Going Green is getting hard

We've all heard the expression at some time or another that if you are going to do something, do it well.

So when I decided I was going to go "green" I decided I was going to do my best. For me, part of that means switching to Earth-friendly products: I have been eliminating anything non-biodegradable from the products I use and switching them to biodegradable alternatives.

This seemed like a good idea--it IS a good idea--except that doing so has proven particularly difficult. Namely, I have found it challenging to find biodegradable options for sunscreen and deodorant. There's organic stuff everywhere, but that isn't necessarily the same thing (although the two do often go hand-in-hand).

Part of my motivation was discovering how non-biodegradable sunscreen actually impacts the environment. It is especially hard on sensitive ecosystems like the coral reefs, that require UV to function and are extremely reactive to any environmental change. The residue left over from non-biodegradable sunscreens in the water means less UV gets through to such ecosystems, which in turn means that they suffer for it.

I am a little disturbed by how this information is so little known, and how inaccessable "green" alternatives are. I go into a store and rather than having the greener alternatives right with the regular products where they can be easily noticed (and therefore encourage a broader population to try them, as opposed to just the green freaks who actively seek them), they are tucked away in some obscure section, like some sort of dirty little secret. It's a pity.

If anyone out there has any suggestions for a good biodegradable sunscreen or deodorant, I would love the input!