I Dyed My Blonde Hair Acai Berry Purple To Save The Planet

Published on TheOdysseyOnline

Last week, I dyed my hair purple, and I felt empowered by more than just the eye-catching color of my hair. I was saving the rain forest.

The Purple for the Planet campaign is run by Sambazone, a purple acai berry harvesting company, with the goal to raise awareness for rain forest deforestation. The company buys acres of rain forest land to safely harvest their berries, and in the month leading up to World Biodiversity Day, Sambazon vowed to donate five acres of this rain forest for every person to post a selfie with purple hair on social media with the hashtag #PurpleforthePlanet. These posts were counted between Earth Day, April 22nd, to World Biodiversity Day, May 22nd, with the goal of saving 17,520 acres of rain forest in just one month.

I knew from the moment I saw the Purple for the Planet campaign that it was something I had to do. I always strive to live a life the environment would thank me for, and I have been talking about dying my hair for a while. While I did not “go green” with my hair color, I did go purple.

Many people don’t think about how the rain forest affects the health of the rest of our planet. In fact, they regulate our climate by holding over half the earth’s water and constantly going through the water cycle. The rain forest's hundreds of trees also soak up excess CO2 that pollutes our atmosphere. Every day, thousands of trees are cut down and it is extremely detrimental to these benefits.

I am happy to announce that they not only made their goal, but they exceeded it and saved about 30 species of animals from going extinct as a result.

Even though this campaign is over, you can still change your lifestyle in a dramatic way to go green that may empower you as well. Try these tips to go green today, and if you decide to participate in the next Purple for the Planet campaign, don’t forget to use hair dye without harmful chemicals.