Month: October 2019

bookmark_borderWhat “Experts” Say About Using Natural Birth Control Methods

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Hey earth muffins! If you have been following Life of an Earth Muffin for some time, you will know that I use the Femometer (and both the Basal Body Temperature and Cervical Mucus methods) as a natural form of birth control. As many people have not thought about using natural birth control, I wanted to share what “experts” say on the subject… Let’s jump right into it!

A picture of a female doctor in a white lab coat pointing her finger at a speech bubble with the words Natural Birth Control? Here
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*Doctors: The opinions on using natural birth control differ for every doctor. My doctor laughed in my face when I told him I wanted to use something natural, so I haven’t discussed the matter with him any further. Check with your doctor to see if natural birth control is right for you!

*WebMD: When looking at the natural family planning page on this infamous health website, it says that natural birth control isn’t as effective as other forms of birth control: about 24% of women will get pregnant… However, I find it weird that they would put a percentage on their website for all forms of natural birth control instead of breaking it down by method, as some natural birth control methods (like “pulling out” or using just a calendar to count days) definitely have a much higher pregnancy risk.

*Planned Parenthood: In their article about natural birth control methods, Planned Parenthood says that using natural birth control will result in about 12-24% of women getting pregnant. Again, they group all of the methods together. This article then goes on to say that this percentage can be reduced, meaning natural family planning can be more effective, if you use multiple methods together (which is what I am doing!) and/or use condoms as well.

*American Academy of Family Physicians: The AAFP did a study on natural birth control, and they actually do break their results down by type. The percentages are how many people will get pregnant using the certain method

Method                           Typical Use         Perfect Use
Condom                               18%                    2%
Cervical mucus                    3-22%                 3%
BBT & Cervical mucus        2-8%                  <1%

I think these results stress how important it is for couples to know how to use their birth control method in the correct way!

*Medicine Net: This article goes into detail about less popular types of natural birth control (things like douching), but it states that overall natural methods can be as much as 98% effective if they are continuously a commitment.

*Natural Womanhood: If you are interested in trying out natural birth control, I would definitely recommend looking into blogs (like this one) and YouTubers who speak about the different forms. No opinion is more valuable than those who actually find success using these methods! This post shares that natural methods (with typical use) are 92% effective: the birth control pill is usually only 91% effective!

Overall, there are so many differing opinions on using natural birth control. There is a lot at stake when it comes to getting pregnant, so the decision truly depends on whether or not you are comfortable putting in the work to ensure that your method is as effective as possible. Definitely do as much research as possible, and give yourself a few months to perfect the method using your individual cycle before you fully trust it!

What are your personal thoughts on using natural birth control?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderMinimizing Waste When Eating Fast Food 🍔

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Hey earth muffins! When I first started my journey towards living zero waste, I realized that low waste living and fast food do not mix. I wouldn’t say I ate fast food a lot, but I definitely would eat it whenever I traveled or was busy and didn’t have any other options on campus. When making steps towards living sustainably, it is important to remember that you can’t be perfect – and that you are allowed to eat fast food if you want! Here are some of my personal tips to reduce waste when eating at your fave fast food places 😀

A photo with a cheeseburger on a black background with the words Low Waste Fast Food
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1. Order it for “here” instead of “to go”. Instead of getting your food in a bunch of unnecessary packaging, you can then either take the food and leave or eat it in the restaurant.

2. Use your own utensils and napkins! This is an easy swap when making your kitchen zero waste, so I definitely suggest doing the same when you eat out.

A picture of a set of bamboo eating utensils for zero waste dining

3. Put sauces on your food inside the restaurant to avoid single use packages… OR bring your own containers to fill up inside to use on the go!

4. Bring your own water bottle to avoid all the plastic cups and straws. This will also ensure you are staying healthy and not drinking all of those nasty sugary beverages.

5. Know the menu and order what comes in the least packaging. If the burgers come in plastic, maybe opt for the fish sandwich that comes in a recyclable cardboard box.

