Friends, we are about to leap into a BIG week for sustainability and social justice. Monday, April 22 is Earth Day, and April 22-28 is Fashion Revolution Week!
There are lots of ways to honor both of these occasions. Here are a few ideas for both Earth Day and Fashion Revolution Week:
Read MoreA guest post by Stephanie Capps
I am not a water conservationist. I don’t know the latest stats on rivers and watersheds. I can’t tell you much about where my water actually comes from or where it goes. I am just a regular person living a fairly normal life. But, I can say with certainty one thing: WE WASTE WATER.
Read MoreThis post was written for my church’s series on fasting. Each week of Lent, the church focuses on a different item for fasting (food, clothes, waste, etc.). During the week focused on clothing, church members are encouraged to fast from clothing in some shape or fashion. Examples include wearing only two outfits the entire week, cleaning out unused clothing and donating it, or fasting from buying new clothes for the duration of Lent. I personally encourage fasting from buying fast, exploitative fashion, not just during Lent, but as a lifelong goal. Read on to find out more!
We tend to envision fasting as a practice of recentering our hearts around God rather than some other object (in this case, clothing). We often treat clothing as an idol, coping mechanism, and giver of self-worth, when God should be those things instead. Working on our personal relationship with clothing and God is an important thing to do this week, but in this reflection I want to focus on a different aspect of fasting: A change in our hearts that results in social action.
I’m not going to lie: This reflection discusses difficult things, like the role we personally play in human trafficking. But if there’s any group willing to dig deep and not turn away from hard topics, it’s my church family. So let’s jump in!
Let’s face it: Junk mail doesn’t spark joy for anyone.
Decluttering has become a major cultural movement as Marie Kondo’s tidying methods have swept the nation and more and more people are embracing minimalism. You may have already purged your junk closet and organized your clothes, but there’s one part of your home you may be overlooking: Your mailbox.
Read MoreThis post is part of my Why Series here on the blog. I often write about fair trade, eco-friendly, socially conscious living, but I am not always able to fully address in each of my blog posts WHY I choose to live this way. This series goes into greater detail about my why!
Organic vegetables, organic clothing, organic baby formula, organic toys…the label “organic” seems to be everywhere these days. The merit of organic products is a hotly debated topic, especially since buying organic tends to come with a higher price tag. Today, I’m explaining what “organic” means and sharing why I personally choose to shop for organic products when possible.
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Y’all know that I always think it’s important to live sustainably, and times when I’m traveling are no exception! In fact, I would argue that it is especially important to be eco-minded when traveling since traveling tends to be inherently environmentally unfriendly. You typically burn more fossil fuels than normal when you travel long distance by car or plane. And, you’re likely using more water, since your hotel towels and sheets are probably washed way more frequently than you would wash your own towels and sheets at home. It’s great to be able to offset some of these environment ills with some sustainable packing!
I tend to travel at least a couple of times a year and just got back from a fantastic vacation in Belize. I have discovered some great products that help me be a bit more earth-friendly while traveling. Here are some of my favorite sustainable travel essentials:
Read MoreDisclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored and is my unbiased, independent review.
When I learned recently that Athleta is now a Certified B Corporation, I freaked. out. I had actually never shopped at Athleta before and only vaguely knew what they were all about, but I was over the moon excited to finally have an ethical big box store at our local mall!
A couple of weeks before my trip to Belize, I realized that my wardrobe was a bit lacking in outdoorsy gear. I needed some athletic tops, and I also wanted to find some cute, quick-dry athletic pants that I could wear out into the jungle but also feel good about wearing to dinner later in the day.
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The CDC recently announced that the U.S. fertility rate has dropped, with women having on average 1.8 children each. This number is low enough for negative population growth. Many news outlets and opinion articles have portrayed this information in a negative light, to which I strongly object.
For example, CNN reports that the executive director of the American Public Health Association is “concerned” about these new statistics. A Medium subheading discusses who is to “blame” for the declining fertility rate before then going on to call out other news outlets for sensationalist headlines (for example, Insider’s “The U.S. Is in the Danger Zone for a ‘Demographic Time Bomb’”). This negative language assumes (incorrectly, in my opinion) that a drop in the U.S. fertility rate is a bad thing.
Here is why the declining U.S. fertility rate is a good thing, and why those of us who are of childbearing age should personally strive to continue to keep the birth rate low.
Read MoreThis post is part of my Why Series here on the blog. I often write about fair trade, eco-friendly, socially conscious living, but I am not always able to fully address in each of my blog posts WHY I choose to live this way. This series goes into greater detail about my why!
Over the past couple of years, I have transitioned my shower and skincare routine to include more and more “clean” beauty products. This means that I am choosing products that are made from natural, non-toxic ingredients rather than harmful chemicals. Here is why I have decided to make clean beauty a priority:
Happy Holidays, friends! If you’re like me, you are in full-on Christmas mode now that Thanksgiving has come and gone. One thing I love about this time of year is the sending and receiving of holiday cards. I have so much fun reading the cheerful wishes and seeing how people have changed and families have grown over the past year.
Two years ago, I made the switch from sending paper Christmas cards to sending an electronic card. I will never go back! Below are five reasons why I love electronic holiday cards. Read More