eco brand: zero waste pouches from by the sea

keep it together

how does one keep everything together? literally or metaphorically, i love the idea of discovering how each of us holds our lives together, whether by service to others, the creation of art, physical activity, prayer or nurturing relationships in our lives. for me, i’m adamant about keeping my home space + personal space organized.

i like to think a neat, orderly space creates clear, open paths for brilliant + beautiful ideas to push through the fertile ground of my brain {that’s my story + i’m sticking to it!}.

zero waste living

to create a clean space here on planet earth, it takes just a few adjustments to our everyday living habits to shape environmentally sound practices.

remember, friends, not all that glimmers can be recycled. the answer here is not simply to recycle more, but to buy less plastic products + pre-packaged food items. according to greenpeace, globally only 9% of our plastic is recycled. where does the rest go? with landfills + recycling facilities reaching maximum capacity, the overflow ends up in our oceans.

here are four easy steps to plastic-free living:

1. carry a canvas or cloth tote bag to fetch groceries + run errands

2. use a reusable water bottle rather than single-use plastic bottles

3. take a set of reusable utensils + your own to-go container when heading out

4. invest in zero-waste products made by eco companies like reusable dishcloths, produce bags + zip pouches

by the sea

i’m holding it all together with handmade + zero waste pouches from by the sea organics. this eco home goods brand + sustainable fashion label was created with the mission to pay a fair wage + provide safe working milieus to workers throughout the supply chain while continuing to adhere to the most sustainable practices at every level of production.

it’s a great balm to my mind + heart to know that there are small, independent companies that never stray from their values + ethics to put people + planet over profit. by the sea has an entire range of lovely, zero waste zip pouches, grocery totes, produce bags, snack bags + charming notebooks made from earth friendly, organic cotton factory scraps. why toss excess fabric into a landfill when you can make magic with them?! i carry my light-as-a-feather notebook with me everywhere!

love + equal pay

shopping is indeed a political act, with our dollars we can vote to support companies that mirror our values. we can choose companies like by the sea that protect the environment by eschewing the use of plastic throughout their entire supply chain and lift up workers via safe working environments + living wages.

each of our actions matters: small acts + big acts. as consumers + citizens, we can each choose to invest in products that truly create harmony for people + planet.

wherever you may be during these uncertain times, i hope that you are close to peace + calm. and i hope that you are organizing the space in your mind, heart + home.

until next time, stay green dear hearts!

don’t forget the tip: journalist + environmentalist lucy siegle informs us in her book turning the tide on plastic, “the amount of plastic debris in the sea is predicted to increase from 50 million metric tons in 2015 to 150 million metric tons by 2025.” let this sobering science galvanize us to action. let us take up pens, my friends. let us write + call our government representatives and elected officials.

our garbage is buried in the ground, burned or sent away to be disposed of in landfills, often affecting vulnerable communities. single-use plastic bags + containers pollute land + waterways, endangering animal life on earth + marine life in our oceans. the chemicals released by these plastics make our soil infertile + our water supplies toxic. gulp.

siegle implores us as citizens + consumers, “whenever you see packaging that is totally over the top, take up the pen and write to the company responsible. It needn’t be a formal letter – a tweet [or ig post] will often be just as if not more effective. add the hashtag, #reducepackaging to your tweet, and make sure you copy in your local council and trading standards office (if they are on social media).”

eco round up: 24 reusable + ethically produced face masks

zero waste + organic cloth face masks

hopefully you + yours have been taking care the past months during these precarious times. we’ve had to become more vigilant about our health, from confinement and social distancing to washing our hands frequently: with each interaction we are reminded of our responsibility to protect + care for others + ourselves.

centers for disease control and prevention recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings. the cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks nor N-95 respirators, hence they do not provide the same protection; masks are intended to slow the spread of the covid19 virus, to help people who may have the covid19 virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.

smiling on the inside

having been diagnosed with covid19, i was grateful to have a doctor who so beautifully + eloquently expressed the responsibility that one has to prevent the spread of the virus when one has a positive diagnosis. as asymptmatic carriers exist, being proactive + wearing a mask sans a positive diagnois could help to slow the spread of this virus.

in france, wearing a face mask is mandatory on public transportation + in high schools. shop owners can also require patrons to wear masks. update: paris mayor anne hidalgo confirmed free washable, cloth facemasks will be available to paris residents after de-confinement by filling out a form here.

support small businesses with each purchase

if you’re searching for a substitute to synthetic masks, there are sustainable options available from small, independent makers: they are reusable + ethically produced; made with natural textiles including hemp + organic cotton; and washable.

here is a link to find out more about how to wear cloth face masks and how to best care for them.

