I've been thinking a lot lately about sustainability and green products.
I could write blog after blog about this, but let's start here to open up this ever evolving conversation.
I've always been pretty "hippie" - I use a lot of sustainable products and have for years but with the uprising trends of sustainability, we're seeing a lot more great substitutes. I'm also a pretty practical person - for example, we focus on what's important to us - we don't celebrate Valentine's Day but you better believe we celebrate 75% off chocolate day on February 17th. Discount candy and chocolate is very important to us. :)
Sustainability is an overwhelming subject. What is right, what isn't - what makes something sustainable.. weeding through the media that is thrown at us about it. There is a lot of debate too about the "right way" to be sustainable - I think all of this looks different for everyone.
I use to co-own a handmade vegan cosmetics company and sustainability was one of our biggest struggles - it can be hard to create high quality products with ingredients that are sourced ethically and sustainably. Packaging can be a nightmare too.
One thing I was thinking a lot about lately... I order a lot online right now and I find many of my orders are shipping with the need for "now" vs the need for sustainability (multiple packages instead of being shipped together, packed in a big box when a small could have been used etc). I know some of this is just the mechanics of the retail beast. I just can't help to think that more could be done.
I'm always also trying to better myself - my most recent swap was moving towards using a safety razor. That was a terrifying thought and something I considered swapping for years before taking the plunge. I wish I would have done so sooner. (If you're scared... do it scared. Make the switch!)
Toothbrushes were a big struggle to find something that fit. I had used bamboo but had also read a lot about the bristles used, sustainable farming, carbon foot print, packaging, etc. I had tried several brands but wasn't really feeling any (Don't get me wrong! They're still a great alternative)...then I finally stumbled upon Radius and that seems to be our best choice for the moment!
Side note: I enjoyed them so much that I even signed up to be an affiliate - shop using this link if you'd like to check them out! You can also find them on sites such as Well, LuckyVitamin and Amazon. (Of course they also come with their list of concerns but this alternative is what fit my life best!)
Even for our wedding (and now with things changing too) - how we create a great atmosphere isn't dependent on the unnecessary things. We've been focusing on what is important to us, but also how to do it without a huge amount of waste.
At the end of the day though, we're all just human. I dye my hair (but have moved to more vegan products). I use a lot of electricity (especially right now). There's always something more we're striving to do. Once we have our own space Evan and I have more sustainable homesteading (holmesteading) orientated goals. The human experience is yours - I believe that balance is key in a lot of ways.
Of course we continue to do the little things; from buying the majority of our clothing used, local or upcycling, growing our own food, composting, shopping local, reducing the amount of microplastics, reusable hygiene products, using the clothesline, beeswax wraps, reusable bags, the list goes on and on.
I know that a lot of our changes are minuscule drops in the bucket. In recent years I've also delved deeper into political platforms and some of our favourite businesses to see what they're doing and how it aligns best (or not) with my personal views and goals.
What are some of your favourite sustainable products? What are some of your sustainability struggles?
Any sustainability topics you'd like to hear more about in future blog posts?
Let us know!
Keep finding the joy in the journey,
- Cousin Laura
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