Welcome to the A Drop in the Ocean blog!

Every Monday we're popping into our EcoWarrior community's inboxes with practical + actionable tips for living more sustainably, and we're always working hard to add those emails to our blog as well. But we're a small team and sometimes we get behind because, hey, we're human.

So if you want these kinds of tips every week, without even leaving your inbox, join the EcoWarriors for Make Waves Mondays - because that's one thing we don't get behind on. Pinky promise.

Blog

A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Store: How eco-friendly are laundry detergent sheets?
I get asked ALL the time why we don’t sell laundry detergent sheets. They're everywhere these days. But allow me to set the record straight. Laundry detergent sheets aren’t the sustainable silver bullet those ads would have you believe. Let me tell you why.
A Drop in the Ocean Blog: 4 Tips for a Zero Waste Move

Last month my partner and I moved into a new home together, and now that we're all settled in, it’s about time to talk all things zero waste moving! I think we can agree that typically, moving house creates a lot of waste. Between the cardboard boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, and general decluttering…it adds up! But honestly, it doesn’t have to be that way.

A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Store: I wish I didn't care about sustainability

Living a zero waste lifestyle is about living in alignment with your values. And I am so here for that. It makes me feel good to know that the choices I make every single day reflect the core values that I hold true. But over these last couple of weeks I sure have missed the ease and the mindlessness of my pre-zero waste days. I wouldn’t go back to those days for anything, but let's talk about why this feeling is important.

The 7 Types of Plastic You Need to Know (And How to Recycle Them)

Recycling is not the solution to our waste crisis, but when we do recycle it's important we do it right. So this week, we’re diving deep into the 7 different types of plastics - what they are, how to identify them, how to recycle them correctly, and ultimately, how to avoid them completely.

A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Store: Why you should switch to a natural laundry detergent
Conventional laundry detergent contains toxic chemicals that are being banned for their effects on humans. By switching to an all-natural laundry detergent, you'll not only protect your family from these chemicals, but our waterways, too. Here's everything you need to know about why you should make the switch to natural laundry detergent and how.
A Drop in the Ocean Blog: How to do a No Spend Month
Today’s post is a topic I’ve been meaning to write for a couple of years now but for some reason never have - how to do a No Spend Month. It’s something I’ve done in the past that has had a hugely positive impact on my life and I know it’s done the same for others, too. If you’re not yet familiar with a No Spend Month, allow me to introduce you...
A Drop in the Ocean Shop How to Use Powder-to-Liquid Hand Soap

While some of our eco-products are obvious and easy to understand, many of them may not be. There’s so much innovation happening in this space, and today I'm showcasing one of my favorite, new, innovative zero waste products on our shelves - powder-to-liquid hand soap.

A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Blog: Everything you need to know about wool dryer balls

Let’s dive into one of my very favorite and very first zero waste swaps - wool dryer balls. Whether you’re trying to reduce waste, cut out fragrances, avoid chemicals, save time, or save money…wool dryer balls are an absolute necessity. So let’s break down what exactly dryer balls are, why they’re so great, and how to get the absolute most out of them.

7 Creative Ways to Reuse Old Toothbrushes

One of my favorite zero waste tools for deep cleaning? An old bamboo toothbrushI mean, we gotta brush our teeth anyway, right? So today I'm sharing some of my favorite ways to reuse bamboo toothbrushes around the house once they're retired from cleaning our teeth.

4 Reasons to Stop Using Foaming Hand Soap: A Drop in the Ocean Shop
Foaming hand soap is a waste of money. Yep, I said it, and I stand by it. Here's why you should ditch the foam, or if you're not ready to give it up, how to save buckets of money by making your own.
A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Blog: Sustainable Lawns
The American lawn is iconic, but more and more people are starting to question if constantly maintaining these little green squares is worth it. Where did the American lawn come from, how did it become so ubiquitous in our culture, and can we replace the lawn with something better? EcoWarrior Robb joins us to write a guest post on the subject.
Small Changes. Big Impact.

This year, we introduced a mini-series of blog posts where we focused on just one small thing we can do in our everyday lives that has a big impact for our planet. To wrap up this mini-series, we're taking a journey back through them to see just how big of an impact we could have making these changes for just one month.

Why should you turn down your thermostat?

What’s your thermostat set to right now? It may not seem like one or two degrees really matters when it comes to sustainability, but they really do! Residential heating and cooling accounts for 9% of all energy consumption in the United States. Here's how to slash that number and save money.

A Drop in the Ocean Shop 3 Reasons to Ditch Paper Towels

How much more sustainable are reusable items versus disposable? What a great question! Let's take a look at paper towels and how much water we can save by making the switch to reusables.

Phantom Energy: Why we need to unplug our chargers.

What do phantoms and vampires have to do with zero waste? It’s all got to do with energy use. Because remember, zero waste is about more than physical waste. It’s about wasted time, wasted energy, and wasted resources. Phantom energy, or vampire power, is the energy your electronic devices are always consuming, even when they’re turned off or not in use, and all that phantom energy can add up quickly. 

A Drop in the Ocean 5 Tips for Hosting a Zero Waste Party

The arrival of fall brings shortly behind it the holiday season, full of gatherings with family and friends. And with those gatherings typically comes a quite bit of waste. But does it have to? In this week's blog post we're chatting 5 ways to keep parties low to zero waste - without spending any extra money.

A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog Back to School

I may be a wee bit late to the party, but back to school is in full swing! I’ve compiled nine of my favorite tips for a zero waste back to school season, just for you. Or, if you’re returning to your office soon and need a revamp, think of this as your guide to a zero waste back to office season 😉

A Drop in the Ocean Tacoma Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog The Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Spring Cleaning

It’s that time of the year! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, it’s like straight out of Snow White. Time to clean! So this week, I wanted to share some of my favorite spring cleaning tips and tools to keep our homes, our bodies, and our planet clean.