be concious. be green. be good.
In today’s digital world, I often question how necessary the old school practice of handing out your business card is. It seems a little archaic, and a lot like a waste of paper. And then I find myself searching through the stack of business cards that I have collected over the years, for that […]
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Earlier this week a report from the UN said that more than 40 million people were ensnared by modern slavery in 2016. That’s more than the population of the U.S.’s 29 biggest cities combined, FYI. Of that total, 25 million people were victims of forced labor, and 15 million victims of forced marriages. And, women […]
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Several times on my journey to be a better human/shop better/be a more conscious consumer, people have asked me how to do it. What resources do I use? How can you tell if a company is ethical? Etc., etc. Well, beyond just doing a lot of research on a lot of topics and a lot […]
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At the start of this self-proclaimed ethical travel series, I mentioned an epic road trip that my husband and I took last year. Long story short, we were on the road for one month, visited 10 national parks and lots of friends and family along the way. Then last week, after a lot of talk […]
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I talk about plastic pollution. A lot. But one thing I don’t often touch on is actually one of the biggest offenders — polystyrene, or as you probably know it, styrofoam. According to the Environmental Production Agency, styrofoam is the fifth largest source of hazardous waste in the United States. The production, use and disposal […]
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Okay, okay, so you’ve picked the destination, bought your plane ticket and booked the hotel. You also may have also figured out everything you need to take. But, what are you gonna put it all in? Now my luggage has done me right for the past 10 years or so. I bought it when I […]
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I’ll admit it, few materials in life are as convenient as plastic. It is used for gosh-darn, quite near everything in our lives — vehicles, packaging, electronics, clothing. I mean, you name it, plastic is probably in it. I’ll also admit that I may or may not sometimes overdo it when it comes to talking […]
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What you pack might have a lesser impact on the environment than say the type of transportation you use, but it makes an impact nonetheless. And you know what they say about small steps (they turn into miles, people!). From the weight of your bag to the stuff you take with you, there are big […]
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Okay, so you’ve figured out where you’re going to go on your next trip, and you’ve figured out how you’re going to get there. Next stop on the ethical travel train is figuring out where you’re going to stay. My husband and I often camp or try to stay with friends/family when we travel — […]
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Unless you are staying local, one of the biggest impacts our travels have comes from the transportation we use to get where we’re going. Planes, cars, boats and trains are all significant sources of carbon emissions. But not all modes of transportation are created equal, different modes of transportation come with different environmental costs. The […]
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Summer is here, and that can only mean one thing — travel season is upon us. That is why starting today (and continuing until who knows when), I will be starting a series on ethical travel — trying to answer your (and my) questions on how to be a better traveler. I could blame it […]
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This post was sponsored by Live the Give and I received 1 item for review. But, as always, all views are genuinely mine and products are genuinely loved. The importance of education has been quite literally proclaimed throughout history: “The direction in which education start, a man will determine his future in life.” – Plato, Classical […]
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I’ve written about homelessness before. But in case you missed it/just need a refresher, let me drop some quick facts on you. According to the United Nations, there are at least 100 million homeless in the world today. In America, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty currently estimates that more than 3.5 million […]
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World Refugee Day is observed on June 20 every year. Refugee advocates urge people to use this day to focus on the plight of those who have been displaced by famine, war and oppression, and to commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees. And it is a day to show that the […]
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You guys. We. Have. A. Plastic. Problem. I know, I know, I’ve said that before. But I think it’s worth saying again, and just in case you haven’t been paying attention, let me catch you up to speed: Some estimates put plastic use at nearly 300 million tons annually, and according to the Plastic Pollution […]
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If you’ve read my blog before you would know I love me some ocean. And you would also know that I have written about some of the pollution issues it’s facing…repeatedly. I’ve written about our plastic problem enough that you are probably ready to punch me in the face. So to save you a little […]
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I may or may not have mentioned that there’s a little problem in our oceans called ghost nets before (hint: I absolutely did mention it). But for those of you who don’t know, according to World Animal Protection International, an estimated 640,000 metric tons of fishing gear — including nets, lines and traps — are […]
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Today, a few short days after the U.S. withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, we are ironically celebrating World Environment Day. Celebrated every June 5, World Environment Day is a holiday for reconnecting with nature and learning about the pressing issues facing our Earth. First celebrated in 1974, World Environment Day has been the United […]