A picture of a fish sandwich in a cardboard box

6. Order the vegetarian options!! Fast food and unsustainable meat practices go hand-in-hand, so avoid what you can by ordering the veggie options. Some of my personal choices are the vegetarian bean burritos from Taco Bell and the veggie burger at Burger King. 🤗

How do you reduce your waste when eating fast food?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderRecent Reads & Movie Reviews 📕

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Hey earth muffins! It has been over a month since I did a book and movie reviews post, so I thought I would write one for you all today! 😁 I have been trying to read as much as possible on my free time; however, my textbooks definitely take the priority most of the time… But I do have some awesome books on my “to-read” list that I hope to share with you all in upcoming Recent Reads post. 🎉

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Recent Reads
~The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Check out the book here!

After being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, Randy Paush (a professor at Carnegie Mellon) decided to give a “last” lecture discussing all of the important lessons he learned in his life. As he was leaving behind two young kids, he wanted them to remember him through these messages. This book shares not only Randy’s last thoughts he presented at Carnegie, but also goes into more detail with his sad, yet powerful message. His takeaways from life are so relatable that it really makes you think about your own life and what legacy you want to leave behind. I definitely want to watch his actual last lecture after reading this book, and I suggest you watch it on YouTube as well!
Rating: 10/10

~essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Check out the book here!

I picked up this book from the library expecting it to be another book on how to minimalize your life in terms of material goods… And boy was I wrong! This book basically takes you through the Marie Kondo method of getting rid of everything that isn’t essential in your life in terms of work, relationships, etc. It was such a breath of fresh air for me, as college always makes it seem like you need to do everything in order to be successful… This book opened my eyes to a different path where you create more (and better!) success by putting more energy into the essentials. For someone on a journey towards living a low/zero waste life, this was an amazing read that truly embraces “slow living”. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is looking to improve their quality of life!
Rating: 9.8/10

Movie Reviews
~Hocus Pocus

Check out the movie here!


How could I not watch this movie this month?!? It is one of my absolute favorite Halloween movies as I mentioned in my Fall Bucket List post. 🎃 It has amazing characters – Billy is the best. It has characters with weird names – Thackery Binx who? It has kids running wild all over town. It has singing witches – “I Put a Spell on You”, anyone? Please watch it if you haven’t already!
Rating: 10/10

~Aquamarine

Check out the movie here!


My roommate wanted to watch this movie the other night, and it was a great time! I have always been a huge fan of any sort of mermaid movie/TV show (H20: Just Add Water is one of the best TV shows of all time), so this was such a nostalgic film experience. It is super cheesy, has a hilarious mean girl (the newscast scene is cringey and oh so good), and a great “friendship fixes everything” ending. A classic for sure!
Rating: 8/10

~What a Girl Wants

Check out the movie here!

Just like the past few Recent Reads posts, I decided to watch a classic chick flick that I had never actually seen. This film stars Amanda Bynes, and it was INCREDIBLE. How had I not seen this before?! It was everything I could ask for in a chick flick: two love stories, a father daughter reunion, a juxtaposition of politics and rocker, amazing music, and iconic 90’s fashion. Will definitely be watching again!
Rating: 11/10

What have you been reading and watching lately?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderReview: Mad Hippie Mineral Mascara

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Hey earth muffins, happy Monday!! Today I will be sharing my thoughts on another sustainable beauty product: the mineral mascara from Mad Hippie cosmetics! 🤩 Mascara is one of my favorite makeup staples, so I was beyond excited to test out this product – let’s jump right into the review!

A picture of the Mad Hippie Mineral Mascara with the words Mad Hippie Mascara Review
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What I LOVE:
1. It makes my lashes look extremely long! I have always preferred mascaras that make my lashes longer than those that make them “thicker”/clumpy. This mascara does an excellent job of coating each lash, enhancing their natural length.

2. The wand is perfection. It is both long AND thick, which allows me to apply it so easily. Definitely my favorite mascara wand of all time!

