Have you made a commitment to going green and reducing the amount of plastic packaging you purchase or recycle?
If you’re not quite there yet or maybe get overwhelmed by the idea, there are simple ways to begin, says Donna Gumprich, co-owner of All Things Being Eco, an ethical clothing and zero-waste retailer in Chilliwack.
“People who come in say they want to change their lifestyle, but they have no idea where to start. I tell them to take the two places they spend the most time in – the kitchen and the bathroom – and start there,” she says.
Combine your refills with reusable containers
You’d be amazed how many different household and personal products, as well as essential oils and DIY ingredients, are available in bulk form. All Things Being Eco, the first shop of its kind in Chilliwack and one of the first in Canada when it opened in 2008, continues to expand its bulk product section to give you an even broader range of eco-friendly, biodegradable items that can help you cut down on how much plastic packaging leaves your home.
“This is our number one goal for 2019, to help our customers reduce or eliminate the use of single-use plastics,” Gumprich says.
Here are other ways All Things Being Eco helps you achieve this goal:
- Bring in your empty household containers such as a mason jar, milk bottle or your old empty shampoo bottle to purchase shampoo or kitchen cleaners, or choose from a wide selection of reusable containers to fill with anything from liquid laundry or hand soap to deodorant. “If you can think of a plastic that needs to be eliminated from your home, we can help you with that,” says Gumprich.
- Have your favourite bulk personal care or household cleaners custom-blended to get just the right scent or combination of ingredients to get the job done.
- Attend an evening seminar to learn more about natural cleaning products.
Looking for ethically produced clothing?
If you like fair trade clothing brands such as Nomads Hemp Wear, Tasc Performance Wear or Canadian-made brands like Second Yoga Jeans, I Love Tyler Madison and Dianne Kennedy, but don’t relish travelling to Vancouver to find them, now is a good time to check out the clearance items at All Things Being Eco.
All clothing you’ll find here is made from sustainable fabrics like organic and recycled cotton, bamboo and hemp, and every manufacturer has passed the store’s ethical test. “Having transparency in its supply chain is extremely important to us so we know where items are coming from and how they’re being made,” Gumprich notes. “If it’s not made in Canada, it has to be fair-trade certified.”
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If your interest is piqued about going green or supporting ethical clothing manufacturers, you’re invited to come down to All Things Being Eco on Vedder Road. You can also follow them on Facebook.