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I’ve written about Imperfect Product before, but by God, if they aren’t at it again. For those of you who haven’t read/don’t know/didn’t retain what you read/suffered a head injury that caused memory loss, Imperfect Produce, is helping in the fight against food waste (long story short, it is estimated that worldwide, we waste 1.3 […]
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FYI, Mother’s Day is on Sunday. I know, I know sometimes we get busy. And sometimes (just sometimes) we forget to get a gift for those oh so important/special/amazing/inspiring women in our lives. Never fret, I’ve got you covered. I’ve come up with a list of gift ideas that are not only ethical, but also […]
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Whether you are looking for a last minute Mother’s Day gift (me), or you just want to treat yourself to something that will come in the mail that is not a credit card bill or Chinese restaurant menu (also me), then subscription boxes are a really good option. And, if you want that box to […]
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I like trees. You like trees. I think it’s safe to say we all like trees, amirite? As a country we like trees so much that we actually designated a holiday for them. And that day, my friends is today. Today is Arbor Day — a day to plant trees to your little heart’s content. […]
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On this day four years ago the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh famously collapsed. There were five garment factories in Rana Plaza, all of which manufactured clothing for big global brands like Inditex (which owns fast fashion company Zara), Mango, Primark, JCPenney, Walmart and many others. The collapse, which left only the ground floor intact, […]
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According to a 2014 report from World Animal Protection International, an estimated 640,000 metric tons of fishing gear are left in our oceans every year. This makes discarded fishing nets approximately 10% of the plastic pollution in our oceans. And if the contribution to our plastic pollution problem weren’t concerning enough, these nets, called ghost […]
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I think by now most people have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but just to catch you up to speed, it is a giant collection of marine debris (i.e. litter that ends up in our oceans, seas and other large bodies of water) floating around in the North Pacific Ocean. The Great Pacific […]
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Perhaps you noticed your newsfeed today is filled with photos of adorable puppies. Or perhaps you are like me and you have made it so that your newsfeed is always filled with adorable puppies (in all fairness, watching puppy videos has been proven to be good for your health, so that just science right there). […]
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Clean water is an essential part of our lives. We drink it, we cook with it, we bathe in it, we play in it (I mean some of us play in it, others of us just maybe lounge by it). And when you think about it, everyone should have access to it. Unfortunately, that is […]
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I’ve been meaning to start a new series called “Trash Talkin’ on Tuesday,” where I insult my readers (all 2 of you), and in turn you come back with the quickest “Yo Mama” joke. Whoever has the best comeba…I’m kidding of course. But that might be fun. Really the idea being that every Tuesday I […]
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If you’ve been paying any attention you know/if you haven’t been paying attention, but have noticed an exorbitant amount of people wearing red, today is International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Meaning it’s time to celebrate every fearless female out there. […]
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I am not a particularly religious person. Am I spiritual? Yes. Do I think there are some truly valuable lessons we can all learn from different religions? Absolutely. But actually religious, not so much. That being said, I will say that I have always thought that there is something really, really admirable about the observance […]
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“I don’t want to help orphans,” said no person ever. But if just thinking of Little ol’ Orphan Annie doesn’t pull at those heartstrings enough to really make you go out and do something, let’s look at some stats. According to UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund) there are 153 million orphans worldwide. […]
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Here in San Francisco there are constant reminders that homelessness is an issue. And while a lot of us look at it merely as an inconvenience (guilty as charged), it’s actually a very alarming, disturbing and kind of mindboggling problem. According to the most recent report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, […]
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Last week I wrote about being hopeful for your country. And after another weekend filled with protests, I have become less optimistic about our current administration, but my optimism for us, as a country, remains. I was once again inspired by the swift actions of so many to come together against harsh and repressive restrictions […]
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This will be short and sweet, but before I go on and tell you all about the things you need to go out and buy, I wanted to take a quick second to stop and talk about the term conscious consumerism. Clearly, I’m a big advocate for buying products that are ethical and sustainable — […]
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A few days into a new administration and I will say that the events that took place over the weekend left me feeling incredibly hopeful for our country. While you may or may not agree with the motives behind the women’s marches that happened across the country/world on Saturday (for the record, I absolutely, 1000% do), […]
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Well, it’s the new year and I’m sure you know the drill — new year, new me, new…blog? Yep, I said it, I’m writing a blog. My intention for this blog is to make doing good, well, simple. I believe in my heart of hearts that people are good, want to do good and want […]
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b.good 