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bookmark_borderAllbirds Flats Review: My Thoughts on the Tree Breezers!

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Hey earth muffins! Back in November I wrote a Rothy’s Loafers review, sharing my opinions on shoes I purchased for work. At the same time I ordered from Rothy’s, I also decided to order some flats from Allbirds as well. I’d seen a ton of advertisements about Allbirds’ sustainable running shoes, but they also have other types of shoes as well. Just in case I didn’t end up liking my Rothy’s shoes (which definitely was not the case!), I wanted to have another option to wear to the office. Now that I’ve worn them throughout the past few months, here is my Allbirds Flats review!

Allbirds tree breezers flats in jet black

What I Love About my Allbird Flats

First of all, I love that this company is truly sustainable. The shoes themselves are made from eucalyptus tree fiber, which is not a synthetic material. Most shoes are made from plastic synthetics which obviously isn’t great for the planet. The company is built off of good sustainability practices – they even have a 7 topic “sustainability” section on their website! You can see their attention to being eco-friendly when you receive your shoes in the mail. The box is perfectly sized for your pair of shoes and everything that is used as packaging can be recycled!

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bookmark_borderThe Environmental Impact of Working from Home: How it Helped and Hurt my Eco Journey!

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Hey earth muffins! Before I moved to my current location, I was in Grand Rapids working remotely. While I really enjoy going back to the office now, there were definitely benefits to working from home. I’m sure many of you have also experienced remote work these past couple of years… So I wanted to share a post reflecting on the environmental impact of working from home. Looking back, I think the experience both helped and hurt my eco journey – let’s jump right into it!

How Working from Home Helped my Journey

The first thing that I loved about working from home was that it allowed me to reduce my car usage. I barely drove my car at all during the week because I didn’t have to go into the office every day. This was such a great benefit to the planet! As someone who doesn’t like to drive much, it was also a big pro to me.

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bookmark_borderHow to Eat Plant-Based at a Restaurant Without Just Eating Salad

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Hey earth muffins! Last month was Veganuary, where you were challenged to try a plant-based diet. Did anyone successfully complete the challenge?? As a vegetarian myself, it can sometimes be daunting to go out for dinner. Most menus still contain a majority of meat products, which limits plant-based options. However, I have learned that it is actually quite simple to eat plant-based when you go out to dinner. And you don’t just have to eat salads either! 😊 Here are my tips for eating at any restaurant if you are following some sort of plant-based diet.

Set yourself up for success.

If possible, do your research before you go out to eat! It is much better to know what you are getting yourself into instead of just showing up at a random restaurant and expecting it to be easy to find something to eat. A great tip for starting a plant-based diet is to try out the app Happy Cow. This app shows how “plant friendly” a place is, which can be helpful when deciding where to go out to eat. Once you do your research, select a restaurant that has more plant-based options than others!

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bookmark_borderThings to Give Instead of Valentines: Sustainable Valentine Alternatives

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Hey earth muffins! It is crazy to think that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Not sure about you, but January flew by for me! I wonder if the same will happen for February… Valentine’s Day is such a fun day to celebrate with your loved ones. It is totally possible to have a zero waste Valentine’s Day, but what about actual valentines? From kids to adults, it is common to hand out valentines to the people you love. While not the most eco-friendly tradition, it begs the question – are there sustainable valentine alternatives? And there are! Here are my top suggestions of things to give instead of valentines this year.

❤️ An experience or dinner

Don’t be afraid to give your loved ones something that isn’t tangible. While valentines are fun to keep for a few months, they often end up in the trash after that. To avoid excess waste, treat your partner to an experience that they would love. This can be a fancy dinner out, a home cooked meal in, or some sort of event in your community. Pick something that you know they would absolutely love! I personally would love to hit up the local roller skating arena, the ice rink, or get some boba tea with my boyfriend. (hint hint if you’re reading this 😊)

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bookmark_borderAmerican Cream Lush Review: A Sustainable Conditioner Bar!

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Hey earth muffins! Whenever I try out eco-friendly products, I always try to share a review on this blog. I hope they are helpful in sharing hits and misses in the growing sustainable products market! 😊 I have tested out multiple shampoo bars ever since I made the switch from plastic bottles to bar products in the shower… But, I have never shared my thoughts on conditioner bars – until today! When winter started, my hair was feeling a bit dry. I had to reorder shampoo bars from Lush, so I figured I would try out a conditioner bar as well. Let’s jump right into my American Cream Lush review!

What I Love About the Conditioner Bar

As I’ve mentioned in all my past shampoo bar reviews, I love that these products cut out any plastic packaging. Plastic is not only bad for the environment but the hideously colored bottles never fit the vibe I’m going for in my minimalist bathroom. The naked bar looks much nicer in my shower! While the product still had to be shipped to me, you could always hit up a Lush store if you have one in your area. Unfortunately, I no longer have a Lush near me. To save on shipping emissions, just make sure you order a huge haul of bar products so that you will be stocked for a long time. 🙃

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bookmark_borderHow You Can Travel More Sustainably

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One of the best ways to broaden your horizons in life is to go traveling. Learning and seeing new things is a good reward for those who travel. However, travel can be harmful to the environment; the more of us who do it, the more serious it becomes. With everyone becoming more aware of environmental issues (as evidenced by Allvision billboards), you might be worried about your place in it all and how you can enjoy your life and be sustainable at the same time.

This situation seems to be a difficult one to unravel. Traveling is wonderful for us, but the more we travel, the worse it gets for the environment. In that case, what can we do? Should we stay home? Actually, it would seem as though traveling in a more environmentally friendly manner is the best course of action. Here are some thoughts on how to go about accomplishing this goal.

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bookmark_border6 Eco-Friendly Products You Can Find at Walmart!

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Hey earth muffins! A couple of months ago I shared a list of eco-friendly Target products that you can find at your local store. I really like the idea of picking “normal”, non-sustainable stores and sharing the planet friendly products that you can purchase there. Even if you are limited by the stores in your area, you can still shop sustainably! 😊Walmart is definitely not the most earth conscious brand; but, they still have some options to choose from. Here is my list of 6 eco-friendly Walmart products!

First up – plastic free deodorant! Target carries Native and Hey Humans which I have tried (and reviewed). If you are looking for brands you already know and trust, Walmart carries Secret and Old Spice in plastic free containers. They also have refillable options, but I’ve heard that the design isn’t the best… Plus, why buy a plastic refillable one when there is a plastic-free option??

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bookmark_borderGoogle Hotel Sustainability: How to Use the Eco-Certified Hotel Search!

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Hey earth muffins! A couple of months ago, I wrote a post about Google Map’s new eco-friendly feature. It is surprisingly easy to turn on the Google Maps eco route feature… Which got me wondering if our favorite search engine had other sustainable abilities. Turns out it does! 😊 Did you know you can find hotels that are “eco-certified” just by searching through Google? Here’s everything you need to know about using this Google hotel sustainability feature.

How to Find “Eco-Certified” Hotels

If you are looking for the top-notch sustainable hotels for your travels, Google can help you out. Hotels labeled with the “eco-certified” label have been certified by an independent organization for meeting certain standards. I tried to look up what organization and standards are used, but couldn’t find any further information. However, it is better to choose an “eco-certified” hotel over a normal one any day.

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