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 Is organic worth the price and better than conventional?

There’s a lot of information surrounding organic foods and whether or not they’re actually “better” for us. Understandably, this can cause confusion and distrust. I’m hoping today not to clear up all of the confusion - because even the scientific community does not have a clear consensus - but instead provide some straightforward insight to why I choose organic when possible.

A Drop in the Ocean Tacoma Zero Waste Sustainable Living Blog What do expiration dates actually mean

There are many ways to reduce our food waste, first and foremost being to simply buy less. But once that food is in our fridge or our pantry, what do we do with all of those expiration dates? First, we must learn what these dates mean. Because we’ve been bamboozled and all expiration dates are not actually the same.

A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Blog: 3 Ways to Save Time and Money with Zero Waste Grocery Shopping
Have you ever felt like zero waste grocery shopping takes way too much time and there’s no way you could make it work for you? What if I told you it could actually save you time AND money? Here's exactly how I manage my time and money with my weekly grocery trip.
A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog Have we overplayed the straw card in zero waste?
When I launched A Drop in the Ocean, I never wanted to be known for reusable straws. But straws are the poster child for the zero waste and plastic-free movements. Yet if our messaging stops with “Straws suck!”, how will we move the needle with enough magnitude to truly combat climate change?
A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog {{Video}} DIY Zero Waste Face Powder (It only takes 3 minutes!)
Sometimes we're made to believe that zero waste DIYs have to be difficult or time-consuming, but that is simply not the case. In this video, I demonstrate beginning to end how I make my own face powder using only four ingredients in three minutes.
A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog Safety Razor Care + Maintenance 101
The switch to a stainless steel safety razor from a plastic one can be intimidating. Believe me, I know. But once you do it, I can almost guarantee you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. But just like any quality product, sometimes safety razors need a little TLC. Here are some super low-effort ways to keep your safety razor gliding smoothly for life.
A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog How to Go Zero Waste - The Right Way

I’ve been living a zero waste life for two years now. I’ve learned a lot along the way. So today, I’m here to tell you the groundbreaking secret to living a zero waste lifestyle the right way.

A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog 10 Ways to Reduce Your Waste Without Spending a Dime

I’m saving lots of money in the long run by going zero waste. But in the short term, some of the alternatives can be a bit pricey. So what if you’re on a ramen-noodle-every-night budget, with save-the-planet aspirations? Here's 10 ways to reduce your waste without spending any money at all.

A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog My Emergency Toolkit for Wellness
I woke up this morning in a mood. It happens sometimes, you know? I just woke up and immediately was feeling kind of out of place, maybe a little sad for no reason, unmotivated. I suddenly remembered a Yoga Girl podcast about creating an Emergency Toolkit for Wellbeing for these moments. Today I'm making my own.
A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog In Defense of Marie Kondo (and What To Do With the Things That No Longer Spark Joy)
As I watched Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, I found myself wondering about the environmental impacts of this movement sweeping the Western world, and whether the KonMari method addresses the root of the “stuff” problem - overconsumption and devaluing of our possessions. I spent hours pondering this question, and now I am jumping on the Marie Kondo and KonMari bandwagon.
A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog The Ecological Footprint of a Zero Waste Wannabe
Earth Overshoot Day is the day each year that we use more resources than the planet can support. In 2018, Earth Overshoot Day fell on August 1. I calculated my personal Earth Overshoot Day and ecological footprint for the first time last January, and revisited the tool this week to see how far I’d come in the last year. The results were surprising...
A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog 6 Things I Wish I Had Known When I Started Going Zero Waste
It was almost exactly two years ago today that I embarked on my first ever zero waste grocery shopping adventure. I’ve learned a lot in the last two years, and I’m still constantly learning as I go. Looking back on my journey, here are six things I wish I had known then.
A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog 12 Things I've Stopped Buying Since Going Zero Waste
There’s so much that I’ve stopped buying since I started on my zero waste journey two years ago. Some were easy to ditch, and others took a bit of adjustment, trial, and error. Some were a success immediately, and others needed some tweaking. But overwhelmingly, I feel more at peace with my life as I live in line with my values, and I’ve saved a ton of money in the process.