Being Green

I love that the world is starting to care about the world again. Remember when our ancestors respected land and let it rule them, rather than the other way around? I mean…nature still has its way of raining on our parade, but we shit all over it, so a few major hurricanes is karma these days. I, however, do not wish to repeat the mistakes of the 1900s that have severely impacted our ability to survive on this planet, so it is my responsibility to educate myself on ways to be nicer to Earth. I am learning more everyday, and I hope those around me make an effort to spread their knowledge, because the more we know, the more we grow. I propose we water each other and be green together.

That being said, I sell products on this site and ship them everywhere I can, and there is nothing green about that, as shipping involves lots of environmentally destructive things. Aside from the air pollution caused, packages often contain non-renewable materials like bubble wrap and tape…and styrofoam? Ugh… It is appalling that it is still legal to sell food in foam trays at the grocery store, so imagine my disgust when I order supplies and they arrive in a box filled with styrofoam. Gross. Before I opened my online store, I spent hours researching eco-friendly options, and I am offended that much larger companies have not put forth the effort to do the same when they are catering to a much wider audience. They. Ain’t. Shit. I won’t call those companies out, but I am thankful that most of my vendors are fairly green. Except that one time when I went viral, and everything went out the window.

I had a little less than 100 boxes when the madness hit, and enough “eco-friendly” bubble wrap for all of those boxes, as I had been selling my candles online for almost 9 months when my store went viral. I was prepared for business, but not hundreds of orders worth. I had to scramble to find boxes and shipping materials locally, so I settled for Staples on 125th, because I ain’t shit. Did they have the green bubble wrap from U-Line? Nope. Which is fine because the family that owns U-Line funds Neo-Nazi politicians and does not have black friends…(found that out after I bought it…whoops…used it all…won’t buy again…deal?). Staples did have those biodegradable packing peanuts (which annoy me as much as the styrofoam version), but they did not have any other option…so I basically said Father forgive me for I have sinned and proceeded to cop all the bubble wrap because my bath teas come in a glass jar (that I hope you reuse) and I do not want the glass to break before it arrives at your door. In the future, they will probably come in compostable bags but I’m still shopping around for the best options (and message me suggestions if you have favorites).

I kicked myself the whole way home for being a hypocrite…but then I projected that anger on society; WHY IS IT HARDER TO FIND HEALTHIER SHIT? If plastic is killing life in the ocean, why is it everywhere, and why are we still producing more of it? After the holiday rush was over, I fell in love with a green shipping supply company called Eco-Enclose, and the game changed a little. I finally used up my rolls of tape that I purchased out of desperation, and I have transitioned to paper tape (which is quite effective and far more attractive on a box). I still receive ingredients in the very packaging material I try to avoid, but I am committed to reusing them to cut costs (so if your goods ever come in bubble wrap or biodegradable packing peanuts, that is why).

Where do we go from here? I’m only one business and one person, so my role in the madness is minimal, but I figured it would help if I used my platform to spread awareness. So, in true spread love fashion, I have curated a marketplace to find green products to help guide you to a more sustainable life with far less waste. Many of these basic products you will find in my home, and through Amazon, they can be delivered directly to your door. (And Amazon will probably slide me some spare change for spreading the love). And I know Jeff Bezos is not the best human, but a lot of these brands are doing awesome work, and I highly recommend supporting them. Cheers to being green…or at least trying…