Look Who it Was Random video

How Manicures Affect the Planet

519 views · Published 24 January 2017 · 0:57 · Indexed 23 October 2026

Channel: NRDC · 2017 · Nonprofits & Activism

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Power plants get a really bad—well-deserved—rap for producing a BUNCH of carbon emissions each year. But there’s a tier of “secondary industries” that, if you consider the life cycle of chemicals used, collectively produce almost as much carbon as power plants each year. They also happen to predominantly employ low-income immigrant women and women of color. The EPA has listed semiconductor assembly, for example, as one of the top six processes that contributes to global warming in America.
 
Women of color are bearing the brunt of unregulated chemicals and climate change as they work to support their families. Groups like Forward Together and the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative are working to make education of health issues for nail salon workers California law. They point out that addressing both the health and carbon issues in these industries will lead to solutions that not only help us tackle climate change but also improve women’s reproductive health while we’re at it. Let’s pursue luxury that uplifts everyone involved. Get the nails done, but tip 25 percent at an ecologically mindful nail salon that pays its workers a living wage.

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