Who else is in the "bigger is better" camp when it comes to market bags? I prefer to carry all the things, at all times. Especially in the summer, when I'm quite literally going from a coffee shop work session to the gym to the park and topping it all off, a long walk home. If you're not that extreme, I get it. But oversized market totes are pretty much on every summer wishlist, right? Just imagine the flowers, the beach blanket, the book, the rosé, all in one place, adorably discreet. At ... Read More
zero waste
7 Things I’ve Learned from Building a Tiny House
For those of you who haven’t yet heard, yes—I am currently in the midst of building a 196-square-foot sustainable tiny house. Why would I start building a tiny house at 26, especially in the throes of a bitter mountain winter while couch-hopping myself? I have a few thoughts. For now, the journey continues, and while it is far from reaching its endpoint, it continues to enrich. I am a vastly different human five months into this project than I was at its start, and the construction process ... Read More
What Chasing a Napkin Down a California Beach Taught Me About The Landfill, Storytelling, and Lifelong Learning
One warm weekday a couple years ago, before my reusable-napkin-packing-days, I set out for a morning at the beach. I brought along the usual accessories: coffee, notebook, blanket—everything a writer in search of solitude (AKA, a good place to nap under the guise of sparking inspiration) might bring. I’d also gotten a pastry at a local café, which came along with a brown paper napkin. I set up camp, finished my snack, and low-and-behold—a nice big breeze washed over me, and sent that thin paper ... Read More
Eco Friendly Dental Floss Should Be Your Next Zero Waste Purchase
If you haven't asked your friends on social media about their own favorite sustainable brands, put it on your to-do for after you read and pin this post. That's how I found out about natural and organic oral care brand Terra & Co, which is run by two sisters on a mission to create natural, non-toxic and cruelty-free products. Their story is impressive—from their beginnings amidst war in Bosnia to managing beauty startups in LA to building a company while living on opposite coasts (NYC and ... Read More
Why I Chose to Build a Tiny House at 26
Yes, a few weeks after my twenty-sixth birthday, I began construction of a tiny home: 196 square feet of house lovingly positioned on a flatbed trailer in the southwest of my home state, Montana. And yes, I am building it in the dead of winter. (Snow is peaking and flurrying outside in negative temperatures as I write this on a mini-break from sawing and hammering.) To some, this is the ultimate dream. The tiny house movement has been accelerating in the last few years, with ... Read More
8 Simple, Beautiful Zero Waste Starter Kits for the Absolute Beginner
I'd definitely consider myself a low-waste advocate—I’ve long boycotted many things single use—but even going mostly zero waste is a whole new level of commitment I can't say I've yet mastered. That's the thing, you may read an article, hear a story, or see a film that inspires you to jump on the zero waste train, but I think most of us really just do what we can, learn a little more, then do a little more, and so on. Not to mention, what you can feasibly do is largely determined by your ... Read More
