6 ms·
Show HN: Find Eco-friendly alternatives to Products You Use Everyday
- rhn_mk1 8y agoIt would be useful if the alternatives had an explanation on how they are more eco-friendly. As it is now, it's a starting point for research, without any guarantees.
- mc32 8y agoOne of the things listed is ice trays. I was unaware ice trays were a problem big enough to deserve alternatives? Food packaging is probably a bigger issue (disposable lunch containers could be replaced with glass or steel).
- nicolaslem 8y agoCongratulations on shipping something meant to do good for the planet! I think you should add more context to each item. I'd like to see specifically why an item is bad and how the replacement is better. The toothbrush is a good start but it would be more impactful if credible studies were linked. I have a hard time imagining that my toothbrushes end up in the sea.
- weavie 8y agoMiscellaneous is mispelled, it's missing an l.
- wilgertvelinga 8y agoGreat job! I have two suggestions: New category: deodorant, https://nuudcare.com/ https://nuudcare.com/ New "product": shampoo, https://www.nopoomethod.com/ https://www.nopoomethod.com/
- namdnay 8y agoFor deodorant a far more ecofriendly alternative would be to just use an alum stone
- kennydude 8y agoFor both of those you can probably add LUSH's products. They have a nice website as well
- bluntfang 8y agowhy is this a great job? Can you elaborate? Are you a bot for this amazon affiliate website?
- wilgertvelinga 8y agoNo. I'm not a bot. Very real person who is enthusiastic about the mentioned product and use of no shampoo at all.
- bluntfang 8y agowhat product? Again, why is this a great job?
- astura 8y agoIt's literally just a list of referral links for greenwashed consumer products. Even if you're enthusiastic about "the mentioned product" (whatever one that is) doesn't mean such a low effort blatant spam site deserves a "great job," much less a "good job."
- Cynddl 8y agoEco-friendly alternatives to plates are "Compostable Plates", followed by "Bamboo Plates"? This makes little sense. What about reusing plates, second hand market, or donations? The sustainability and "eco-friendliness" of products is a complex question, and there is often no such thing as a simple list. See for instance the extensive study by DTU on plastic vs. paper vs. cotton bags: https://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publications/2018/02/978-87-93614-73-4.pdf https://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publications/2018/02/978-87-93614-... The study shows, e.g., that paper bags need to be used at least 50 times to achieve the same ecological impact as the thin plastic bags (LDPE).
- avip 8y agoThis seems a user-contributed, user-voted site. So blame the users I guess. The most eco-friendly plate is a Banana leaf widely used in East Asia. Second is clay.
- Cynddl 8y agoI didn't see any option to contribute to the website. Did I miss something?
- bluntfang 8y agodisposable anything marketing itself as eco-friendly is a joke. Shame on companies who attempt this.
- NeedMoreTea 8y agoMany seem just an excuse to sell more stuff, but with a greenwashed label. I detect something of a bamboo theme. I guess bamboo is in right now? A green alternative to steel cutlery is bamboo cutlery? Stainless will last 50 or 100 years, or more. Bamboo isn't going to. Bamboo dinner napkins? WTF? Linen will last 20 years or more. So lets replace those with single use throwaway.
- rypskar 8y agoAlso wonder how Biodegradable Cutlery in bulk is more eco-friendly than stainless steel lasting generations. Maybe it should be an alternative to plastic one-time use. Don't get me wrong, I love this idea and hope it helps more be aware of what they buy and use. But maybe my hopes are for what is planned in version 3 of this. Good start, hope to see improvements
- wink 8y ago> Steel ice trays are a more sustainable option than the typical plastic ice trays. Citation needed. I've never seen anyone not using their plastic ice trays for a decade. Sometimes more like 3 decades.
- Cthulhu_ 8y agoSome plastic ice trays can be pretty crappy though. Source: mine broke. I've got a silicon one now, not sure if it'll last longer though.
- rypskar 8y agoSteel, even stainless steel, can rust. So they don't have to last longer, it also depends on the quality
- eeZah7Ux 8y agoMinimizing small sources of pollution is always good, but I'm seeing a huge pattern of greenwashing. If people focus on ice trays and straws and forget large sources of pollution [1] we get what looks like an avoidance/displacement/procrastination behavior. It's like taking vitamins as an excuse to delay a needed surgery, so to speak. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10...
- yakshaving_jgt 8y agoI'm relatively (I think?) well-informed on feminine products for a guy, but I didn't know menstrual cups were a thing. Women deal with more discomfort than we give them credit for. Some of the items I'm confused about — are plastic ice trays so bad for the environment? I thought the "bad" plastic products were bad because they're typically not reusable (bags, straws, etc). Ice trays aren't single use. In any case, great website!
