BUT WHERE DO I START?!

BUT WHERE DO I START?!

When I decided to reduce plastic in my life I was looking at my personal care. Specifically the bottles of body wash in my shower. I found a bar of soap I loved (cucumber scent, like any self respecting 90's baby) and a soap bag to put it in and, voila! Plastic Problem solved. Until I looked at the plastic bottle of shampoo...and conditioner...and shaving gel...and the plastic razor...and the plastic bottle of lotion....and face wash...and, and, and, long story short, pretty soon it felt like the plastic walls were closing in around me. If this sounds familiar, I'm here to tell you that it's normal and it gets better. Maybe you feel surrounded by plastic now, but there will be a time in the near future that you will phase out so much of it you'll be amazed! I know, because that's exactly what happened to me and if I can do it, ANYONE CAN. (seriously, I used to tell my mom I didn't want to own real plates, I just wanted paper, so I could throw them away after every meal. I also had a brief love affair with press n' seal but that's in the past)
May 23, 2023 — Joseph Gonzalez
Is Eco Friendly Economical???

Is Eco Friendly Economical???

We've all been there. We want to buy things that make sense for the planet....but what if they don't make sense for our wallet? With prices rising across the country, this is a fair question! 🕵🏻‍♀️When I opened Marilla's I had two goals: 1. Make it a place where you could find practical plastic free alternatives. 2. Make it a place that anyone could shop no matter their income. 💙💪
May 19, 2023 — Marilla Gonzalez
Is My Detergent Illegal in NY and Other Mysteries...

Is My Detergent Illegal in NY and Other Mysteries...

At the beginning of the month I had my content planned meticulously and this week was SUPPOSED to be dedicated to plastic free dishwashing. Little did I know New York was about to drop a ban on laundry detergents that would TECHNICALLY outlaw some of the most popular brands on the market so the dishes are going to have to wait! 

January 19, 2023 — Marilla Gonzalez
Meet Marilla!

Meet Marilla!

Hi! I'm the Marilla behind Marilla's Mindful Supplies. After years of working in the health food industry I was frustrated that even in my favorite earth friendly shops I still found single use plastic everywhere I looked. Organic snacks were packaged in plastic and I bought the same plastic containers on repeat.

In 2018 I decided I'd had enough and started investigating the possibilities of a shop with little to no plastic packaging. As I searched, I found resources were extremely limited, but I was determined to make it happen.

Taking my experience in the health food industry and a practical mindset with me, I opened Marilla's Mindful Supplies. A place where you can find everyday items without any of the plastic. A place where refilling is simple and sustainability makes sense...for everyone.

January 10, 2023 — Marilla Gonzalez
Life Skills for Jar Hoarders

Life Skills for Jar Hoarders

Some of us are already jar stashers, some of us are teetering on the precipice of jar stashery. Either way, if refilling has peeked your interest you are going to want to know your way around saving a good jar and you might appreciate these time saving tricks! 
5 tips to make refilling easy!

5 tips to make refilling easy!

The idea of refilling is fairly straightforward. Step one: Bring a container. Step Two: fill the container. Step three: repeat steps one and two. Doing this and this alone keeps THOUSANDS of containers out of the waste stream every day and we love being a part of this process. With that being said, I've been in the business of refilling containers for almost a decade now and I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I'd like to share today that make refilling a bit simpler. A little refill "Savoir-Faire" if you will. 
A large cornflower plant blooming wildly through a crack in a parking lot next to a red fire hydrant

Why Cornflower Blue is the Best Blue.

Hello Friends! Welcome back to the BLOG. I was recently patting myself on the back about how consistent I've been with the emails when I realized I forgot we had a blog. In my head, our emails had become our blog but...that's not the way this works. So here I am back on the blog which I will LINK in the email for the week. Slowly but surely I'm learning. And that's showbiz, baby. 
July 21, 2022 — Marilla Gonzalez
What's Old Is New: The Story behind the jar!

What's Old Is New: The Story behind the jar!

Faced with a rebrand and the job of reworking our logo, I've been thinking a great deal about what our logo means, what our mission is, and what makes us unique. Something that is unmistakably prominent in our logo is our jar so I wanted to take a moment today to talk about WHY that jar is front and center when it comes to our shop's identity. 
September 13, 2021 — Marilla Gonzalez
Waste Not Wear Are You?!

Waste Not Wear Are You?!

Where in the world is our Waste Not Wear! We took a few minutes this morning to process what it's like to see the last few bits of Waste Not Merch go off to a good home. We're so thankful for the love and we have a favor to ask!!
August 25, 2021 — Marilla Gonzalez
The Ripple Effect

The Ripple Effect

When we opened this shop, part of our mission was to source as local as possible. Of course there a few items that are from far far away lands (hello, Miyabi charcoal water filters) but when asked about a new product, I start my search hyper local. Do I know anyone who makes this? Do I know anyone who WANTS to make this? Can we fill this need by putting a neighbor's product on our shelves? We always start as close by as possible.
Can Plastic be Fantastic?

Can Plastic be Fantastic?

