The island of Paros is small, rocky, and just slightly under-the-radar, as Greek islands go. And it’s just starting to develop a reputation as a plastic-free travel destination. My husband and I arrived on a blustery day in October, picked up our delightfully toy-sized rental car, and headed for our first hotel, which I’d chosen […]
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The Leaf Razor: A Painfully Honest Review from my Adventures in Sustainable Shaving
Thinking of upgrading your shave to a sustainable, plastic-free safety razor? After testing lots of (much less painful) plastic-free toiletry swaps, I decided to do the same. So I’ve thoroughly tested three plastic-free razor brands for this review. (TL;DR: The Leaf is the only one that didn’t hurt me.) These are the razors I tested […]
This Travel Blog Declares a Climate Emergency [Part 1: Wait, What?]
This is the first article in what will be a multi-part series about understanding, calculating and reducing the carbon emissions of travel. (Here’s Part 2 – about calculating my carbon emissions from flights in 2022.) I have some big news from this little travel and sustainability blog: Tilted Map is declaring a climate emergency. What […]
The Lazy Guide to More Sustainable Travel [Simple Tips & Resources]
In this sustainable travel guide, you’ll find practical tips for making any kind of travel (not just “eco-travel”) more eco-friendly – mostly through small mindset changes and knowing what to look for. Let’s play a game: What do you picture in your mind when you read the words “eco-travel,” or “sustainable travel”? Does it involve gorillas, […]
What is TerraCycle? [& Why Going Low-Waste Matters More Than Recycling]
I’ve briefly mentioned TerraCycle before in some of my sustainable product reviews, but there is so much more that needs to be said about them. So I wanted to explain here what TerraCycle is (including its legitimate criticisms and limitations), how to use their recycling programs, and some long-term solutions that are even better. I […]
The Earthling Co. vs HiBAR Review: the Winner of My 1-Year Shampoo Bar Quest
This is my detailed review of The Earthling Co. shampoo and conditioner bars, and a comparison with another well-known, plastic-free shampoo option – HiBAR. It’s been exactly one year since I published my first shampoo bar review. (Which was actually the first of all my sustainable product reviews!) While I’ve added a few brands to my […]
Thinx Period Underwear (& More Sustainable Alternatives)
This is a detailed review of several kinds of period underwear. The most famous brand is Thinx, but I’m also comparing several Thinx alternatives (with better sustainability credentials), including Wuka, Saalt, Knix, ModiBodi, and other top brands. If you’ve seen the product reviews I’ve been writing, you know I’ve been gradually ridding my routine of […]
The True Story of an Alaskan Family Road Trip
This post is sponsored by UnCruise – a name on my short list of sustainable travel companies that I’m looking forward to adventuring with! My first and, so far, my only visit to Alaska was a long, winding road trip just a few months before travel went on hiatus. My husband and I flew into […]
PAPR, by Humankind & Bite Deodorant Reviews [Why They Beat Other Zero-Waste Brands]
Reviews of what I think are the best natural, plastic-free deodorant brands: by Humankind, Bite deodorant, and PAPR. (And why they’re better and more sustainable options than Dove, Native, Myro and Ethique!) If I’m being honest, here’s how most of my other sustainable product reviews have worked: I tested pretty much every plastic-free brand I […]
What It Was Really Like Visiting Maui During COVID-19
This is my personal experience of visiting Maui during the COVID-19 pandemic, in December, 2020, including testing options and requirements, mask rules vs. reality, and what we can learn from Hawaii about travel during a pandemic. At the end of a year mostly spent in quarantine in the cold climates of Chicago and Montana, two […]
Pasta & Broccoli [A Well-Loved Recipe Stolen from My Italian In-Laws]
This is one of my favorite Italian family recipes – Pasta with Broccoli. It’s healthy, easy, meat-free, and can be vegan or vegetarian if you want it to be! When the pandemic started, and everyone started cooking at home for the first time, and realizing they didn’t know how to make anything that was both […]
2020 Travel: How Hard Is It to Go to Hawaii Right Now? (And Should You?)
A timeline of my harrowing experience traveling to Hawaii from the mainland US in December, 2020. Including COVID-19 restrictions for Hawaii at the time, the pre-travel test I took in the airport, and whether the trip makes sense during a pandemic – ethically or otherwise. A long, long time ago, I wrote a pair of […]