1. anchal // usa

2. armed angels // germany

3. beklina // usa

4. boutique de sens // france

5. by the sea // usa

6. christy dawn // usa

7. groceries apparel // usa

8. herbivore // usa

9. immaculate vegan // uk

10. indigo handloom // usa

11. in 2 green // usa

12. jan n june // germany

13. known supply // usa

14. la fabrik eco // canada

15. les fleurs // france

16. lisa says gah // usa

17. love goodly // usa

18. malu organics // usa

19. melie bianco // usa

20. reev // france

21. reif haus // usa

22. reformation // usa

23. systems c // france

24. theo the label // australia

25. the sustainable shop // usa

**please note, these face masks are not medical grade and are recommended for personal use only. remember to wash your hands before putting on your mask and after removing it. continue to wash your hands frequently + respect social distancing. stay safe, stay positive + stay inside, dear hearts!

eco beauty: shampoo bars, for great hair days

the first time i read about shampoo bars, i was truly intrigued + a little skeptical, kind of the way i felt about dippin' dots when i first laid eyes on those tiny little ice cream pellets as a kid. innovation is always welcome, but i had to wonder: will it yield the same satisfying results?

i've been a dedicated user of shampoo bars for five years now. i love this zero-plastic + minimal waste option, the simple + safe ingredient lists, and the results. in a previous post sharing 5 easy tips to green your bathroom {which includes saying au revoir to plastic soap dispensers + using old-fashioned bar soap as well as trying bottle-less shampoo, aka shampoo bars}, i discussed why this product is one of my favorite bath + beauty products: because it truly works.

whether you have moody hair {straight one day, wavy the next}, reliably frizzy hair, or predictably straight hair, this product is great for nourishing your locks, and it's great for maintaining healthy tresses whether you have dry hair, oily hair or you're somewhere in between. here's how to use a shampoo bar + what to expect from this tiny, yet mighty product:

shampoo bars have a creamy consistency, so they don't quite lather as a liquid shampoo might, but they are super effective, yielding healthy, shiny locks with just enough volume. rub the bar across your head + hair, and then massage away. bars might require conditioning after washing if you're prone to frizzy hair or hair that is naturally wavy; i always rotate my liquid shampoos throughout the months + supplement with a shampoo bar.

i have mercurial hair, sometimes it's wavy, other times it's straight; shampoo bars always define my waves, so this would be the perfect product for gals with curly hair or girls lovin' the beachy waves.

here's a list of my fave vegan + cruelty-free brands offering organic, fair trade ingredients {no chemical preservatives, no synthetic fragrances and no detergents}:

1/ ethically engineered: made with softening camellia oil. chemical free + animal friendly. find it at whole foods in the usa. handmade in the chicago

2/ dr. bronner's: made with hydrating organic coconut oil. fair trade + organic ingredients. find it at walgreens pharmacy or your local grocery stores in the usa. made in the usa

3/ j.r. liggett's: made with conditioning olive oil + argan oil. each bar is hand cut. find it at whole foods or online at vitacost. made in the usa

4/ unearth malee: made with nourishing jojoba oil + argan oil. organic + vegan ingredients. hand made in california.

a heaping serving of natural + handmade shampoo bars can be found on etsy. i'm going to be trying ethique, which has a shampoo bar and a conditioning bar. i'll let you know how that goes. let the good hair days commence. if you're in france, lamazuna offers a vegan shampoo bar which i've used + like beaucoup.

if you're a gal or guy looking for green, clean bottled shampoo in a store near you, here are my fave bottled shampoos, all natural + all vegan of course.

{don't forget the tip} shampoo was named after a popular indian head massage {champ in hindi}. while the indians used oils, the main ingredients in our shampoos today are detergents, water, surfactants {sodium laureth sulfate, SLES, or sodium lauryl sulfate, SLS}, and alcohol.

shampoo bars don't quite lather up like most conventional liquid shampoos, but they're fantastic at nourishing your locks. remember, foaming agents such as lauramide DEA or cocamide DEA + MEA are not our friends, so an easy green tip to remember: lather is not necessary + it's also potentially dangerous to our health because when a product sits on a shelf, the ingredient DEA reacts with other chemicals to form nitrosamines, carcinogens linked to cancer.

when SLES or SLS is ethoxylated, a process meant to soften the harshness of the chemical, it produces a carcinogen called 1,4-dioxane, which does not have to be listed on product labels as an ingredient. surfactants are wetting agents that help trap oil and the dirt stuck to it, allowing the water to rinse it all off. unfortunately, in the process, this also strips hair of its natural oils. this make our hair feel clean, but it also perpetuates a cycle that demands more and more products. * so choose healthy bath products that keep you and your locks healthy. 

until next time, stay green dear hearts!

