Forward by Brooke:

Dear Reader, Welcome!

I am overjoyed to share with you this exciting kick off for a series rooted in conscious consumership. Over the last several months, I have been asking a range of friends to share with us some things that they do in their life to be more mindful. After finally finishing painting a large stack of canvases and tying up a few ends, it’s time to put pen to paper and get this going. We all have to start somewhere in our pursuits.

Over the years, whether friends and I were swapping book recommendations in DMs or on a National Parks trip together trying on each other’s hiking boots, I always love hearing what foraging banter happens around our figurative round table. I decided to open up the conversations and hope that it brings at least one person a sense of lightness in their life.

This has been a long time coming and I am delighted to introduce the series with my friend Mimi. We were roommates back in Cortona, Italy during an artist residency and it has been so much fun to see her life bloom from afar. From living in Kauai, HI to Boulder, CO, she has picked up quite a bit of wisdom along the way and I look forward to share it with you. It has also been a joy to learn sustainability practices along side her and find ways to collaborate beyond art.

Thankfully, Mimi has put together quite the treat for us!! She schools us with a little kick in the pants on the reality of our consumer impact as well as providing some of her favorite eco-friendly brands. As always and thus far, none of these products are sponsored. We just love good shit.

xo,

Brooke

by Mimi Middlebrooks

let’s just dive right in…

There is no doubt about it. We, humans, are destroying the one and only habitable planet we have to call home. Deforestation, air pollution, global warming, water pollution, soil degradation, natural resource depletion. The list goes on. Even though all of these issues have been caused by us, the human race as a whole, we are left to question how we, as individuals, can reverse the damage that we have caused. Reversing the damage done to our planet is an incredibly large task. But that does not mean that our individual efforts do not make a difference. Because they do!

One main issue that really grinds my gears is the generation of unsustainable waste. Yup, our love for overconsumption. Hyperconsumption. An obsession with consumption.

Consume, consume, consume. It’s all humans do.

And where does all of this overconsumption eventually end up? As non-biodegradable trash in the landfill. Millions and millions of tons of it.

Plastic is taking over our oceans and harmful chemicals are leaching into our waterways. Microfibers are in our air, in our clothes, in our food, our beer, you name it. All of this waste that’s in our landfills ends up creating enormous amounts of methane, which is ranked as one of the worst greenhouse gases, contributing greatly to global warming. I could (and probably will) write an entire article on landfills and the importance of composting soon because there is so much to know! But in the meantime, let’s keep talking about consumption.

we are never going to be perfect

Listen, I’m no saint. I, too, love to consume. Unless we’re so passionately dedicated to the cause of saving our planet, we are always going to be consumers. But there is a more sustainable way to consume. And if you’re going to do it, might as well choose the more sustainable path. I’m writing to you today to encourage and inspire you to be more sustainable consumers. As my dear friend and yoga teacher recently taught me, progress is not perfection. We are never going to be perfect. But we can always continue to make more positive progress. We can continue to open our awareness and our love and compassion for our planet. And by doing so, supporting businesses that are choosing more sustainable practices!

When we choose the more sustainable brand over the less sustainable brand for the same product, what are we getting out of this? You, my friend, are voting with your dollar. You are standing up for what you believe in with how you choose to spend your money. These businesses out there who are choosing the more sustainable path are doing it for your health and for the health of the planet. They’re not just focused on making the big bucks, they’re (most of the time) genuinely interested in creating sustainable products for the benefit of our environment. And when you support those businesses, the guys who are just interested in making the big bucks notice. You are creating more of a demand for more sustainable options. And when the big guys lose their demand for products that are destroying our planet, they too will need to jump on the sustainability train if they want to stay in business. It’s why we’re seeing businesses that have been dairy farms for generations turning to producing nut and seed milks. We’re seeing the clothing industry turning to organic cotton and hemp (I’ll write an entire article on that subject too). In every facet of consumerism, we are starting to see the topic of sustainability arise.

So, without further ado, I would like to highlight a few of my favorite environmentally friendly brands! There are so many out there, which is simply amazing. These are brands that I have actually supported with my dollar and that I use on a regular basis in my home. Not just ads that I’ve seen on instagram.

progress > perfection

Things that I ask myself when purchasing something new (whether it’s a need or a want):

- where did it come from?

- who made it?

- is it organic?- does it contain harmful chemicals?

- is this healthy for my body?

- did it’s production harm the environment?

- is it packaged in unnecessary single-use plastics?

- how long will it last?

