Green Living

Now Is Actually The Best Time To Go Zero Waste—Here’s Why

published on April 28, 2020 by Angela Hamilton
updated on November 2, 2021

If you haven’t gotten around to it, 2020 is a good time to start thinking more consciously about what you do or don’t buy. Now that each grocery run is a risk, now that our wallets are tight, there are many reasons mindful purchases are important now more than ever. The tips below will actually help you be more resourceful and self-sufficient, which is vital in times of crisis. And you can do it slowly (hey, we got time), one step at a time, until you create new habits in your life, ones that align more closely with your values. So if you’ve been thinking about how to go zero waste, but are a little worried about these unpredictable times, read on.

How to Go Zero Waste (or Low Impact) in 2020

Consider each item you’ve already “stocked up” on. The Friday before self-quarantine, I shopped at Whole Foods. It was eerie. I saw streams of people staring at the shelves, looking quite honestly, like they’d never been in a grocery store before. They wondered what I wondered—what else do I need?

We Americans toss the word “need” around quite liberally, so it’s a good time to review all of those purchases you made with “Oh! I need…” in mind. This is not to scrutinize yourself, but become aware of habits you keep simply because it’s second nature. Considering this is a time where medical professionals can’t even get what’s necessary, you might find that some of your needs are truly just habits—and perhaps not even all that practical in a time of crisis. You’ll want to take a particularly close look at single use products:

Hunkered down at home, how does it make sense to stockpile (and then repurchase and repurchase again) single use products rather than those that keep you from running out of such supplies? We’re still clearing the shelves—doesn’t it seem more practical to switch to products that last longer? Cloth napkins are reusable. A water filter—if you need one, depending on your location—lasts about two months, whereas families go through a flat of water bottles every week or so. Once you look into it, you’ll find the swaps that are most practical for your household to make.

Now is a good time to create new habits. Right now, we’re left to control our routines. Habits can be difficult to shift but it’s always possible—and this is something you can control a bit more while in quarantine. It’s just getting started that’s intimidating. You have to redirect a habit from picking one thing for the other—that’s it. Being at home is the best time to take this on (and even get loved ones involved, so it sticks).

The hardest part of going low waste is changing the habit. Habits are so easy once you’re in them because they require less mental energy. All this time at home gives us a greater opportunity to swap old habits for new, and in turn make those habits second nature. Feeling like I’m contributing to a better future during this time gives me a better sense of security at this time. But if it becomes stressful for you, give yourself grace! This post is not meant to add another restriction to your life, but empower you in a time of crisis. Not all zero waste habits are easy to create, or even logical, right now. So do what inspires & empowers and keep your head up. 🙂

Have you implemented any zero waste habits into your routine since Coronavirus? Let us know what tips you’re looking for to get started!

How I Use Konmari to Create a Sustainable Home

published on April 27, 2020 by Angela Hamilton
updated on May 1, 2023

Have you wondered about konmari and sustainability? Today we have a guest post those of you cleaning in quarantine will find extra helpful. Certified konmari consultant Devin of The Modern Minimalist, shares not only how konmari helps you create a minimalist home, but a sustainable one.

Create a gratitude ritual

The spark joy concept Marie Kondo is famous for starts with honing in on your awareness of the feeling in your body when you experience joy. We go through decluttering belongings in the five categories: clothes, books, papers, komono (miscellany) and sentimental. Along the way, you learn gratitude for the items you have.

Learning the signature konmari folding method is a tactile way to show your clothing gratitude by taking the time to fold each item in a thoughtful manner.

As you learn to focus in on the items that bring you joy, and as your belongings become more minimal, you become more interested in keeping them in good condition. Living a more minimal lifestyle allowed me to learn how to mend my jeans, remove stains, and learn all kinds of DIY repairs around my home, because when your surroundings spark joy, you are committed to taking care of them.

Another aspect of the emphasis on gratitude, is the home greeting. The konmari method talks about greeting your home every time you enter it, whether this is by talking to it, or simply offering a phrase of gratitude for everything it allows you to do. Right about now, your home is offering you more than ever as a space for co working, to rest, workout, a bar, restaurant, zoom with friends, its everything!

Creating a gratitude mindset is a small shift that can change your life. I encourage you to try it out!

Use what you have

After the decluttering process is complete, we talk about storage. One of my favorite aspects of the method, this allows us to get creative, and be resourceful to find solutions using what we already have. Much like the DIY mask videos going around, there are so many multi functional items already in our homes that we can use to store + organize items.

