Have you always wanted to live more sustainably? Start now! Small changes can make a big difference. Here are 5 tips to be more mindful each day, the fair trade way.
1. Give a gift that gives back
Everyone loves comfy socks, and Conscious Step socks do double duty, like each pair of Socks that Give Clean Water. Through the nonprofit Water.org, each pair you purchase provides access to safe water for one person. They are a sustainable wardrobe staple!
663 million people live without access to water and 2.4 billion live without a toilet. For 20 years, Water.org has pioneered safe water and sanitation solutions that give women hope, children health and communities a future. These socks are helping provide aid to regions of developing countries that do not have access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
2. Delight in dryer balls
Felt is one of the oldest forms of fabric; a necessity for the nomadic tribes of Asia where the technique is thought to have originated. Who knew that today, felt would have such a practical use?
Our artisan partners in Nepal create felt dryer balls by hand, using a “wet felt” technique: warm water, soap, and friction are used to matte the natural fibers found in wool and form into a ball.
Pop at least two of these into each dryer load, and they’ll keep your clothes from getting stuck together, decrease static, absorb moisture, and reduce drying time by 25%. They last for thousands of washes—compare that to single use dryer sheets! If you like your laundry to smell great too, add a few drops of essential oils, like lavender, citrus, or cedar onto your dryer balls.
(While we are on the topic, read our 5 ways to use less energy and make your clothes last longer).
3. Save paper, use cloth!
241.33 million Americans* used paper napkins in 2019. That’s a lot of trees! Paper napkins pollute landfills and are usually bleached with chlorine and contain toxins, and are then packaged in plastic.
Although you can compost napkins in many places, it is still better for the Earth to use cloth napkins. Invest in cloth napkins once and they will last forever; you save money in the long-run. They aren’t just for keeping clean at mealtime—cloth napkins have many uses! Use them to line a bowl of chips or bread, fold up and use as a coaster, and keep a few on hand to help in any messy situation (do you also have kids who tend to spill in the car? These absorb much better!) At a picnic, they don’t blow away. Our organic cotton napkins can be washed with your other laundry; no special care necessary.
*Calculated by Statista based on the According to U.S. Census data and Simmons National Consumer Survey
4. Don’t forget your reusable bag!
End single use plastics and bag it up in one of our reusable shopping bags, made with upcycled sari fabric scraps by rural artisans in India.
This bag carries everything! Library books, groceries, stuffed full with diapers and kid gear, and keeps snacks free of sand at the beach. You can carry it with you all time—it rolls back up into the conveniently attached pouch. They are easy to throw into the washing machine to clean, too.
5. Look for the label
While you’ve got that sari shopping bag on your shoulder, choose fair trade products at the grocery store!
See how many fair trade products we found in one shopping trip:
Start with our handy guide to fair trade labels. You’ll most likely find it on everybody’s favorite fruit, bananas! Learn more about how fair trade benefits small-scale farmers: https://fairworldproject.org/fair-trade-bananas-a-tale-of-two-farmers/
What ways do you plan to be mindful in your purchases this year? Have you made a “fair trade switch” with a product you use everyday? We would love to hear about it!
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