- what happens to it when I no longer need it?

Pre-vetted Eco-Friendly Brands

Below you will find some brands and products I have pre-vetted myself and use in my daily life. Brooke will even pipe in a little bit with some of her favorites.

Behind The Mirror:

Let’s start with the bathroom, shall we? One of my goals for this year has been to rid my shower of all plastics. I’m still trying to use up the last of my plastic bottles but can already feel the energy shifting in my shower space! My first step was to purchase a shampoo and conditioner bar from by Humankind. Y’all. I cannot recommend this product enough. First of all, their slogan is, Great personal care products don’t have to come at the Earth’s expense. Enough said. Their mission is to provide shower care products that do not contribute to the plastic crisis and that are healthy and safe for your body. When I received my shampoo and conditioner bar in the mail, it came in 100% sustainable packaging (applause!!!!). Each bar is shipped in a recycled paper box with soy-based ink. They offset 100% of their carbon footprint by investing in strategic forest preservation projects (double applause!!). I have been using them for almost 5 months now and still absolutely love it. The shampoo bar actually suds which is necessary. I have gone through the shampoo bar more quickly than the conditioner, so I will be refilling them at a different pace. But I would say these bars last up to 5-6 months, depending on how frequently you wash your hair. And, it comes with a shower dish made from diatomite, a sedimentary rock formed by fossilized phytoplankton (for my organic gardeners/farmers out there, you know this stuff). Great feng shui for the shower. I plan to place a re-order with them soon and plan to order a body soap bar this time too!

552 million plastic shampoo bottles ending up in landfills each year

Another company that I love is Pai. They make organic skincare products, my favorite being the chamomile and rosehip day cream. They ethically source their ingredients, never test on animals, and are aware of their responsibility to our planet. Their products can be a bit pricey, but totally worth it in my opinion because no one should be putting moisturizer full of chemicals and synthetic ingredients on their face!

Other Sustainable Bathroom Tips:

I use a bamboo toothbrush. Currently using Tea Tree Therapy Toothpaste (still working on ditching the toothpaste plastic).

And.. drumroll please…..we use a bidet!!!!!!!

Not a fancy one. It’s quite literally a diaper sprayer (the brand is purrfect zone) that connects to the toilet. But having this has immensely lowered our toilet paper consumption. And my goal is to eventually use no TP at all, and just have reusable pieces of cloth for drying after the bidet.

And for my ladies out there, menstrual cups all the way! I have been using one for 4 years now and will never go back. They’re better for the environment, our bodies aren’t absorbing weird chemicals, and they save you lots of money. Also, I love the intimacy it’s given me with my cycle and it’s just so much easier. Especially if you’re a lady that spends lots of time outdoors or doing sports. I use a Diva Cup but there are so many other brands like Flex, Lunette, Organicup and Saalt.

Alright, next up is the bedroom.

Bedtime

Let’s start with the most important thing. Your MATTRESS.

Y’all, your mattress matters. You spend 8-10 (maybe more, maybe less) hours on this thing every single day. That’s a third of your life! And if it’s made of toxic materials, you best believe your body is absorbing that sh*t. There are so many mattress brands out there making non-toxic mattresses these days! If you can, go full organic. But those are going to be more expensive. If I had all the money to spend on a mattress when I was in the market, I would have gone with an Avocado Mattress. But my budget was a bit limiting and I found a non-toxic mattress in my price range by Tuft & Needle. This mattress is not made with the really bad chemicals. But it is not fully organic. So don’t be fooled into thinking it’s the best one out there, because it’s not. If you can afford to go full organic, do it. But otherwise, non-toxic is better than fully toxic, in my opinion.

What to look for when buying a mattress:

Organic wool
100% natural latex
Organic cotton
Oeko-Tex 100 Certification
GOLS and GOTS Certification
Up next: SHEETS! And bedding.

I recently invested in flax linen sheets from Bed Threads. There are tons of companies out there that are making sustainable and organic bedding! I chose these sheets mainly because I really wanted this terra cotta color that they offered. But they also support ethical working conditions, flax requires less water to grow, and they are a 100% carbon neutral company.

The package I received was fully plastic free.

I love these sheets and cannot recommend them enough.

My comforter I found on sale at West Elm and it is Organic cotton and soft as hell.

Keep an eye out for the organic cottons going on sale and you can find them at affordable prices!