• first, look at the built in storage your home has. Built in shelving, cabinets, hooks etc. are the first place we want to look
• shoe boxes + apple boxes for storage containers for clothes, electronics, accessories, office supplies
glass jars upcycled for bulk kitchen storage, flower vases
• store purses inside of each other
• store hats stacked or on the wall
• kitchen pots/pans/baking sheets/tupperware can all be stored inside each other
• become more conscious about future purchases

Once you’ve created a gratitude ritual, minimized, found homes for your items, it’s time to get intentional about anything new that will enter the home in the future. For me, this meant a lot less spending on products that aren’t sustainably made, researching company values and ethics in everything from beauty to cleaning supplies, following sustainable influencers, increased focus on supporting local businesses, second hand and vintage businesses, and farmers markets. Being a conscious consumer theres a lot of ground to cover, and the information out there is ever evolving so don’t be too hard on yourself. I just incorporated a bidet + untoilet paper to address the toilet paper crisis last week and I’m still getting used to it. I’m a firm believer that we’re all works in progress so try to be less judgmental of where others are at in their sustainable journeys.

I hope these tips are helpful to you! If you’d like to start your own konmari journey, you can download my free checklist, find more sustainable tips + schedule a virtual session on my website: themodernminimalist.biz

For a konmari folding tutorial, check out my YouTube.

with gratitude,
Devin
The modern minimalist

Eco Studio Tour: Ethical Home Decor Brand Zuahaza’s Bogotá Studio

published on April 20, 2020 by Angela Hamilton
updated on November 2, 2021

I know we could all use some inspiration at the moment, so I couldn’t wait to post our first ever studio tour any longer. (We’d originally planned to pair this with a styled shoot of our own—so we look forward to that.) I’ve been dreaming of sharing creative studios for years now but never knew where to start. That is until I got to know talented artist and business owner, Tatiana Ordonez of Zuahaza, who shares these stunning process photos on their brand’s Instagram.

Tatiana’s story is fascinating for those of you who love a deeper look into an artisan brand’s creative process and production, which is why we decided to treat this like a guest post and give you the full scoop in her words. Her brand Zuahaza is an all organic + naturally-dyed textile brand based in Colombia. Tatiana collaborates with women artists in rural communities outside the city to bring their woven home goods to life. This is a two part post, with the next being a tour of Zuahaza’s artisan workshop outside the city.

I can think of nothing more inspiring than pairing Tatiana’s story with the magical images Ali Campbell captured of her creative Colombian studio. Keep reading!

From Tatiana: I am from Colombia and lived abroad for many years before coming back to my home city of Bogotá. Zuahaza launched in November 2019, but it was truly the work and relationship building of over 2 years prior that brought Zuahaza into existence. Zuahaza’s main operation happens in Bogotá. Our artisan partners live 7-8 hours away by car in a lovely town from the region of Santander called Charalá.

In 2018 I made a trip to Charalá to learn about the rich history of organic cotton growing, spinning and weaving in this region. During my trip, I met with an artisan cooperative called Corpolienzo. I loved talking to them and learning from their journey making 100% organic textiles for over 30 years. We shared our stories and found a great opportunity to collaborate in a new project. The artisans had expressed the necessity of connecting to larger markets. Although they could sell at art fairs in larger cities, they found it really difficult to sell handmade, organic products at a fair price in the national market. With my background in textile design and having lived in the US, together with my experience working directly with other artisan groups from Latin America, we saw the opportunity to try out a new model of designing and selling handmade textiles to a different market looking for fair trade and sustainable products.

We developed a new line of textiles born of the artisan’s extensive knowledge of craft, and my desire to share creative, innovative textiles with the global market. We wanted to truly understand what a “collaborative” model would look like, honoring ancestral techniques and innovating in design for the contemporary home. That’s when the name “Zuahaza” came to mind. It means “my sister” in the Muisca language of the people who lived in the Cundiboyancense mountain region of the Colombian Andes.

As a social enterprise our main goal is to embody collective sisterhood between women in Colombia. Following an era of intense conflict, which continues to shape and affect Colombia today, we seek to participate in peacemaking efforts to reunite and heal our country. We believe that by collaboratively creating unique products that reflect our diversity, history and dreams, we can start creating a new future for all Colombian women.

Our main studio/office is in Bogotá for the easy access to ship products, network with clients, and the great connection this city has to other countries. I try to work directly with the artisans every 3—4 months and it’s such a joy to spend a couple weeks working together with my team. Although I love having a creative space to try new textiles, material research and make samples, it gets lonely in the studio! Working as a team is definitely the ideal situation and I hope that as we grow, I get to spend months at a time with our team in Charalá.