Plastic is everywhere. And while it’s ugly and sometimes scary when we see it littering the ground and damaging wildlife, there are times when plastic is…fantastic. There are times when plastic is lifesaving. Growing up, one of my siblings was on dialysis for years. It involves bags and bags of fluid and some single use plastic! It helped keep him alive for years. I am so thankful. When natural disasters strike and water supplies take a turn for the worse, bottled water keeps people going. I am so thankful. In the last few decades of gas

powered vehicles 🚗 plastic has reduced the weight of cars resulting in less fuel burned. Something that was unheard of before the invention of plastic. And I am thankful. “Plastic free” and “Zero Waste” are catchy slogans but they aren’t realistic for many people…including my family! These are fantastic hashtags to follow and inspiring in many ways but they can also make people feel they aren’t good enough or excluded and that’s the opposite of what we want. We call ourselves a “Low-Waste Shop” for a reason, and that’s because we want to communicate that we aren’t perfect and you don’t have to be either to make a difference!

Of course, our hope for the future is that we can move AWAY from harmful petroleum based plastic entirely and TOWARD truly sustainable plant based “plastic” that can be used for all these things, and sustainably return to the earth without harming it. But where does that leave us in the meantime? We think that leaves us with a couple of things on our To-Do list:

 

  1. Look honestly at our own routines and buying patterns and eliminate the UNNECESSARY plastic. (this means making realistic switches where you CAN and not guilting yourself for switches you CAN’T make yet)
  2. Being gentle with people around us. Not everyone has access to plastic free options and everyone’s participation is unique! No one wants to be a part of a mission that makes them feel ashamed of plastic they can’t help, and you never know what’s going on in someone’s life on any given day. Being gentle and celebrating the little things is a win-win! 
  3. SUPPORT COMPANIES AND GROUPS THAT ARE WORKING TOWARD SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING. Sometimes that means plastic! We don’t have a perfect plastic alternative at the moment but as consumers, we signal to companies what there is a market for. We know this can be tricky, and I’m not saying you have to purchase everything that says “bio-plastic” on the label, but it’s worth digging in to see what that company is doing behind the scenes and supporting it with surveys, feedback, reviews etc. If there’s no interest in these alternatives there wont be motivation to solve the puzzle or change! 
  4. Re-use re-use re-use! Having beautiful glass and bamboo containers is great, but you know what else is great? Reusing takeout or yogurt containers to refill bulk food! Reusing a grocery bag a zillion times at the farmers market! Washing out your zip-lock bags and reusing disposable cutlery if possible! These options aren’t always aesthetic or cute but they are a part of keeping harmful plastics OUT of the waste stream! 

 

There is so much more to say about this issue and I could go on for days but I will close with this. Reducing plastic on a global level is a complicated conversation. It’s important, it’s necessary in so many areas of our life, and we have a LOT of work to do. With that being said, sometimes the “plastic free” and “zero waste” movements can be extreme and feel exclusive and we NEVER want ANYONE to feel like they can’t be a part of keeping this earth clean. Even if you use plastic EVERY DAY you can still be a part of the solution. You are still A WASTE NOT WARRIOR! 

🙌🙌🙌🙌

July 15, 2021 — Marilla Gonzalez
Waste Not Warriors!

Waste Not Warriors!

Good morning! I was sitting here thinking about what to post and looking through our Instagram for some inspiration when I came to a full stop and realized once again how grateful and humbled and blessed we are.

This week has been HEAVY. We’ve had so much happening. Very busy schedules, stressful family medical mysteries, prepping for a funeral of someone dear, and some other unpleasant surprises.

But do you know what’s helped get us through this week? YOU GUYS. And you always have.

I’ve been reflecting on how The Waste Not Shop came to be this week.

Two baby-faced twenty-somethings decided they could do it. 💪 We had no money, we had no idea what was ahead, all we knew is that we wanted to make a place like this exist in Geneva. 

YOU FOLKS SHOWED UP. Our customers, family and friends cheered us on and helped every step of the way while we navigated obstacles and set backs, raised money, etc. I’ll never forget the JOY at our grand opening. I couldn’t talk to any of you because I had lost my voice completely, but the shop was full
of excitement, singing, and fun. it was one of the best days of my life.

A matter of MONTHS later the world stopped when a global pandemic hit. There was so much trepidation. So much was unpredictable. We stopped offering self serve, we started packing orders. We talked seriously about what would happen if we had to close. Weeks went by and…

YOU FOLKS SHOWED UP. I have a notebook, full of lists. Lists and lists of items, from people who CARED about us surviving. People who knew that a small business in it’s first few months needed them. Now I look at those pages of lists and while they are simply “oats, raisins, coffee, etc. To me they are a symbol of the shops lifeline. I might just frame them. We would never have made it without those scribbled lists symbolizing all the love and support we received. (Shopping small is real, people)

Despite all the scary situations and potential threats to our existence, we are here today, open for business, and we even got to hire ONE employee! A goal we had from the start!! We’re still tiny, we aren’t rolling in dough, but we are HERE. And that’s largely because of our amazing customers. The #wastenotwarriors.

Because of you guys, we have a space to earn a living, learn about sustainability, be a part of a town we love dearly, connect with SO many, and have after hours dance party’s with my favorites. 

All this to say thank you. For the millionth time. Thank you for making my happy place a reality. Happy Saturday.

Love, Marilla ❤

June 21, 2021 — Marilla Gonzalez