Marilla's Low Waste Lifestyle Blog

A common misconception around plastic free living is that it isn't convenient, and it only works if you're the peaceful homesteader type, living a slow life off the grid. 

I'm here to tell you that I couldn't be further than that as a person. I leave the house early, I walk my dog down city streets, hit the gym, zoom to work, I eat meals on the go, and some days I'm not home until bedtime. EVEN on a day as crazy as all that, sustainable products make my life easier and save me money when all is said and done.

With that being said, today I want to highlight some products that are great if you are on the go go go and decide to hit the gym!

1. Hibar Deodorant Stick: We all know how much I love our Little Seed Farm Deodorant but we DO have a stick option that kicks butt and is perfect for tossing in the gym bag! My favorite is the Bergamot Cedarwood scent as I feel it's the strongest but we also have it in Lavender and cucumber scents (shout out to the 90's babies). Our hibar sticks come in a plastic free paper tube that doesn't get oily and gross after use. 10/10 on the go deo. 

2. Mouthwash Tablets/Mints: After my morning workout I'm usually on to the next thing so I need to freshen up QUICK especially if my next stop is a meeting.

3. Rose Hydrosol: Along the lines of freshening up a quick spritz of Rose Hydrosol is a great way to cleanse and glow with something OTHER than sweat. 

4. Shampoo&Conditioner sampler: If you're one of the fortunate few that has SHOWERS available at your gym, The sampler packs are fantastic. Teeny tiny travel size and each puck lasts a few months!  I use the shampoo as a makeshift body wash and I pack them easily in my bag simply folded in a clean dry washcloth. 

5.Dry Shampoo: If you're NOT one of the fortunate few that has access to a shower or you SIMPLY don't have time, come to the dry shampoo side, my friend. This little paper tube of magic is the perfect way to erase greasy/sweaty hair and add a little volume back to hair that's been tucked under cap etc. Simply sprinkle on the roots, let it sit for a sec and then comb or work it through with your fingers! 

6. Cotton Mesh Bag (for gym clothes) : Our cotton mesh bags get a lot of love for produce but they are actually one of the most affordable wash bags/garment bags I can find. So instead of stocking more expensive alternatives, you KNOW we keep it practical and use our mesh bags to capture our socks and sports bras, and even shoes after a workout.

7. Water Bottle: Or reusable coffee cup, or jar, or WHATEVER WORKS. Whatever it takes to avoid a disposable water bottle that costs too much and probably contains more microplastics than you want to mix with a workout. 

8. Dried Fruit/ Raw Trail Mix: One thing about me, I'm going to need a snack. I'm no use to anyone if I'm hungry and low energy so I make sure to stock some of favorites for pre and post workout. My go-to mess free snacks are the sundried mango, medjool dates (THE BEST), raw trail mix, and masala cashews. Raw & Dried fruits, nuts, and seeds are FULL of key nutrients that can help your body when you're on the move so I always make sure to stash a few in my bag, car, pocket...you get the point.

When you think about convenience and sustainability, what has you hesitating? At Marilla's we LOVE diving in and problem solving in ways that make your life more efficient instead of adding extra steps. Let us know how we can help by reaching out via email, dm's, or popping in the shop today! 

-Marilla

Happy World Environment Day!!! When digging into climate conversations and environmental issues (especially for the whole world) it's easy to feel anxiety creeping up and the doom scrolling intensify. Sometimes it's easy to feel defeated by bad news especially if you are immediately affected by things like severe weather events etc. 

What can be done when you're down in the dumps about the planet?! To be honest, there is no ONE right answer but I DO have a few suggestions after living and working in a climate centered space for the last decade. 

1. Get involved with something in your immediate area. Check with your local municipality to see if there is a Sustainable initiative that you can get involved with. This can look different for everyone. At school it could be a green club helping to connect students to resources and education. In your town is can be as simple as a can drive, organizing a litter pickup, a clothing swap, (like ours at 7pm 6/6) or even a community yardsale/swap. If you aren't into organizing, one of my favorite things to do is take walks in my community and pick up whatever garbage I see along the way. Even something as simple as putting garbage in the correct receptacle can protect people and wildlife in your area and make a big difference. For me, seeing improvements in my immediate area can remind me that individual action matters and that what I do has an impact.

2. If you don't have time to volunteer around town, perhaps donate to organizations you trust!  In the Fingerlakes area I love to support clean water initiatives such as Seneca Lake Pure Waters and if you want to go bigger, I love supporting The Ocean Cleanup through the years they have done amazing work capturing plastic out of the ocean and in rivers BEFORE it hits the larger bodies of water. So far they have removed nearly 850,000 lbs of garbage from our waterways and they aren't slowing down. In May, they removed their 100th load of garbage from the ocean! 

3. If you don't have time to volunteer, and don't have extra funds to donate, GOOD NEWS! You can have a positive impact on the planet and the people around you by incorporating sustainable swaps into the daily routines you already partake in! (This is where we come in!) This is as simple as poking around your house and seeing what you're running low on. Toothpaste? Dishwasher detergent? Spices? Deodorant? Glass cleaner? Pick an item and pop into Marilla's Mindful Supplies (or a refill shop near you) and see if you can find a sustainable alternative! Quite often the sustainable alternative is better for you and if you can find a refill you may even save a few dollars! 

4. Finally, it never hurts to use the algorithm in your favor and search for some positive climate news a few days a week. Of course there will always be something scary to report, but for every sad news story that exists, there is something hopeful happening. Perhaps these hopeful happenstances aren't always as clickworthy and sensational but when my feed is getting depressing, I seek out some positive planet news to re-energize and keep me going so today I'm going to leave you with a couple bites of good news:

This year Portugal is kicking butt with renewable energy!!

In 2024, Portugal's renewable energy sources met 91% of the country's electricity needs on average during the first four months of the year, with a peak of 95% in April. This is a significant increase from 2023, when renewable energy sources only met 62% of the country's electricity needs for the entire year.

REFILL REVOLUTION: Since we opened Marilla's Mindful Supplies in 2019, there were only a handful of low waste refill shops in the US. There are now over 1,000 across the country, many of them are woman or minority owned providing jobs and resources for folks looking to reduce their carbon footprint close to home! 

So with that, I want to say, you matter, and even by doing something as small as signing up for our email list and supporting our tiny shop, you are already positively impacting the planet and the people that live here. 

This year for World Environment Day I hope this leaves you with a little bit of courage, joy, and hope for the future by assuring you that you are enough and that what you are doing is helping far more than you know! 

Thanks for being around and thanks for your support on World Environment Day and all the other days too.

Peace and Blessings, Talk soon!

Marilla

Earth Month is upon us and every company on this green earth is about to become suddenly greener. A lot greener. 

While I personally enjoy any excuse for planet-positive action, sometimes earth month can be OVERWHELMING and fraught with fibs. Sustainability has gotten trendy enough for big players to start noticing there is money to made in this realm, and when they realize there is money to be made, those big players go above and beyond to point out how astoundingly eco-friendly they are, even if that stretches the truth a wee bit.