About Us

The Shop

A Drop in the Ocean is a Tacoma, Washington-based sustainable living and zero waste store dedicated to giving back to the environment and the community. We specialize in bulk refills of everyday home and personal care products and sustainable alternatives to common disposable items.

We envision a sustainable future for all living things.

Our mission is to use business as a driving force for change. We aim to make sustainable living accessible to all, and use our resources to support on-the-ground efforts that further enhance our vision for a sustainable future.

Each item purchased in our shop plants one tree, and [at least] one percent of our sales are donated to ocean conservation and many of our products are sourced from other individuals and businesses giving back to the planet as well.

By shopping at A Drop in the Ocean, you’re supporting small businesses, minority- and women-owned businesses, and layers of dedication to protecting this big blue marble we call home.

And for that, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.

The Name

It’s so easy to feel like our individual actions don’t matter. There are so many messages out there with crazy statistics about how much plastic is in our ocean or how many straws we use per day, and it can feel overwhelming. 

But it really only takes one person making one change in their life to make a difference in the world.

But let’s be real - one person can’t save the world in a vacuum.

I know that using my reusable shopping bags or reusable straw won’t change the world overnight, and that one action may seem like “a drop in the ocean.” But our individual actions make ripples, and together we are the ocean.

The Founder

Hi there! 👋 I’m Krystina, and I’m a zero waste wannabe.

I started on a journey to zero waste in early 2017, and it quickly became a way of life and a passion.

I have considered myself an environmentalist my whole life, but it was not until I fell into zero waste that I truly felt like I was living the environmentalist ethic. Until zero waste, I was like many people in the world who believed that in order to "do" conservation you needed several degrees, a massive bank account for international travel, and a sweet job that had “conservation” in the title.

I have learned that that is simply not true.

While I have since earned a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology and did actually have a job with “conservation” in the title, those are just details of my conservationist life now - not the main points.

I’ve learned that conservation, environmentalism, “green living,” sustainability - whatever you want to call it - only need one thing.

Passion.

All it takes is one person to make one small change, and the ripple effect is incredible. I’ve seen it time and time again.

And so that’s why I’m here. I hope that through this shop and these resources you will find your one small change and see the ripples form around you.

We only have this one planet - what can we do today to care for the one place that has given us so much?

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” - Mother Theresa