A picture of the wand of the Mad Hippie Mascara, a perfect length and width

3. It smells like roses. When looking at the ingredient list, it is clear that their is no rose in the actual mascara, so it might be smelling like the sweet almond oil… 🤔 Regardless, it smells SO good!

4. The container is sustainable!! One of my biggest challenges with trying out new makeup products since I started my journey towards low/zero waste is to find products that are in sustainable containers. This mascara is made of a sugarcane bioresin plastic tube that can be recycled after it is used up. While recycling is by no means the best solution to the struggles of our planet, it beats the plastic tubes that can never be recycled!

5. It is made of simple ingredients. As it is a mineral mascara, there are no synthetic waxes, dyes, or coal tar inside the formula. Compared to the Clean Faced Cosmetics cake mascara I typically use (which only has 4 ingredients!), it includes more ingredients in the formula… But much fewer than those in drugstore/high end products.

6. This mascara will last all day through rain, sweat, and tears. 😅 Trust me.

7. The brand is vegan and cruelty free! I will always support these types of companies and brands!

What I DISLIKE:
1. You need to use some sort of soap to take it off. While this might seem like a weird con to most people, I usually just wash off my makeup in the shower… So I don’t like the fact that I need to take an extra step to get this off. However, as I said above, this mascara doesn’t budge during the day so I guess the extra time to take it off is okay.

2. It is a tad pricey… But most sustainable beauty products are pricier. This mascara can be bought on the Mad Hippie website for $19, while the Clean Faced Cosmetics mascara is $12-16. However, there are many sustainable makeup brands that are WAY more expensive… But, I thought I would mention it none-the-less. 😊

A picture of the Mad Hippie Mineral Mascara over the paper it came with that says, Welcome to the Revolution
Definitely go check out this mascara!

What is your favorite mascara currently?

*I was sent this product for free; all opinions are my own!*

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderThe Ultimate Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fabrics

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Hey earth muffins! If you are on a journey to live with less waste (like I am!), one of the major areas that needs to be addressed is buying clothes. In my opinion, there are two options:

1) Go thrift shopping! – This is my personal preference 😀
2) Buy sustainable fabrics when buying new

The struggle with the second option is that you will need to avoid fast fashion when choosing fabrics that aren’t so hurtful to the environment. Fast fashion is a terrible thing in general (read my whole about it here!), so this is extremely important. Many “cotton” and “polyester” fabrics have microplastics in them that are released in the washing machine… We definitely do not want that! Buying from the thrift store can lessen this issue, as the microplastics have already been released and you are saving any new microplastics from leaching into the water stream. There are many other problems with unsustainable fabrics as well: huge amounts of water usage, chemicals/pesticides affecting the land and leaching into water, unethical treatment of workers, the list goes on.

A picture of sustainable fabrics including wool, hemp, bamboo, cashmere, and organic cotton, with the words The Ultimate Guide to: Sustainable Fabrics! in the center
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SO, if you decide that you still would like to buy clothes that are brand new, I suggest searching for these fabrics:

~Organic cotton – Normal cotton uses huge amounts of water and pesticides, making the “fabric of our lives” an unsustainable choice. If you really love cotton clothing, I suggest checking out 100% organic cotton fabrics. While there is still a lot of water involved, this at least helps avoid the chemical/pesticide aspect of producing the cotton. If the cotton is 100% organic, it will also be biodegradable!

~Silk – This fabric is extremely sustainable and efficient when it comes to water usage and land use; plus, it is biodegradable at the end of its life! However, the silkworms are only able to produce a small amount of fabric making it a more time intensive process. Some vegans also disapprove of the treatment of the worms.

~Wool – This fabric is renewable as it comes from sheep! 🐑 It is biodegradable as well. Take caution to research where the company sources its wool, to make sure the sheep are treated ethically and are taken care of properly.

~Cashmere – Just like wool, this fabric is renewable because it comes from goats! Fast fashion increased demand for this product, so many farmers started shearing their goats too early… This obviously puts the animal at risk of dying from the cold, so I would personally suggest only buying cashmere secondhand.

