Without natural resources we would be naked (and smelly)

We’re stripping you down. Not literally, you pervert. But we often go about our daily lives wearing, applying and rubbing natural resources without any idea of where the stuff came from.

In the first of this four-part series, we will be highlighting how much of the world we use to get ready in the morning. Something can’t come from nothing, and here we will take a look at how natural resources make our world cleaner – and less smelly.

Shampoo

Image: Shampoo via Shutterstock

It’s never like the commercials. Moans and groans, luscious wet hair flipping back and forth. This really only happens when we manage to get shampoo in our eyes. But while checking the back of the bottle for advice on how to stop the tears, have you ever looked at the ingredients? You’ll probably notice something called ammonium chloride, which actually decreases the sting and holds the ingredients together – and relies on limestone mining, an industry big in B.C. In fact, B.C.’s oldest active mining operation is a limestone mine on Texada Island, which has been producing limestone for 97 years. Ammonium chloride is also an ingredient in liquorish-flavoured candies. The same resource that cleans your hair is the one that flavors your sweets.

Toothpaste

Image: Toothpaste via Shutterstock

Ever gone overboard with the sweet stuff? We’ve all heard of fluoride to prevent tooth decay. You might not enjoy dentists putting that strawberry-flavoured goop in your mouth, but no one wants to be rocking those dentures earlier than you have to. It’s also in our drinking water because it’s an effective way to prevent cavities. Believe it or not, fluoride can only be produced by mining phosphate rock, which Canada hosts large deposits of. If you’re happy to avoid British teeth, thank natural resources.

Deodorant

Image: Deodorant via Shutterstock

Never thought that you use aluminum every day in that breezy-smelling stick, did you? Well, everyone does — unless you’re that guy on the bus that no one sits next to. Aluminum plugs-up your sweat ducts to stop the icky stuff from causing a mess. It’s why deodorant works, and it’s one of B.C.’s industrial mainstays. And as the most common metal in the earth’s crust, you’ve got the whole world in your deodorant…basically.

It’s now only half an hour after you woke-up and you already have natural resources to thank – you’re clean, fresh, and set to smell good. Best of all, many of these resources can be found right here in B.C.

Stay tuned as we continue to highlight how resources improve our life every day.

About Resource Works

Resource Works is a non-profit research and advocacy organization supporting a respectful, fact-based public dialogue on responsible resource development in B.C. For more information on why we’d be naked without natural resources, visit resourceworks.com.