We only use natural dyes so we end up with a limited color palette to work with. It is a design challenge, to design with only a natural color scheme. Right now, between working with the artisans from Peru (our yarn suppliers) and the artisans in Charalá, we have a whole team of experts in natural dyeing, which is a privilege. They have recipes that have passed from generation to generation, so I think color is a representation of indigenous knowledge that we get to preserve through only designing with natural dyes. Natural dyeing is not easy, it takes so much research to get colors in cotton to look the way they do in our products. I am very proud of the knowledge of our team in achieving gorgeous hues that are long lasting and color fast.

In terms of design, it comes easily living in such a beautiful country like Colombia. The launch collection was inspired by all the colors, textures, patterns and flora found in colonial towns across the country. Colombia is such a diverse and culturally rich country. Every region is so different in its own way because of the historical events that have taken place. Every town embodies the music, gastronomy and art from the people who live there; that inspires me. We wanted to create textile collections that represented our country’s diverse culture in an abstract, eclectic and sophisticated way. To represent our values even in the way we designed our products aesthetically.

Isn’t Tatiana’s studio so dreamy? In our next post we’ll share how she goes from inspiration and design to handcrafting them with the team in Charalá. In the meantime, head to zuahaza.com/shop to see the products!

{to shop on madetrade: mongui rug / charalá blanket / salento pillow / barichara pillow}

photos: Ali Campbell Photography / studio: Zuahaza

How to be Eco-Friendly During Quarantine

published on April 15, 2020 by Angela Hamilton
updated on November 2, 2021

As upsetting as it is to quarantine during such a beautiful season, I hope it’s allowing people to enjoy and appreciate Mother Earth a bit more. Busy lifestyles make it difficult to practice green habits, so this forced slow-down is a great time to try them out and see what sticks for you and your lifestyle. I know everyone’s quarantine rules are a little different, but as of right now in Seattle, going outside and taking walks and enjoying the sunshine (while remaining a respectful distance from others) is probably the #1 thing keeping our spirits up. So, I’ve been feeling extra grateful for fresh air and spring blooms, and think it’s a great time for us all to show our gratitude with more eco-friendly habits. In a time when so much has changed in an instant, it’s comforting to go outside and see flowers blooming and birds chirping.

This isn’t the case for everyone, but if you do find yourself with a little more time on your hands, consider using some of it to make a few simple lifestyle changes in an effort to become more eco-friendly in the long run. I intentionally kept these tips as more of an intro because I want you to know that there is always something you can do, even if you don’t live in an area with as many resources (or encouragement!) as Seattle to ‘be green’.

How to be eco-friendly during quarantine

Mindful habits. With quarantine forcing a lot of us to slow down, we have the opportunity to reflect more on our lifestyles and try improving personal habits. Before you could practice touching your face less, you had to notice how much you were doing it before, right?

Now is a great time to think about which lifestyle habits could be made more eco-friendly too—whether it’s washing bottles and cans right away so you can recycle them properly or using meal planning to make the most of limited grocery trips and ultimately waste less money and food. It’s such a great time to get the whole household on the same page, too.

Single use swaps. Decreasing your reliance on single use items in favor of reusable ones is a great way to lower your environmental impact, but it can be tricky to get in the habit of. If you’ve been thinking of how to go “green”, now is the time to get a feel for it. An easy start? Try swapping out paper towels for cloth napkins. Right now it actually makes you more resourceful… it lessens your reliance on popular “stock up” items which will make you feel a little more empowered getting through this crisis—and beyond.

Another quick, practical swap is changing from dryer sheets to (sustainably made) wool dryer balls. They eliminate the need for throwaway dryer sheets and work just as well. (I hate static so I was a bit apprehensive at first, but they do the trick!) If you like them scented, you can make them smell exactly how you want with essential oils, or keep them fragrance-free. It’s freeing not to rely on a grocery trips for some of these everyday items.

Lastly, another way to be more eco-friendly during quarantine is to master recycling. In the United States, trash removal and recycling programs vary widely and are extremely confusing to keep up with. This is because it’s not streamlined at a national or even state levels. It’s usually counties or individual cities that dictate their own waste programs based on local resources (and/or demand). Even then, there are tons of items that need to be disposed of different ways in order to be recycled, such as textiles and trickier plastics. For example, this year Seattle announced that it would no longer be picking up plastic films along with the rest of weekly recycling. Instead, we need to take them to a different recycling center (where they won’t interfere with the other machines). There’s truly so much to learn about recycling in each area, and I can see why people stick to the basics. It seems like a daunting task, but it feels so good to know that everything is going in the right place.