{simple pleasures} rébellions quotidiennes: everyday rebellions

“In fact, everything we do counts.”

— Gloria Steinem

in fact, it does count: journalist, political activist + feminist organizer gloria steinem said, "the problem is the feeling that we're divided from politics, that our vote doesn't count or what we do doesn't count. in fact, everything we do counts." 

this summer, boys + girls, remember to pack a reusable water bottle because plastic is not the ocean's friend, and we like the ocean; if you have to purchase a disposable water bottle, be sure to recycle your empties. if you'r adding new summer apparel to your wardrobe, definitely shop off the beaten track + pop into a thrift shop or vintage boutique to get some of that pre-loved style that is kind to the environment since it'll end up as a part of one of your fine ensembles, and not in a landfill. ready for a thrifting adventure? paris thrifting starts here, chicago thrifting starts here.

little deeds + big deeds alike count, if you're interested in learning more about the american government, don't feel overwhelmed, click on over here for more info; want to learn more about current bills in congress in the u.s.a. and the simple actions you can take to become involved? dive in to issues big + issues that don't have vast media coverage here. for those that have the opportunity to have their voices heard by legislatures, there's a way to find information + become an engaged citizen. 

{eco apparel: wearing an entire ensemble pieced together from vintage + pre-loved items, all for less than $10; all thrifted pieces, all vegan ensemble. mint green halter dress circa 1960's, $4; woven straw clutch, $3; stacked resin tortoise shell bangles, $1; all from st. vincent depaul thrift in chicago + an oversized wooden ring found at a paris flea market, $2.}

{2016 in review} 16 reasons i loved 2016

here for you on the first monday of the new year, 16 reasons why i liked 2016. life is about perspective, so when news outlets announced to the world that beloved artists, musicians + poets had passed away over the course of the year, i chose to focus on the fact that they had lived. they lived good lives, full lives, lives in which they shared their work + their wisdom, their light + their love. when leonard cohen was asked during an interview about his positive attitude after experiencing a tragic life event, he reflected, "a lot of very important information is delivered to your heart [during moments of hardship]." i believe each life experience of love or loss brings with it learning. read on for musings from an enthusiastic optimist. 

1 // rock god / david bowie has long been one of my favorite musical artists. i'd watched the charming + beautifully androgynous english singer + songwriter in interviews over the years, riveted by his quick wit + sage insight {and those eyes}. he was clever, gracious, evolved. laughter seemed to spill easily from him. comedian ricky gervais recounted that he once asked bowie during an email exchange, "isn't it time you got a proper job?" bowie's answer, "i have a proper job: rock god." we grieved when david bowie passed on january 10, but i feel fortunate to have lived in the same lifetime as one of the world's most prolific + talented artists. here's a little modern love from the god of music.

2 // prince of musicology / the maverick artist who said, "i am music" while being interviewed by rolling stone magazine held many under his spell as a sensual performer +  nonconformist singer, songwriter + music producer. described by the new york times as "an artist who defied genre," prince's flamboyance, his black-rimmed eyes + glossy lips, seemed to come from a place of truth, in which he expressed himself exactly as he saw himself and not as the world imagined him. prince's music created the backdrop to my university days, and dancing to little red corvette late at night with friends at smoky + dimly-lit parties or in dorm rooms is still one of my most evocative memories. i'm thankful that prince rogers nelson, a young american musician from minnesota, fulfilled his dream of serving: of making music that moved the world, and he continued to do so until his death on april 21. read his last interview with rolling stone here.

3 // sublime storm / muhammad ali, the lugubrious heavyweight boxing champion with strong political, social + religious viewpoints, was celebrated for his boxing prowess in the ring. but he was "more than the sum of his athletic gifts. an agile mind, a buoyant personality, a brash self confidence and an evolving set of personal convictions fostered a magnetism that the ring could not contain." ali was an inspiration to many with his anti-war principles, his relentless optimism + his unpliable poise. my father used to quote ali with a giant grin across his face,"float like a butterfly!" he'd chant while working out. i'm grateful to have seen the influence of this gregarious + graceful man on so many people from all walks of life. ali's biographer, dave kindred, said of ali, "rainbows are born of thunderstorms, and ali is both." i'm glad the world gave us such a glorious storm. read about the man + the myth here.

4 // love incarnate / years ago i watched a movie in which the young protagonist quotes leonard cohen. the sanguine words stayed with me, and i thought of them often during moments of solitude or difficulty. i didn't know who cohen was at the time. i didn't know of his career as a poet + novelist, of his unsteady transition into the world of music, of his battle with depression, of his brilliance. later, i learned that a song i'd heard throughout my life, hallelujah, whose lyrics touched me, was written by cohen as well. eventually i mined the work of this esteemed + introspective canadian singer + composer. reading his poetry, watching interviews, taking in his wisdom, i understood more. via his music he explored the religious, spiritual, transcendental, political + sexual. he spoke of life, and he he allowed the world to better understand, to better cope with life through his deeply felt lyrics. the world is brighter because of cohen's light.

5 // princess warrior / in 1977 carrie fisher was cast at the age of 19 as princess leia of planet alderaan in the star wars trilogy. fisher went on to become a discerning author + candid mental-health advocate. as a child, watching these movies, i was whisked away to a world i'd never seen the likes of. and at the center of this world was a fearless, futuristic heroine, a female diplomat + spy. there's a picture of me as a little girl in a blue tee with the words "girl power" scrawled across the front; in it, i'm wearing my hair just like princess leia. who wouldn't have wanted to be a character that embodied strength + courage {in space, no less}? i'm grateful that carrie fisher experienced this role as an actor, and despite battling drug addiction + managing bipolar disorder, she went on to live a full + rich life, infused with humor + personal triumph.

6 // dancing queen / debbie reynolds tapped her way into the hearts of moviegoers in 1952 in the american musical singin' in the rain. an actress who hadn't any dance experience was now dancing alongside two of hollywood's maestros, gene kelly + donald o'connor. at first she struggled, she broke down, but she gathered herself up and with a little help from the great fred astaire, eventually she was able to keep up + really shine. i love physical comedy, and truth be told, i listen + watch videos almost weekly of moses supposes + make 'em laugh. i'm intrigued by the physical prowess of these deft dancers, and it stirs me to think that when you keep at it, dedicate yourself to something + work really hard, you can absolutely accomplish whatever you set your mind to. like her daughter, carrie fishser, reynolds lived a full life in which she touched + inspired many. for this i'm grateful.

7 // cubs win / someone wake me. i must be dreaming. my favorite sports team {i only have one, truth be told}, the chicago cubs won the world series. for years, when i declared my allegiance to the cubs, i was met by confusion + bewilderment. "why would you like a team that never wins?" was always the question. my short answer, "they're the lovable losers." see, chicago is a city with two baseball teams: the white sox + the cubs. at no point did it occur to anyone to dismantle the cubs, with their streak of infinite losses. there's something endearing about a team that keeps trying, despite the odds. and here it is. it finally happened. i lived to hear those beautiful words, "cubs win!"

8 // china bans ivory / dame daphne sheldrick of the david sheldrick wildlife trust informs us that elephants have a rich emotional life + share many human traits, "they grieve deeply for lost loved ones, even shedding tears and suffering depression. they have a sense of compassion that projects beyond their own kind and sometimes extends to others in distress. they help one another in adversity, miss an absent loved one." conservation groups + animal rights activists have worked for years to end elephant poaching + curb wildlife trafficking which has whittled down africa's elephant populations. the obama administration banned commercial elephant ivory trade in early 2016, and now china, with the world's largest market for ivory trade, has followed suit, announcing a ban on all ivory trade + processing activities by the end of 2017. learn more about poaching here and find out how you can help these majestic creatures here. we're moving in the right direction, my friends.

9 // pizza pie in paris / this is pierre doleans. this is pierre serving up a slice of vegan pizza pie. j'adore both pierre + pierre's pizza pies. doleans is the affable entrepreneur behind hank, the first all-vegan hamburger cafe in paris, and now he's bringing us plant-based pizza. i happily attended the opening of the quaint pizzeria this fall, and feel très content that the number of healthy, sustainable + animal-friendly options is ever expanding. grab yourself a slice of delicious {miam miam!*}. and if you're skipping through paris, here's a list of my fave veg cafes in paris that i put together. {*yum yum}

10 // the power of plants / it rained down plant-strong cookbooks this holiday season, mon amis! i felt like oprah winfrey. only, instead of everyone getting a car, everyone got a fab recipe book. each week i get lovely pics via text from friends + family showing off the fruits of their labors. i spy beautiful green smoothies + tasty grilled portobella mushroom tacos + tantalizing veggie pasta! and that's just from my mom! because food is medicine + sharing is caring. not sure where to start? try one of the books pictured above or check out this rad list of recommendations on healthy + sustanainble living from fellow eco blogger renee peters.

