Animal cruelty isn’t confined to slaughterhouses—thousands of animals are used every day in laboratories to test personal care products like toothpaste and shampoo, even though the practice is no longer necessary. “Testing a product on something that can’t talk or speak out against something it doesn’t like isn’t exactly fair,” says Nancy Lublin, author of Do Something! A Handbook for Young Activists. Check out her tips for how you and your kids can make a difference:

Investigate

Examine the labels on the products your family uses regularly. If they say “cruelty-free” or feature the Leaping Bunny logo (a symbol indicating that the product hasn’t been tested on animals), you’re in the clear. If you don’t see a label, you can find out whether the company is humane at PETA’s Caring Consumer website, caringconsumer.com.

Go shopping

Head to the grocery store to replace all your products at home that missed the cruelty-free mark. No options available? Try a health or natural foods store, or search for brands at drugstore.com.

Make an impact

After you’ve decided to stop purchasing a company’s products because of animal testing, let them know! If enough people do the same, the company just might be motivated to stop using those guinea pigs (and other furry friends) as guinea pigs. Need help getting started? Here’s a sample letter from Lublin’s book:

To whom it may concern: I have decided to stop using your product, [product name here], because your company conducts tests on animals. Animals have no voice, so they need people to stand up for them. I have switched to [name of new product] because its manufacturer has pledged that it is cruelty-free. If [name of company that makes the new product] can do it, so can you.
Sincerely,
[your name]

Reprinted from KIWI Magazine