Category Archives: Sustainable Living

Do Shampoo Bars Actually Work?

This post is not sponsored. I received the products in this post as a gift from Superzero.

Do Shampoo Bars Actually Work? | Fairly Southern

When shampoo bars started to really hit the market a couple of years ago, my initial reaction was skepticism. Could a shampoo bar actually work?

I couldn’t really imagine how a bar could easily distribute shampoo through my long, thick hair. Plus, it’s often easier to just stick with what you know. I’ve used liquid shampoo in a bottle my whole life, and I’ve never had any issues. So why change?

Turns out, there are actually a lot of great reasons to change, as I learned after finally giving shampoo bars a go! Below is a list of pros and cons of shampoo bars, as well as where you can find them!

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Eco-Friendly Laundry & Dishwasher Pods Delivered to Your Door: Dropps Review

This post is not sponsored. I received a Dropps Citrus Clean Household Bundle in exchange for my personal review of the products.

Dropps Review: Eco-Friendly, Zero Waste, Non-Toxic Laundry & Dishwasher Pods Delivered to Your Door | Fairly Southern

Today, I’m very excited to introduce you to Dropps, a brand of eco-friendly laundry detergent and dishwasher pods that I have absolutely fallen in love with! And I’ve got a discount code (fairly15) so you can try them out yourself for 15% off!

What is Dropps?

Dropps is an eco-responsible brand offering laundry detergent and dishwasher pods that are delivered right to your front door with free, carbon neutral shipping!

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6 Positive Ways to Use Your Stimulus Check

6 Positive Ways to Use Your Coronavirus Stimulus Check | Fairly Southern

Soon, those of us in the United States who qualify will receive a stimulus check from the federal government. If you are signed up for direct deposit, deposits will be initiated on April 9; paper checks should mail out in May. As we eagerly wait for our money to arrive, I have some ideas on ways we can really use this stimulus money for GOOD.

If you have lost your job or taken a really hard hit financially during this trying economic time, you may need to use your stimulus check for essentials like rent, bills, and food. I don’t want you to feel ignored by this blog post. I see you and hear you! The absolute best thing you can do with your stimulus money if you’re in a tight spot financially is to take care of your needs. That is making a positive difference in your life!

The ideas in this blog post can be utilized by those of us who are still able to financially meet essential needs right now, even if our bottom lines have taken a little bit of a hit. For us, the stimulus check provides extra money beyond what we truly need. It would be really easy to cash that check and blow it quickly on electronics or clothes or expensive food or random Amazon purchases that we don’t really need and that may not really help those who are most in need right now. I want to challenge us to be a bit more purposeful in how we spend our stimulus money so that we can really make a positive difference. Here are some ideas!

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Navigating Sustainability During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Navigating Sustainability During the Coronavirus Pandemic | Fairly Southern

Whew, y’all. With the current worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, life has been hectic and rapidly changing lately! For those of you in less impacted areas or who work in “essential” job functions, your day-to-day lives may look about the same as they always do. For those of us in more impacted areas with stay-at-home orders that impact our normal daily routines, life has changed significantly. And for those who have lost jobs, are working to care for COVID-19 patients, or have become ill with the novel coronavirus, life has been altered dramatically and drastically.

My own daily routine has been disrupted pretty significantly under a mandatory stay-at-home order, though I am quite grateful to still have a job that I am now (mostly) able to do from home.

Being at home more has given me free time, including more time to just think and be. One thing I’ve been thinking about a lot is sustainability as it relates to the current coronavirus pandemic. It’s something that has given me some feelings of guilt, and I want to share what’s been on my heart as a way to process and also connect with others who may be feeling the same way!

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My Favorite Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

My Favorite Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products | Fairly Southern

It’s spring cleaning time, and with most people sheltering at home due to COVID-19, I have a feeling a lot of you are digging into some deep cleaning projects!

Over the years, I have found more sustainable options to replace my conventional cleaning products. The cleaners I used to use were full of chemicals that were bad for me, my pets, and the earth. And all the paper towel waste? Not good! I have gradually transitioned to a more eco-friendly cleaning routine.

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Southerner Spotlight: Creating Opportunity for Women in Poverty with Cathy Gomes of 700 Rivers

I first met Cathy Gomes of 700 Rivers at a sustainable fashion event. To meet Cathy is to immediately love her–she is enthusiastic, kind, and incredibly passionate about her work to empower women living in poverty in Bangladesh. I am so excited to share a Q&A with her in the latest installment of my Southerner Spotlight series!

Cathy Gomes, founder and CEO of 700 Rivers | Fairly Southern
via Joseph Ryan Gomes
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The Best Sustainable Phone Case: Pela Case Review

Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored and is my unbiased, independent review. All opinions are my own. This post does contain affiliate links. Read my full disclaimers/disclosures here.

The Best Sustainable Phone Case: Pela Case Review | Fairly Southern

Sometimes Instagram advertisers miss the mark (I am SO not interested in the long sleeve, giant avocado print swimsuit that keeps popping up on my feed). Other times, they score a slam dunk. I first learned about Pela phone cases from an Instagram ad! I’m really glad for that advertising, because I absolutely love my Pela case. I’m excited to share more about it with y’all, including my own list of pros and cons.

I’ve been using a Pela case for almost a year now, so I’ve truly put it to the test!

Pros:

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This App Helps You Reduce Food Waste: Review of the Food Companion App

Food Companion: This app helps you reduce food waste & use what you already have in your fridge! | Fairly Southern

Reduce, reuse, recycle. So many of us are familiar with this slogan! If you’re like me, you most often think of this phrase when you’re talking about recycling. But let’s not forget the first word of the phrase: reduce! That’s the first and most impactful step in lessening impact on the environment.

An easy thing we can do to live more sustainably and responsibly is to reduce the amount of food that we waste. In developed countries, people tend to waste A LOT of food. In the United States, it is estimated that we waste 30-40% of our food supply. This is incredibly sad considering that there are 795 MILLION people in the world who don’t have enough food. Not to mention, this food is then piling up in landfills where it is taking up space, releasing toxic gases, and keeping perfectly good organic material and nutrients from returning to the soil and food chain.

I was really excited recently to learn about a free app called Food Companion that helps people reduce food waste by tracking the food you have in your household. It also allows you to build a grocery list and helps you figure out what to eat for dinner, which is a LIFE SAVER (typed by someone who, just today, spent 30 minutes agonizing with my husband about what we wanted to eat for dinner. #indecisive. This app is for us.).

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