5 Sustainable Things I’m Obsessed with

Happy Earth Day friends! I get pretty excited about Earth Day. I grew up in a family that always recycled and used things until...well my parents didn’t believe things had a shelf life. Mold was removed off of food. Broken things were always fixable, if not repurposed. Paper towels were washed, hung dry and reused. That last example is for real and it drove me crazy! I was embarrassed to have friends over lest it was paper towel wash day! I thought Tatay went too far with that one, but looks like he was just ahead of his time! Now a decade later the idea isn’t at all strange and reusable paper towels are available to buy or you could DIY your own. Damn, Tatay for real had a million dollar idea...should have monetized off of it! I bought a bunch of cloth napkins (cause they’re literally the same thing with a different name) during a deep deep sale at West Elm. They may not be a matching set, but they have kept paper towels out of my home for almost 4 years now!

It’s an amazing time we are living in! There’s still so much work to be done to combat climate change and to adapt more sustainable practices. However, there are more businesses taking accountability for their environmental impact, changing the way we consume and live. More and more people are taking a stand and speaking up about how we can change. Here’s a list of those eco-conscious brands and people who are educating me and help me be a more responsible consumer. 

Down to Earth, Netflix

Who else was impressed to see High School Musical’s Zac Efron become a Earth loving zaddy?! I was not a HSM fan. In fact me and my cousins loved laughing at Zac Efron’s golf course number. But then this show comes up on my feed, and I’m like, “Oh, hey Zac Efron!” Cue the girl from every 90’s high school romcom who took a second look at the guy she thought was a nerd. Seriously though, I love this show! It connects to you people, food, and places through the sustainable lens, showing you that we can make a difference and in doing so, we create a rippling positive impact all across the globe. Personally, Down to Earth has me reflecting on what kind of consumer I want to be and what sustainable practices to bring into my family (currently taking notes on having green walls in my future home!). Give this show a watch and you just may decide to major in sustainability (yes it’s a real major) or leave with ideas of how to be a responsible tourist (when I take my kids to London, we’re volunteering to pick up trash).

Teva

Teva has a sandals recycling program. That’s it. No further explanation as to why I’m obsessed with them. Environmental advocate and creative, Leah Thomas says it best, “brands have a responsibility to consider the end of life of their products because the burden of their environmental impact shouldn’t be on me.” I hated being left with that responsibility because of my upbringing, I couldn’t just throw something away. Plus, with American trash showing up in places like my birth country, the Philippines, I wanted to be a better consumer and The TevaForever recycle program allows me to be that. By the way, in a 2010 report, Americans throw approximately 300 million pairs of shoes each year. Shoes can take up to 30 to 40 years to decompose! 

Nisolo

And speaking of shoes ending up in landfills, Nisolo is a company that helps prevent more shoes from ending up in landfills while disrupting the fast fashion industry! They don’t just make beautiful and great quality shoes, but their shoes are ethically made and help provide a living wage for their employees and artisans around the world. Learn more about their amazing story here. You can also donate worn or gently used shoes through their partnership with Soles4Souls which provides additional income for micro-entrepreneurs and the repurposed shoes are then given to people in need. Nisolo and Soles4Souls are both based in Nashville, TN! Show some love for my home state! And the best thing about shopping at Nisolo, I love their handwritten notes thanking me for my purchase that helps provide a living wage and combats deforestation in the Amazon basin. Joy on joy on joy!

Greta Thunberg

I started watching I Am Greta on Hulu and within the first 15 minutes of the documentary, I am amazed by the intensity of Greta’s passion and bravery. I am amazed at her ability to take her depression and turn it into action. I am amazed that she speaks of her Asperger’s diagnosis as a strength, not a weakness. I am amazed that as someone who never spoke up in school, now speaks to the world. I am amazed that her solo strike in front of the Swedish parliament grew to a 1.6 million people world wide strike. It takes one person. It takes one small action. If Greta, at sixteen years old, can face government leaders on her own, certainly we can make one small sustainable change, like to not use single use plastic. Small actions do make a difference.

TerraCycle

I just bought my first Zero Waste Box! If you don’t know TerraCycle, they are a waste management company. For residential use, you simply buy a box that fits your recycling needs. The box arrives with a shipping already attached. You fill it and then ship it. Easy recycling! The recycling box I got is for clothes and fabrics. It’s the best solution for recycling clothes right now since H&M isn’t taking worn clothes due to the pandemic. Today only, TerraCycle is having an Earth Day sale with 30% off their Zero Waste Boxes.

How do you feel about sustainability? What sustainable practices have you adapted?