Would you like to see more in-depth advice on any of the tips above? If you’ve already started on this, share your favorite single use swaps or recycling tips below to teach others how to be eco-friendly during quarantine.

Eco friendly Friendsgiving ideas with DIY fall flowers

published on November 1, 2019 by Angela Hamilton

Do you celebrate Friendsgiving? Charity (who took these pretty photos!) and I like to team up on Friendsgiving and invite our circle of friends (mostly best friends from our college days) to gather round. And by team up I mean she gets all the credit. I bring whatever DIY fall flowers I’m experimenting with at the time, and try not to light them on fire between the candles. She’s an amazing hostess and cook and baker and stylist and can make any space the most welcoming. ANYWAY.

We shared these eco friendly Friendsgiving ideas (a mouthful, I know) last year right before our rebrand to eco club, so they didn’t get circulated very well, which is a shame because, well, they’re just so pretty and EASY to pull off.

Charity and I, along with many of our friends and just lots of people in their 20s in general, have moved about a zillion times since college. This year’s Friendsgiving was at a completely different house! So this is a great way to remember a cute little corner with all the light.

About flowers. Wide, low floral arrangements require assistance to stay in place, unlike a lot of taller vases. The foam-free floral movement has really taken off even since this last post (which was my first and only time using foam). This is great news since floral foam, while easy and convenient, is not biodegradable or reusable, which is a real bummer considering the beautiful natural stems we stick in ’em. Check out this, then this, post from a florist in Chicago for a little more info and how to get this look in a more environmentally conscious way.

Most of what we added to this scene was secondhand, but two brand new elements were a jute table runner and accompanying placemats from eco club member Will + Atlas. Jute is one of the most sustainable materials for homewares, and it’s incredible durable. The intricate patterns in these gave the tough material a more delicate feel and I use them for pretty much all my entertaining, not to mention as photo backdrops, whenever possible!

The dahlias came from Pike Place Market, leaves from the backyard, and dried plants and strawflowers were also purchased at the market in one big dried flower bouquet that I’ve reused like 1000 times. I am not kidding. They come in giant sets for $20-$30 and yes my friend, dried flowers are SO VERY reusable. I have used some of these very same pieces in every single season since getting them. All from one single purchase. I used them for this year’s Friendsgiving, too. And then? I took ’em out of the vases and put ’em back in my stash for safekeeping. (Are you starting to sense how my apartment looks yet?)

I shared this + more sustainable flower tips here with a springtime bouquet.

Another member, Ten Thousand Villages, provided the marble serving board and knife. They have a few different options now too. Another piece that we’ve used again & again. And of course, would be perfect for a veggie spread too, or fruit + chocolate, like we did last summer.

We first used all this thrifted glassware for Charity’s wedding and have since used them in oh, about 100 shoots. I swear, they will live on forever, whether in our homes or someone else’s. We also thrifted the candlestick holders and vases. Our friend and talented calligrapher Rachel Johnson designed + made these paper goods with little eucalyptus sprigs.

Another favorite Friendsgiving idea: If you serve chocolate, try Seattle-based jcoco, which has unconventional, culinary inspired flavors. They’re a woman-owned company that gives back with every purchase, and is committed to ethically sourced ingredients and sustainable practices. You can learn more here.

One last note. If your area provides a compost service. DO IT. The City of Seattle collects compost and I could go on for hours about how grateful I am for this service. But some cities have this available and are just awful at promoting it. We have neighboring areas with such services that many people don’t even realize is an option. Be sure to check what’s available in your area!

So! This is our blueprint for a successful Friendsgiving. Eco friendly and secondhand wares and decor, supporting companies we love, making things by hand… Oh, and going around the candle-lit table to gush over how thankful we all are for each other. No matter what your Thanksgiving looks like, you’ve gotta do that last one. It’s good stuff.

How to be an Ally of Mother Earth with Casha Doemland

published on September 11, 2019 by Angela Hamilton

One thing I love about the community surrounding sustainable living, is that every new discovery comes with the feeling of community rather than competition. It’s this shared idea that we’re all in this together, that we all need each other to make a difference, that more can only mean more support, that inspires rather than intimidates when I find a community that operates a little like mine. Coming across the Instagram account Allies of Mother Earth, I instantly felt a sense of camaraderie with its founder, Casha Doemland. (Perhaps this isn’t so surprising, but when you’ve worked in the digital space for years, you start to feel like every community is oversaturated, and it’s so refreshing to realize that there is no such thing as an oversaturated community of people who care. Sigh!)

