarantee that their chocolate products are free of child labour because they can only trace 49% of their cocoa sources.

Moreover, the Washington Post noted that Nestlé’s 2001 commitment to eliminate such practices was not achieved in the allotted time (i.e., by 2005), and at this rate of change, there is no chance of a successful outcome in 2020. As if that was not enough, children working in production are trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire, forced into slavery, and often beaten on the plantation (according to a 2005 lawsuit filed against Nestlé on behalf of three Malian children). 

In 2010, a US District Court tried to dismiss the lawsuit, saying that corporations cannot be held liable for these violations. The Seattle Times writes about “The six men who sued claimed that those companies aided and abetted child slavery because they “knew or should have known” that the farms were using enslaved children.

While neither company owns or operates farms in the Ivory Coast, they had bought cocoa from them, and also provided the farms with technical and financial resources in exchange for exclusive rights to their crops”.

In addition, a September 2017 investigation by Mighty Earth found that a large amount of cocoa produced by Nestlé and other large companies was illegally grown in national parks and other protected areas. Today, less than 4% of the Ivory Coast remains densely forested. Deforestation has left only a few small groups of chimpanzees, and the elephant population has declined from several hundred thousand to around 200-400.

How does Nestlé operate in other countries? 

In 2002, Nestlé demanded that Ethiopia pay a $6 million debt to the company at a time when Ethiopia was suffering from famine (through a three-year lack of rainfall and a collapse in coffee prices, on which a quarter of the population subsists). The government offered a settlement, but Nestlé did not accept it. Let me remind you that Ethiopia has the lowest per capita income in the world, and the average person lives on $100 a year. Over 1/10 of children die before their first birthday.

The demands were cancelled after 8500 people sent e-mails to the company and the matter gained publicity. They said that after all, Nestlé prides itself on helping Africa, so they could donate this budget to fighting hunger in Ethiopia. Eventually, in 2003, the company accepted $1.5 million and donated it to charities.

Powdered infant milk? From this story, my dislike of Nestlé and delving into the actions of big companies started. The boycott directed at Nestlé began in 1977 when the company argued that infant milk powder was healthier than mother’s milk, and they paid doctors to recommend it. They targeted their actions and marketing primarily to developing countries.

Nestlé has introduced their products into the developing world and convinced doctors that they were right. Additionally, the company held meetings with local people explaining that modified milk was better. However, they did not translate the labels into the local languages. And what was the result? Women mixed the milk with polluted water, which led to illnesses among sensitive babies, and eventually death. Mothers lacked education about the sanitation methods needed to prepare the bottles.

Furthermore, UNICEF estimates that a baby fed on formula, living in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions, is 6 to 25 times more likely to suffer from diarrhoea and four times more likely to suffer from pneumonia than a breast-fed baby. And Nestlé? It prided itself on helping in Africa! How Nestlé spread formula milk? Women began to receive free formula in maternity wards (such a benefit from Nestlé). That often resulted in the mother losing the ability to produce her own milk and having to buy modified milk when she left the hospital.

Unfortunately, the cost of this milk is high. Therefore, poor mixtures are usually prepared, which are unable to nourish babies properly. 

These are some of the facts that discouraged me from Nestlé practices. Our population needs to understand the impact such large companies have on our environment, and actions need to be taken to reduce this.  

What actions can we take to at least prevent this? 

1. We all have lots of friends and family, if you see this post, please share it and show what practices Nestle uses! 
2. Buying local produce whenever possible helps reduce food transportation and supports regional growers. A farmer’s market is a great place to buy inexpensive, local produce. You may find that many products are free of packaging, making it easier to buy food sustainably without increasing plastic consumption.
3. Educate yourself! This tip can encourage eco-friendly shopping habits for those who cannot shop locally. Checking where products come from and how they were produced gives you a better idea of what kind of practices companies use. If you do not know the answers to these questions, you can find out with a bit of research.

The dictionary definition of a carbon footprint is “the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organization or community.”

A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, place or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. These gases, including  carbon-contained gases, carbon dioxide and methane, can be emitted through the burning of fossil fuels, land clearance and the production and consumption of food, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, buildings, transportation and other services. 

A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas, primarily carbon dioxide, which is released into the atmosphere by a particular human activity. A carbon footprint can be a broad measure or be applied to the actions of an individual, a family, an event, an organization, or even an entire nation.

Carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, and the emissions of other GHGs, are often connected with the burning of fossil fuels, like natural gas, crude oil and coal. While these gases are harmful to the environment.

There  are easy ways where you can start making a difference by reducing this carbon footprint:

1. Stop buying your water in plastic bottles. Get a reusable water bottle and keep it filled and with you at all times.

2. Take in walking or biking to some of your regular short-trip destinations. Try to walk a mile in less than 20 minutes. This is a great way to exercise in your busy schedule.

3. Turn off lights and unplug devices when you’re not using them.

4. Keep the tires on your car properly blown up and get regular set-ups. When your car’s tires are low on pressure, it emits more waste gas.

5. Try eating more food that is grown or made locally and less meat. 

6. Use the cold water cycle for washing your clothes. This will decrease the amount of water and energy used, helping you save time and money. 

7. Turn-off the heat and AC when you’re not home. You’ll be surprised at the difference it makes in your energy bill.

8. Drive efficiently. Use the accelerator lightly, coast to red lights, stay near the speed limit, and park and go inside instead of idling your engine in a drive-thru. 

9.  Sell items you no longer use to thrift shops, have a yard sale, or donate them to charity. Recycle or repurpose everything you can’t get rid of.  

10. Use alternative transportation (bus, train, carpool, or bike) to get to work. 

Benefits of reducing your carbon footprint

Reducing carbon emissions would decrease the number of deaths related to air pollution. They may also  help to ease pressure on healthcare systems. To achieve growth in the economy while still prioritising the reduction of carbon emissions, a decoupling between the two is needed.

Doing your bit to look after the environment. This is an obvious benefit! 

It has the potential to save you money. 

Contribute to projects that have positive impacts. 

Supporting local enterprises is great for your community.

Below are some of our thoughts on reducing the carbon footprint in an achievable  sustainable manner. 

Some Sustainable Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

• Follow 5 R’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Rot, Recycle: Going zero waste is a great step towards taking action on climate change.
• Bike more and Drive less.
• Conserving water will help you to protect waterways.
• Develop the habit of eating and choosing organic and local foods that are seasonal, local, and more plants.
• Switch to sustainable, clean energy.
• Buy foodstuffs in bulk when possible using your own reusable container.
• Reduce your food waste by planning meals ahead of time, freezing the excess and reusing leftovers.
• Compost your food waste where possible.