Brooke loves Magic Linen (They also make face masks, clothing, table linens, fabric, you name it!)

fast fashion is a big issue

Alright, now let’s talk about the closet. I could write an entire article on sustainable clothing, so we’ll just talk briefly about it. Fast fashion is a big issue. Materials are not sustainably sourced or treated and working conditions for garment workers is less than pleasing. But there are brands out there, like Patagonia, that are changing the game. I am guilty of not caring where my clothes come from. But I am becoming more and more aware. The new standard of sustainable clothing: - look for organic cotton and hemp (regenerative agriculture is better!)- look for fair trade certified

-look for transparency within the company! Using Patagonia as another example: you can trace each piece of clothing back to the factory where it was produced. That’s the kind of transparency we need.

- let’s ditch synthetic clothing! It’s not good for our bodies nor for the planet. - second- hand is the way to go!!! And repairing damaged clothing is also so sustainable of you.

So, clothing brands that I admire: Patagonia, Jungmaven, Everlane and anything secondhand.

Check this article for more brands. I also recently purchased a swimsuit from Toast Swim and love it. All of their swimmies are made from recycled materials and it came in 100% compostable packaging made from cassava root (cool).

it’s a journey

It’s a journey, I know. But the more aware we are when buying new clothing, the better. Even if you are addicted to brands like Free People, Urban Outfitters, etc. (guilty), try to find pieces of clothing online secondhand by those brands or search their pages for anything they make that is organic or sustainable. For instance, even Free People has a Care FP line where they sell sustainable clothing. And Madewell also has an eco-friendly collection. We might not always make the best choices, but we can begin to make better choices for ourselves, our closets, and our planet.

Buying fewer, higher quality items is an easy way to lower your carbon footprint and save money in the long run.

Brooke loves Magic Linen, Christy Dawn, Naadam, SZ Blockprints, Misha Nonoo, and Rothys. She splurges a little bit more to buy “capsule wardrobe” pieces that clothes that are intended to be worn until they’re threadbare.

Kitchen

And finally, let’s talk about the kitchen. My favorite place to get environmentally friendly. Brands that I love for the kitchen: - Colony Co. reusable produce bags (I bought these years ago but there are now so many brands out there making reusable produce bags!!) I use these for produce only because the mesh is too large to fit bulk grains, beans, etc. - Earthwise mesh bags for bulk items and produce (you can find them in just packs of three at Whole Foods).. I also just use big mason jars for bulk items! - Full Circle everything!!! I love their walnut dish scrubber and the bamboo scrub brush. Everything they make is made of sustainable materials. You can buy online or purchase at Target and sometimes smaller chain grocery stores.

- Boulder Clean dish soap is what I’m currently using. I like to use biodegradable soaps and love supporting companies that donate 1% for the planet!

- Seventh Generation cleaning supplies. I use their all purpose cleaner and laundry detergent. I love it because of the ingredients but also because it comes in recycled packaging. Also be thinking about what you’re cooking in and all of the dishware you use. The less plastic the better.

DITCH the teflon and get with cast iron, stainless steel or ceramic. It’s better for you and our environment.

For other brands on sustainable household items, checkout Package Free Shop, Zero Waste Store, and Tiny Yellow Bungalow.

And then food and the environment calls for it’s own blog post ;)

s m a l l s t e p s f o r w a r d

It’s little steps at a time, y’all.

We’re going to make mistakes and sometimes life gets in the way. It’s okay.

Sometimes when you take a little extra time to learn about the materials and impact, it provides a clearer path in your decision making.

The more we buy the post-consumer recycled TP over the Charmin Ultra, the better we’re doing.

Keep saying no to single use plastics, remember to bring your reusable bags to the grocery store, and continue to fill your life with products that are not just healthy for you but sustainable for our planet. I am a firm believer that these products not only achieve the purpose of fulfilling their need while being sustainable, but they bring positive and loving energy into our lives. The energy in my shower is going to be so different when it is all just natural ingredients and my bundle of eucalyptus versus seven different bottles of brightly colored plastic full of chemicals. Every single item that we purchase brings a certain sort of energy into our homes and into our lives and supports something greater than just washing our dishes.

And it’s usually either supporting some large corporation or a better future for our planet. The more we learn about supply chains and how things work, we realize that it’s up to us to make concious effort to learn how to be more mindful consumers. At the end of the day, the customer is always right, right? Those small daily decisions that eventually lead to a lifestyle of choosing our planet over corporations. We’re widening our awareness, day by day. Let’s continue to love ourselves but love our planet while doing so.

xo,

Mimi

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Mindfulness with Mimi: Becoming A Conscious Consumer