Long after first connecting online, Casha interviewed me for Allies of Mother Earth. I was honored to share the story of eco club, and discovered just how many times our personal stories overlap… especially since I began writing about sustainable lifestyle while also living in Los Angeles. Naturally I wanted to dive deeper into AOME, its beginnings, and Casha’s plans for the future. Not surprisingly, she’s kicking ass with this new community of Allies in Los Angeles. They’ve recently connected to clean up Griffith Park (my old neighbor!) and have big dreams for supporting Mother Earth as their community grows.

Above photo by Jack Strutz for Allies of Mother Earth.

Tell us about yourself, outside of Allies of Mother Earth.
Los Angeles-born, but Georgia-bred, I returned to my roots approximately three years ago on an impulse and have never looked back. Throughout this time, I have not only achieved my dream of being a freelance writer, but I have learned a variety of skills/trades, lived in Indonesia for few months, and conquered a couple of fears like rock climbing outdoors and learning to ride a motorcycle.

You’re based in LA. How would you sum up the struggles (and successes) of your local community in dealing with the environmental problems we face?
I definitely think there are a significant amount of people in my local community who care about the environment, and who want to not only clean up the planet but live a lower impact, eco-conscious lifestyle. It’s obvious by the sheer number of people who are making shifts in their diets (climate change) or shopping smart to rid themselves of not only plastics but items that are not ethically made.

Additionally, there are a significant amount of people who are speaking out against environmental issues and offering solutions.

On the flip side, I think it’s easy to fail or slip with living consciously because of time constraints or not having the finances to invest in certain things. Sustainable living is a luxury. I, myself, have failed pretty miserably in the last two months due to a grave personal matter where my priorities in life shifted into survival mode. It’s only in the last week that I’ve slowly started to return to an eco-friendly lifestyle.

So, if anything, the struggles surrounding environmental problems are due to a lack of solutions for all. It’s not that people don’t care or aren’t making moves in the right direction, it’s because change takes time.

Thinking back in your life, how did you come to care strongly about Earth and its future?
I’ve always been enamored with Mother Earth’s beauty and found solace in long hikes, scenic drives and days spent by the ocean. When I went into middle school, I discovered the environmental club and helped run the recycling program as well as build trails out in parks.

From there, I always knew I wanted to give back somehow but was unsure of how until I moved into Los Angeles, and found an inspiring community that I realized I could ignite change on my own.

Through my sustainability freelance writing, I expanded my knowledge and launched Allies of Mother Earth.

How would you describe your local community of Allies? Has it been easy or difficult to find fellow Allies? How have you gone about establishing a community?
My community of Allies of Mother Earth is still fairly small as I have just officially launched the website and began planning my official events, but there are definitely plenty of humans who are interested. It’s been fairly easy to foster a community, as lots of people care about the planet, and most of the rad individuals within mine are friends, friends of friends, or individuals who have caught wind of my project through social media/word of mouth.

What are your goals and plans for AOME?
My goals for Allies of Mother Earth are fairly straightforward. I’d love to first, and foremost, raise awareness of the current state of the planet and promote ways in which we can keep her clean and show some much-needed love. In the process of doing so, foster a community with individuals who feel the same by highlighting radical eco-conscious, low waste brands, stores, and humans.

Additionally, I’ve got a handful of local clean-ups and one surprise event in the pipeline for the fall/winter.

In a dream world, which can very much be my world, I’d like to shift Allies of Mother Earth over to a non-profit and continue to spark change on a more national (potentially international) level. I am currently planning to go back to school for a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, so I can further understand policies and back that up.

Above photos of Los Angeles shop Sustain LA. More information on Casha’s visit available on Instagram.

Tell us about your other projects.
Outside of Allies, I have worked on We Are Phenomenal, a platform dedicated to telling the stories of women and gender non-binary individuals around the globe as authentically as possible, for the last three years. Throughout that time, I’ve been able to connect with so many phenomenal and inspiring individuals, and for that, I am forever grateful. It’s a project that I think will always be around and that I will work on in my free time.

Where else can we find you?
You can find all the goodies on my main website/portfolio, cashadoemland.com, as well as on Instagram at @cashad and @alliesofmotherearth.

LA friends, be sure to sign up for one of Allies’ cleanups to meet Casha and fellow AOME in person! Details on the next event can be found on Instagram.