Sustainable Summer FUN

Summer is a big deal in the refill space. a few years ago "Plastic Free July" became a popular challenge among planet lovers and now it's a fun opportunity to examine our routines and see where we could cut back on plastic consumption. At Marilla's this is exactly what we train for. Instead of any feelings of guilt or shame around the plastic that we DO use, we spend July celebrating our FAVORITE swaps, sharing tips that make our lives easier and products that make plastic free FUN. This email we are kicking off the summer with FUN and focusing on the products that keep summer care free and low waste! 

1. Our absolute favorite summer toy this season is our refillable water balloons. I l love these for multiple reasons and I'm here to lay them out for you. First of all: No plastic waste = No post water balloon war cleanup!! These balloons are made of silicone with two rings of magnets that snap together in the middle (These magnets are completely encased, and hand checked to make sure no magnets escape!) because of this design they easily bust open on contact and you don't have to worry about tiny bits of plastic in the yard! Second of all: SO EASY A BABY CAN DO IT! Say goodbye to standing by the sink of spigot filling balloons. These are so easy kids can refill them by themselves so you can sip your iced pink lemonade or garden or anything besides standing at the spigot. Thirdly, these sets will last you for years when taken care of so your dollar goes a LOT further than single use water balloons. Writing this paragraph is making me want to have a water balloon fight so we're going to move on.

2. SUNSCREEN SEASON: Ok I know it's not just one season.  Every day I look in the mirror and remind myself that I should wear sunscreen every day EVEN ON CLOUDY DAYS. Do I wear it every day? Let's move on. We have exactly 2.5 options for plastic free sun protection at Marilla's. The most traditional option is a liquid lotion that is perfect for refilling your empty tubes and bottles from home. After that, we have a tin of cream that has additional ingredients that help to fade sunspots and nourish your skin. I like to use this one as a facial moisturizer and keep it in my purse! Michelle at Pantry Products makes these tins especially for us so we can offer a convenient plastic free option for customers on the go! Our third and newest option is a very exciting double duty products. Our tinted skin elixer from Terra Stoma is PACKED with herbs to keep your skin glowing and zinc oxide to provide a layer of sun protection. The coverage is light yet evening as a base layer for your makeup routine so if you love a glowy look I HIGHLY recommend.

3. PLASTIC FREE PICNIC: This one has layers so I'm going to try to be efficient by telling you how I'm packing my summer picnic basket this year. First I'm grabbing a few 10 packs of our wooden forks and spoons and a stack of our palm leaf plates and bowls. These are actually pretty durable so I get a couple washes out of them! For wrapping fruits, veggies, and cheeses I'm packing my beeswax wraps. these can even be folded into pouches for extra snack transportation! Then I'm adding my silicone pouches, as they are perfect for packing a cold smoothie, and as someone who loves to float on the lake, I'm wondering if a frozen margarita would work? The sky is the limit. If you're not into packing a picnic but love to hit up food trucks and summer stands, I recommend our bamboo cutlery set to keep in your bag or glove box. It comes fully loaded with a lightweight bamboo fork, knife, spoon, straws, chopsticks, and a straw cleaner! 

4. FARMERS MARKET ESSENTIALS: Summer is the season of farmers markets and when you live in rural areas, The hallowed roadside produce stand. To the best of my ability I try to keep my trusty essentials stuffed in my car door. The essentials I like to have handy are the Marilla's Tote: Love it because it has a FLAT BOTTOM which makes filling a breeze and it wont fall over when packed full. A string market bag. These puppies hold up to 40 lbs of whatever you can fit in them and expand to a huge size making them perfect for unruly produce or bulky towels for the beach! In addition to these two totes, I like to have a few smaller cotton produce bags and silicone resealable bags around for whatever snacks and treats I might find along the way!

I hope this gets you excited for the summer days ahead and helps you to feel empowered about reducing plastic in your summer routines! With plastic free July around the corner there will be plenty of time to tackle heavier topics but for now, cheers to summer, and low waste low stress livin!! 

See you at the shop! (online or in person!)

-Marilla