So, you care deeply about how your purchases affect people, society and the environment. You are health conscious and try to reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals. With Valentine’s Day coming up, you want to show your love, friendship or appreciation while still sticking to your values. So let’s dive in. The Classics: Flowers and Chocolates The problem with flowers is not only the classic agricultural issues of how it is grown and fair labor practices, there is also the issue that cut flowers have a short life, which affects transportation. Flowers are flown all over the world, often making multiple transcontinental trips, before they even reach your doorstep, and often need a heavy dose of chemicals to survive the...
What have you learned or what habits have you changed in July with regards to plastic usage? If you have been following me on social media, or others who post on sustainability topics, you will have known about this month-long initiative started by the Plastic Free Foundation. If not, if this is the first time you’ve heard of it, that’s OK, too! The purpose of this is to get people thinking about all the overabundance of plastics and work towards reducing our own participation in that. A month of awareness gives us a time to share ideas, bring the topic to the forefront and encourage us to make changes towards being plastic-free. Now, don’t be scared off by the idea...
Written by Anyse Mellott We are just heading into August and this marks the last few moments of summer before back-to-school action. That means everyone is hopping on the last minute train of planning before the next couple of weeks ring the bells. With outdoor festivals winding down for the season, this brings about quite a few questions. Is there a way to manage the waste that accrues after the more extravagant events? The answer is a simple yes. Most people who attend music festivals like Lollapalooza have the hippie vibe down, which means there’s a care for the world. Especially if it racks up that much fun. So, while we’re all kicking our feet back and grabbing a tan...
Written by Anyse Mellott Is it worth it to spend all that time driving to the mall? Depending on the location, people can spend hours prepping for and being at the mall. The alternative is to shop online, which has gradually increased as businesses takeover online media. It’s easier to shop online and less time-consuming. People can skip peak hours, long lines, and bad traffic by staying home and shopping, which you can even do in your pjs. Bad habits also die, as people aren’t tempted by every display (glitzy mannequins decked out from head to toe) in the store. I know I get distracted at the end of my shopping spree because of all the decorative cases filled with...
