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 Tacoma Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog What is Reef Safe Sunscreen and Why Does It Matter?
Summer is coming and that means vacation, beaches, and sunscreen - so let's make it sustainable! But what exactly is reef-safe sunscreen, how can you be sure a sunscreen is actually ocean-safe, and why does it matter, anyway?
Do we need corporate action or consumer action for zero waste?
Last week I posted a TikTok about how plastics aren’t actually recyclable. I very quickly received a comment that said, “Pretending this is a consumer issue is not going to help anything.” And I agree. But these are complex issues. So in our quest for a zero waste world, do we need corporate or consumer action?
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.

A Drop in the Ocean Tacoma Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog Why I Don't Recommend Seaspiracy Documentary
These are big issues. These are complex issues. These are issues that involve governments, corporations, communities, individuals, scientists, and activists. And because of all of that and more, here's why I can't recommend the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy.
A Drop in the Ocean Tacoma Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog 5 Reasons to Hang Dry Laundry
Hang drying your laundry isn't just great for the planet, but it's great for you, too. Here are the five reasons I choose to hang-dry nearly all of my laundry.
A Drop in the Ocean Tacoma Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog 3 Reasons to Wash Your Laundry on Cold
Many of us, myself included, choose the hot setting for some loads because we believe the hot setting will sanitize our laundry. But apparently that's not the case. Washing your laundry on cold benefits the planet, but maybe it benefits you too.
What's the Environmental Impact of Online Shopping?
I want to take a little deep dive into the impacts of online shopping versus in-person, and how we are optimizing our systems to get you the essentials you need, as fast as possible, as safely as possible, and with the smallest carbon footprint possible. Because the answer to "which is more sustainable - online or in person?" may surprise you.
A Drop in the Ocean Tacoma Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog Is a reusable straw better than a plastic one?

Straw messaging is generally seen as the gateway swap to a more sustainable lifestyle, which is great! Everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right? And while I do believe that we’ve overplayed the straw card, it’s still an important topic. Because the 500,000,000 straws used every day add up. FAST. So if you’re new to the zero waste and sustainable lifestyle, here’s what you need to know about straws.

A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Blog: 6 Tips for Low Waste Grocery Shopping without Bulk Bins
The number one thing people tell me they struggle with when trying to go zero waste is food packaging, especially without access to bulk bins. But there are still so many ways we can reduce our waste in the grocery store and at home. Here are 6 of my favorite tips for low waste grocery shopping, even if you don't have bulk bins around you.
Reflecting on 2 Years of A Drop in the Ocean
A Drop in the Ocean just celebrated our SECOND BIRTHDAY! 🥳🥳🥳 I can’t believe it’s been two years already since I pressed “Publish” on our little corner of the interwebs. So much has changed and evolved in the last two years. So today, I’m reflecting on the 12 things I’ve learned so far as a sustainable and zero waste business owner.
A Drop in the Ocean Tacoma Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog How to save water without taking a shorter shower
We all love our long, hot showers. We know they're not great for the planet, but they're just so nice. So when a colleague said, "We need to stop telling people to take shorter showers," I was hooked. Here's how we can save water every day without taking a 5-minute shower.
A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Blog How to Write to Companies About Sustainability and Packaging

I’m a huge advocate for living by your values, voting with your dollar, and making changes in your life to leave a smaller footprint on our planet. But we can’t reach a sustainable future for all living things in a vacuum. We need bottom-up and top-down change. So let’s talk about reaching out to companies to improve their practices.

A Drop in the Ocean Tacoma Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog We Are Guests on this Planet
When I started babysitting, my mom taught me to always leave the home better than when I arrived. I was a guest. And we are all but guests on this planet, trusted with its life.
A Drop in the Ocean Tacoma Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog Ultimate Guide to Sustainable and Ethical Jewelry
Apparently there’s a lot happening in the jewelry space. I knew NONE of this before digging into the research and HOLY MOLY, friend. But knowing the problems with traditional jewelry options can help us all make better choices in the future.
A Drop in the Ocean Tacoma Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog Carbon Footprint of Unwanted Email
We’re BOMBARDED with emails, all day every day. And how many of them do we actually read? How many of them do we actually value? And what's the carbon footprint of all those unwanted emails?
Lessons from Nature
I went for a walk in nature today, friend. And I was reminded of some beautiful lessons we can all learn from nature.