~Hemp – Growing hemp takes very little water (and the plants are naturally extremely pest-free, which makes pesticides not necessary). This fabric is also biodegradable, making it an excellent choice!

~Bamboo – Just like hemp, bamboo can be grown basically anywhere with very little water. 🎍 It can be used to make anything from kitchen utensils to fabric, making it an amazing sustainable choice! It is also biodegradable.

~Linen – Another great option, linen is biodegradable if it has been untreated. Flax grows with very little water, and almost all parts of the plant are used in the production process making it extremely low waste.

While there are many “sustainable” fabrics on the market, you must still do your research before making purchases. The rise of the “going green” movement has resulted in many companies stating that certain products are “sustainable”… But that doesn’t mean they actually are! Make sure to look at all the tags and do your research to see the OTHER implications that resulted from a fast fashion brand using a sustainable fabric: water usage, shipping from across the world, the conditions of the workers, where the dyes have been sourced, etc. In my opinion, thrifting is always the best option, as I don’t trust fashion corporations to completely change their practices. That may sound cynical, but I hope that one day fast fashion will stop existing altogether.


What fabrics do you look for when shopping? 

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderHow to Zero Waste Your School Supplies!

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Hey earth muffins! I know that the school year started last month, but my masters program has some quarter classes, which means I will be starting a few new classes in a week or so. 🤓 Because of this, I need more school supplies, and I was inspired to share my best tips for keeping your school supplies low/zero waste. In this series I have tackled everything from the laundry room to periods, so I hope this is helpful to all of you still in school!

green background with various colorful school supplies such as pencils, rulers, and paperclips, words say How to Zero Waste Your School Supplies across the middle
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~Use actual pencils: Mechanical pencils might be “easier” because you don’t need to sharpen them, but they are made of plastic (and as you all know from my Plastic Free July posts plastic should be avoided!)… ✏️ Wooden pencils are so much better!

~Buy a refillable ink pen: If you go through a lot of pens, I suggest finding one that is refillable. This allows you to not throw away the pen each time it runs out of ink! This gorgeous bamboo pen is only $29 on Amazon, and it comes with an ink covertor to easily add ink (which is under $10 on Amazon as well!).

A picture of a bamboo pen that can be refilled with ink, making it a sustainable alternative to a normal pen

~Reuse old notebooks and folders: I have yet to take a class where I used a whole notebook in one semester, so I definitely suggest recycling the pages you have notes on and then reuse the rest of the notebook for a new class. The same goes for folders!

~Buy school supplies from the thrift store: As I mentioned in my Collective Thrift Haul, I recently purchased a binder for only $1. You can always find school supplies secondhand; make sure to also donate any unwanted school supplies at the end of the year!

~Utilize any paper that you can find!: My office recycles a bunch of perfectly good paper, so I like to take a stack home to use for school. 😊 Look for paper that you can take home as well!

~Avoid printing out assignments at all cost: Read articles online instead and take notes either on the computer or in your notebook (as writing down your notes helps you learn the material faster!).

~Rent your textbooks or buy the online version: When you buy a hard copy of a textbook, you most likely aren’t going to ever read it again when the class is finished… And that is just wasteful! Renting is cheaper and allows other students to use the book after you. The same goes for an online version.

~Use your “big” school supplies (ex. backpack, lunchbox) until they are totally un-usable: I used to buy a new backpack and lunchbox every year for school, and that is extremely wasteful. My current backpack and lunchbox have lasted me my whole undergrad and will definitely make it through my masters program as well! I have absolutely LOVED my High Sierra Swerve backpack, so I would definitely recommend it 🥰

A picture of a navy High Sierra Swerve backpack, which can last many years before it must be thrown away

~If you have to buy new, look out for products made with recycled materials!: I bought my planner from Walmart for only $8, and it is made of all recycled paper. Buying secondhand should always be the first option but this is a nice alternative.

How do you keep your school supplies sustainable?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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