Our Favorite Sustainable Products 2021
Our team is celebrating Earth Day this year with discussions about our favorite sustainable products! Got one to add? Send us a line!
SNOW PEAK TITANIUM SPORK This humble spork is super lightweight, versatile, and super handy. I keep one on me when I go bikepacking and one in my car (just in case I have an emergency spork moment). It’s durable, easily cleaned, and comes in some pretty neat colors. It keeps me from feeling the need to buy plastic cutlery or to bring my everyday cutlery with me into the wilderness. It’s a pretty easily overlooked product, but when you’re miles away from home and want to eat something other than a half-crushed granola bar, having a sturdy spork with you for cooking and snacking needs can make all the difference.
-Miranda
LUSH SHAMPOO BARS These bars save so much wasted energy in packaging and transporting the liquid the is in bottled shampoo. Pro tip: these are great for plane travel because they are TSA friendly as well. There is a huge variety for hair types and treatments, and there is a aluminum container that makes it easy to store in your store or on the go.
-Lea
STAINLESS STRAW & CUTLERY One year, my manager gifted us silverware kits so we wouldn’t need to use the plasticware in the office, and we loved to use them everyday. Now that I’m working from home, I still use my two metal straws and the cleaning brush anytime I buy an iced coffee or make an iced drink at home. The barista doesn’t seem to like when I reject his straw offering every visit, but I’ll admit I love it!
-Jessica
SECONDHAND FURNITURE I love secondhand furniture from both a sustainability perspective as well as a cost-savings one. You can often find things that are more unique and one-of-a-kind as well. Most of the furniture in my apartment was either given to me by family and friends, purchased from a secondhand store, or left on the side of the road and given a new life by my roommate and I. It’s a great way to furnish your home sustainably and repurpose products that would otherwise be thrown out. You can find great pieces through websites like Facebook Marketplace and Letgo, but I prefer to shop locally.
-McKayla
Here are some of my favorite secondhand shops in Chicago:
REUSABLE FOOD COVERS These are a great reusable option for covering open drinks, tins, bowl and cut veg/fruit! They are easy to wash and dry - a sustainable alternative to using a new piece of cling film or foil every time, plus they are safer and sturdier compared to using a loose plate in the fridge, and come in a variety of sizes.
-Mona
FORM CARD is a handy, credit card sized piece of meltable bio-plastic which can be used to fix and make new things! It’s a lovely product that has helped me to fix things I might have otherwise thrown away, such as handles, headphones and awkward fridge parts. You can (re-)warm it in hot water again and again if you need!
-Mona
FREITAG BAGS I have owned my Freitag bag for close to 20 years - these products are long-lasting! What is so cool is that they are made from upcycled billboards. Although they no longer offer the build your own design option, they do offer customizing of some of the products, repair, and even a bag exchange program.
-Lea
MENSTRUAL CUP After a few close friends were raving about loving their menstrual cups, I finally decided to ditch the pads and tampons to try. First I went to PUT A CUP IN IT to get more info on what product would be best for me, since there are a lot of options out there. I am SO kicking myself now for not starting to use this years ago. Why would I ever want to go back to having to carry around wasteful packaged period products made from who knows what materials to insert into my body? These medical grade silicon cups are easy, healthy, and good for the earth with no waste. I’m such a fan now that I’ve joined the Put a Cup In It Facebook group to find a community of other knowledgeable cup wearers.
-Lea
BYO GLASS JAR I try to shop as much as possible at places where you can bring your own jars for bulk items like flour, banana chips and rice. You can bring your own glass jars from home and cut down on single use plastic.
-Mallory
REUSABLE PAPER TOWEL According to the Sierra Club, we cut down up to 110,000,000 trees per year for various goods, including paper, toilet paper, and paper towels. Once I started to take notice of how many I used a day, I got a kitchen roll. Not only do you help the earth, they are also are a huge cost savings.
-Mallory
There are many options available. Here are some of my favoirtes: