Party Favors for the Planet
My son recently turned two, and we didn’t have a big party- just a small party with family on the beach. As the date of his birthday approached, I started thinking about kids party favors. While fun, they can be incredibly wasteful. Favors are typically packaged in single-use bags containing small, cheaply made, plastic (and probably toxic) toys. These toys bring instant excitement (but maybe dread from parents), and a short life before breaking or being donated, where they will most likely end up in landfills. I always appreciate the generosity on the parents’ part for taking the time (and money) to give out party bags, but it seems unnecessary.…
Completely Compostable: 10 Every Day Items You Can Compost
If you’re like me, you may cringe a little every time you see a banana peel in the trash. Composting food scraps and waste like peels turns every day waste into rich, nutritious material ideal for plant growth, whereas throwing food scraps in the trash ensures that it goes to landfills, where rotting food emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gases. Composting can reduce waste and help alleviate climate change. What other times can be composted? Here is a list of every day items that are compost-friendly. Some may even surprise you! Composting is easy and so rewarding. You can either compost in your backyard with an at home composter, or…
Earth Month Activities for Kids of all Ages!
Earth Day has come and gone but Earth month continues (and to be honest- shouldn’t Earth Day be every day?). One of the best things we can do to celebrate Earth month is inspire future generations to take care of our planet. Educating our littles is crucial, since the future of the Earth is in their hands. Here are several ideas to get started: 1. Read an Earth Day book There are tons of good children’s resources out there, including books. Here is a list of Earth Day books I highly recommend! 2. Teach your child about composting Food scraps are organic and biodegradable, but food scraps that we put…
7 Sustainable Stocking Stuffers
Looking for last minute stocking stuffers? Here are some options that are good for people and the planet! 1. Alter Eco Chocolates Alter Eco is called “the cleanest, greenest chocolate” for a reason! The B Corp company uses small, Fair Trade farms, organic ingredients, and all recyclable or compostable packaging. These gluten-free goodies also give back through agroforestry to combat climate change. 2. Zambeezi Lipbalm This organic beexwax lipbalm is made with all Fair Trade and organically grown ingredients. Available in different flavors or in variety packs! Use my code ImwithFairlyRobyn for 10% off! Fanm Djanm recycled headbands 3. Fanm Djanm Headbands This Haitian-owned company sells headbands that are made…
Smash it, Don’t Trash It: How to Thoughtfully Discard your Pumpkins
Ah, November. It’s here and for me it’s a bit of a let down because I love Halloween so much. It’s time to take down the spooky decorations and figure out what to do with those pumpkins. Whatever you do, don’t throw your pumpkins in the trash! Every year, about 900,000 tons of pumpkin produced will be put in the trash instead of eaten or composted. This is problematic for a couple reasons: It adds to the billions of tons of annual food waste produced globally. Fruits and vegetables actually are the most wasted of all foods, even though they’re the easiest to compost! Additionally, pumpkins that end up in…
Why buy Fair Trade?
We have a choice and a voice Happy Fair Trade Month! As consumers, I like to say that we have a choice and a voice. We have a choice when purchasing products, and increasingly more consumers are choosing to buy products that match their principles and values. Buying products with the Fair Trade Certified label ensures that production of the items you’re buying is being regularly evaluated along the supply chains to meet quality standards. Buying Fair Trade benefits both the producers and consumers and gives both a voice for the kind of change they’d like to see in the world. The benefits of buying Fair Trade When you buy…
Fathers Can Help Mother Earth, Too: A Gift Guide
My father called me the other day to explain that he was trying to use less plastics, but that every time he went grocery shopping he was shocked by how much single use plastic he brought home. This got me wondering, how can we help the dads in our lives make more eco-friendly choices? And what are some sustainable gift choices for the Earth conscious dad? With Father’s Day just around the corner, I decided to put together a short gift guide for every type of dad: The New Dad Congrats dad! Ok so these gifts won’t fit dad, but they will fit a baby or toddler in dad’s life…
What does “Made by Free Women” Mean?
While browsing an awesome sustainable market place called Simple Switch, I stumbled upon a brand called Made Free, which sells an assortment of sustainable goods including totes, t-shirts, and leather goods, most with the slogan “Made by Free Women”. So what exactly does this mean? For a woman to be considered “free” they need to be free from slavery, human trafficking, and forced labor. Additionally, to unbind women from the restraints of poverty, they should be paid a fair living wage for their work. According to the World Bank, there are over 750 million people living in poverty, and many work in the apparel industry in South Asia. Millions of…
Be the Cause in Santa Claus: 10 Children’s Toy Brands Not Made by Children
On Christmas morning, millions of children in America will open their presents to find this year’s most popular toys. Unfortunately, the Christmas spirit is long gone for many of the children who worked long hours to make those toys. The reality is that most of the toys gifted on Christmas morning are made with child labor or forced labor, by children as young as 7 years old; children who should be enjoying their childhood and playing with toys themselves, not be forced to make our toys. Whenever I am considering a gift for my nephew or nieces, I hold a toy in my hands, and wonder what little hands touched…
Stay Local & Shop Local: Picnicking with Local Artists
The holidays are just around the corner, and it’s time to make our plans. Millions of Americans travel each year to see family for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but with the spread of COVID-19 increasing daily and by dramatic numbers, it may be a good year to adjust your holiday plans. It’s unclear how safe it is to travel by plane, and is it worth the risk? Now is a great time to stay local to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. It’s also a great time to shop local, as many small businesses are suffering and need our support. Why shop local? You can buy handmade, one-of-a-kind products The…