- bluntfang 8y ago>I'm relatively (I think?) well-informed on feminine products for a guy I think a great step forward for you might be to stop self-identifying this way. Think for a second about what this sentence is adding to the discussion.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- RealDinosaur 8y agoDon't try to use logic against hardcore environmentalists. Plastic == bad. This is a bad website to be honest, as ordering consumables off Amazon least environmentally friendly ways to distribute them. Far better to ship via pallet to a local supermarket. Or... Eliminate the need entirely. We need to change our entire way of thinking from 'buy and throw away', to 'invest and re-use'. I had an environmentalist complain about a leather guitar strap I've had for 10 years, and that I should throw it away and get one made from an eco-material, such as recycled denim. The leather guitar strap was ... * More durable than any other guitars strap I've ever had * A by-product of the huge meat industry (I'm a veggie myself) * In my possession and functional A lot of the buzz around small changes to help the environment, but the real change needs to happen to the consumer lifestyle we all seem to have. There is no quick fix.
- yakshaving_jgt 8y agoSadly, I think you're right. The Penn & Teller: Bullshit! episode on recycling showed some pretty good examples. I'm an environmentalist, but only with a little e.
- Cynddl 8y agoI also see you use this website to promote Amazon products, with an Amazon Associate tag. First, your website does not comply with Amazon Associate rules (see the point "5. Identifying Yourself as an Associate"). Second, it may seem like this website, aiming to offer eco-friendly solutions, only try to sell more to people. A poor mix of eco-friendliness and consumerism in this case.
- drankula3 8y agoRe your second case: When economic incentives line up with environmental goals, progress is made. OP should have been transparent, but if someone makes a profit while improving other people's eco-footprints, it's a win-win.
- bluntfang 8y agoReplacing disposable plates with slightly more "eco friendly" disposable plates isn't really improving anyone's eco-footprint. It's reinforcing the idea that disposable anything is eco-friendly.
- CaramelSauce 8y agoGood is not the enemy of perfect. There are cases where disposable plates are more or less required. Food trucks/carts for example. One I frequent recently moved to using compostable plates.
- dkdbejwi383 8y agoThe eco solution would be to use actual plates that customers return, and are then washed and reused.
- bluntfang 8y ago>There are cases where disposable plates are more or less required. I completely disagree, although there are cases where non-disposable plates are too expensive to have due to various reasons, but if that's the case you probably shouldn't be doing what you're doing.
- dusted 8y agoThere are some stupid ideas on there..
- IdontRememberIt 8y agoReally? An alternative made in China with cheap plastic? These green washers are everywhere.
- V-2 8y agoIt reminds me of the old, tongue-in-cheek piece by Joel Spolsky https://www.joelonsoftware.com/whattimeisit/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/whattimeisit/ The described use scenario was as follows: "...visitors are very upset if Mike has previously promised to meet with them at a certain time, but when that time comes around, Mike is nowhere to be found. This happens because Mike doesn’t know what time it is. At his secretary’s recommendation, Mike signs up for a WhatTimeIsIt.com account. Now, whenever Mike is wondering about the time, he simply logs onto WhatTimeIsIt.com, enters his username and password, and finds out the current time." Years have passed and now, if Mike can't think of an eco-friendly alternative to a paper coffee cup, he can go to the ecoalternatives website to find out he could get a stainless steel coffee mug with autoseal and thermalock instead. Eureka! ;) (I'm honestly not sure if that's really the equivalent of a paper cup - personally I'd think a regular ceramic cup, 10 times cheaper, would be more accurate in reproducing the same functionality, but let's assume Mike is capable of figuring this one out without a website).
- adrianN 8y agoBut chances are you already have a ceramic cup, so that suggestion wouldn't generate any sales.
- Dumblydorr 8y agoShould probably include how many plastic cups need to be avoided to payback investment into metal cup. Metal has a lot more energy poured into its construction and molding, plastic for its all longevity as trash is at least cheap to make. Without this contrast, hard for readers to analyze payback period.
- Tepix 8y agoThere's no alternative for toothpaste and no way to suggest one.
- croisillon 8y agowell, miswak replaces toothbrush AND toothpaste
- Fnoord 8y agoCan recommend to add reusable diapers. If you buy gender neutral and get 2 children, you will save money on it guaranteed making it win-win for environment.
- ywecur 8y agoAre paper actually better than plastic if the plastic ones are disposed of properly?
- skilled 8y agoNo about page, no privacy page, no additional pages... Yet somehow Google Analytics made its way into the source code...........