Behind The Scenes – Our Recycling Efforts and Earth Friendly Practices
Jeff OxfordWe hear from you all the time about how you can feel the love and care that goes into how we package our orders, but the process starts before you have even placed your order. It has always been in our nature to reuse any shipping supplies that come our way. When we receive shipments we save everything, the packing peanuts, the filler, sometimes the box. All of that gets reused so we aren’t creating unnecessary waste or consuming new materials. So sometimes you may receive a box that has had a previous journey, sometimes your order will be wrapped in plastic bubble wrap as opposed to the paper alternative. However, we never ship out styrofoam peanuts that we get, because nobody wants those pesky things floating around their space, but we do take them to the nearest UPS store for proper recycling. If we are using new materials everything must be eco-friendly. The packing peanuts are biodegradable and even all of the tape we use is made from a plant material that is biodegradable.
Our warehouse team always has sustainability as one of their priorities and they are continuously coming up with ways to reuse what we have, being sure to not buy anything new or create waste with anything that could be considered useful. Our goal of removing plastic packaging for our products was deeply encouraged by our warehouse team. We are still in the process of completing the switch, but all of our smudge sticks are no longer in plastic. We use recyclable paper and a biodegradable label. And our palo santo now comes in a reusable, and quite cute, drawstring bag.
So why is this so important? Why do we value the impact that earth friendly practices offer?
“Because Joy Is What The Earth Gives Me Daily, And I Must Return The Gift.”
-Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
Through our own personal journeys, we have found that the deeper you dive into a spiritual practice, weather it’s meditating or doing yoga or going to church or performing rituals…the more connected you feel in the web of life. You want to smile at all the strangers. You get waves of deep appreciation for the moment you are sitting in. You notice and understand the space nature provides for you. And that makes you realize our earth mother provides so much. We are given all the food and all the water we need to survive from our planet. Shouldn’t we treat her with respect? The same respect you would have for another being. Because she is a living and breathing energy.
Think about everything you use in your day. From the clothes you put on your body to what you feed yourself. Where does it all come from? How far did it have to travel to get into your hands? How many people were involved in the process? What about the mug you drink your morning beverage of choice from? Is it local? Handmade? What do you purchase and what does it come packaged in? A ton of plastic? Or biodegradable/recyclable materials? Where in your life can you start to make decisions that will be beneficial for the planet, which in turn is beneficial for your community, your neighbor, your family, you. Maybe you can begin to make space for small actions that can have a greater impact.
Thank you for your continued support. If you ever have any ideas on how we can serve our earth a little better, please do not hesitate to reach out. We want to keep this a sustainable community.
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