11 // france bans plastic tableware / france has become the first country in the world to ban plastic cups, plates + cutlery. by 2020, all disposable tableware must be made from 50% biologically-sourced materials that can be composted. * in july, france imposed a ban on the distribution of single-use, disposable plastic bags. this is all a part of the french environmental initiative called the energy transition for green growth. plastic isn't biodegradable; it only breaks down into smaller pieces which end up in our landfills + oceans {where wildlife cannot distinguish it from food}. bans on plastic: better for humans + better for our ecosystems. we're on our way.

12 // vegan concept shop

/ say what? a boutique filled with only handmade, fairtrade, cruelty-free + vegan products? yessss! all in one place. right in the heart of paris. a successful crowdfunding campaign on kiss kiss bank bank is bringing this dream to reality for you, for me + for the young duo behind aujourd'hui demain. there will be bath + beauty products, apparel + footwear, accessories, and healthy snacks too! everything your sustainable heart could ever desire. coming up.

13 // mots doux / you all know how i feel about street art. but this is something really special. fantine + simon are the couple bringing us words of joy, words of hope, words of love. they do so by delivering positive messages all over the city of paris, on sidewalks, bridges + public spaces. each message, short + sweet, is administered in a neat, clean + white font. these words pull us out of our everyday worlds, and bring us face to face with positivism + geniality. i love finding the messages in unexpected places throughout the city. bright ideas born of the minds of thoughtful artists. fantastique!

14 // head in the clouds / my nomadic heart loves to be in the air + on the go. this year i've had the pleasure to head into the skies often, so often that i now know the staff on certain airlines. i know which flight attendants are extra helpful, which always have a smile to share, which are a little cantankerous. but best of all, i love meeting those lovely souls that end up seated next to me for an eight-hour flight {is it wrong to have a favorite? here's looking at you miss opal. kindness + strength always inspire me}. remember the cracker jacks boxes with the prizes inside? meeting someone rad on a long plane ride gives you the same feeling as opening a box of cracker jacks and finding the best prize ever inside. i'm blessed to have the opportunity to travel + to continue to see the world and meet new, incredible people from diverse cultures. for this i'm thankful. oh, and i always carry this little weekender vegan bag with me when skipping from one continent to another.

15 // life unscripted / "i'm here right now, doing what i'm doing right now, and all of the things i did led up to this. and there is no place else i'd rather be right now." prince 

this is me right after i got my cast off over the summer {a few broken bones in my foot couldn't hold me down for long}. healing means slowing down + this gave me the opportunity to spend more time doing things i love like reading + writing. this year i joined two incredible communities of creatives, including the ethical writers coalition + the ethical bloggers network. i also became a contributor at vilda magazine, a vegan fashion + lifestyle publication with some superb city guides for travelers + explorers {i composed a chicago city guide for all the happy plant eaters heading to the windy city}. what a joy to be part of such a wonderful network of sustainable living enthusiasts. 

i feel that there is no place i'd rather be, and nothing else i'd rather be doing than experiencing what is before me now.

{image by kerry picket for honor the earth}

"power is in the earth. it is in your relationship to the earth." winona laduke

16 // water defenders / members of the sioux tribe + protesters at standing rock celebrated as news of the dakota pipeline being re-routed came. from our friends at honor the earth: "once we defeat the dakota access pipeline, it is essential that we carry the energy from this fight forward, to the many other places where indigenous people are resisting fossil fuel infrastructure projects that threaten our lands and water.  we are not fighting a pipeline, we are building a movement.  the black snake has many heads. we ask you to continue standing with us. on november 29, 2016, canada's federal government approved two major pipeline projects: kinder morgan's trans mountain expansion and enbridge's line 3 pipeline. they also rejected enbridge's northern gateway pipeline, after years of opposition from west coast first nations and their allies. 

once the last piece of dakota access pipe is removed from the ground, we at honor the earth will turn our focus back to line 3. similar in size and purpose to the recently defeated keystone xl pipeline, enbridge’s line 3 is proposed to transport tar sands oil over 1000 miles, from hardisty, alberta to superior, wisconsin, right through the heart of anishinaabe territory and some of the best lakes and wild rice beds in the world. the proposed route endangers three of the continent’s major watersheds including the great lakes, home to one fifth of the world’s fresh water." learn more about how you can help at honor the earth.

as we move into this new year, i share with you the wisdom of winona laduke, native american environmentalist, economist, writer + the first native american woman to receive an electoral vote for vice president of the united states. laduke gently reminds us, "let us keep moving forward."

until next time, stay green, dear hearts!

{images c/o google // images 9. 10. 13. 14. 15. by ev}