I am so jazzed to be launching This Week In Sustainability. Every Friday, I be sharing a quick write up here on the blog on what's happening in sustainability around the world. Some will be good news, some will be not so good news. Staying informed and being a part of the conversation are integral in the fight to curb climate change. 

I'll provide a bit of my opinion here and there, but these weekly updates are here for you to educate yourself and form your own opinion. By all means, comment below if something strikes a chord with you.

Australia is set to plant 1 billion trees by 2050 in hopes of bringing down carbon emissions. The only flaw is that they are in a dry and unstable climate. As California has taught us, it takes only one uncontrollable forest fire to burn that carbon back into the atmosphere, as a study in 2018 pointed out. Nevertheless, it’s the thought that counts, right?

When we legally protect our wildlife in the face of species die-off, like sea turtles, we see populations increase by 980%. Let’s do more of this.

California’s Central Valley unleashed seven electric mail to deliver our mail, pioneering a program that could help cut down on carbon emissions.

The EPA says it’s going to final study two dangerous chemicals in our drinking water and possibly set limits. I think Senator Tom Carper of Delaware (D) says it best, “While the E.P.A. acts with the utmost urgency to repeal regulations, the agency ambles with complacency when it comes to taking real steps to protect the water we drink and the air we breathe.”

Wallace Broecker, the scientist who originally coined the phrase "global warming" passed away last Monday. Let’s hope his life’s work has not been in vain.

Episode 115 of The Green Dreamer Podcast: Relearning marginalized ideas of food storage in tackling plastic pollution with Sarah Kaeck, the founder of Bees Wrap.

Episode 29 of Sustainability Defined: Green Aviation with John Mandyck of The Urban Green Council.

Paul and I have cut back on eating large ocean fish and taking fish oil supplements and swapped it out for eating sustainability harvested wild-caught sardines once or twice a week. Why? Not only does it cut down on mercury toxicity, but it also lessens our contribution to overfishing during a marked decline of large ocean fish populations due in part to climate change. 

In this episode of the Positively Green Podcast, Kelsey and Becca share all their tips on how to have a sustainable, ethical, and zero-waste wedding. Kelsey is currently planning her wedding and compiled all the research she has done, from ethical engagement ring companies to how to reduce food waste at the reception. ​

If you want all this amazing green wedding info in one place, be sure to grab Kelsey’s free Green Wedding Guide!

Throwing a sustainable, zero-waste, and ethical wedding does not have to feel impossible. I created this guide as a way to help put all the options in one place.  I am currently planning my own wedding and I am so excited to share the eco-friendly an zero-waste options you have at your disposal, hah, you see what I did there? 

If you are here as a new bride, congrats! If your here because you want to get your research done before the ring is on your finger, awesome! Take a moment and give yourself a pat on the back for caring enough about the earth to learn how to go about a green wedding.
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I want to preface this guide by saying I worked as a wedding photographer for a decade in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. I’ve photographed over 100 couples and thus have seen a lot of different types of weddings, and in turn, have seen first-hand the amount of waste that is produced from the average wedding day. Even then, when I wasn’t the conscious consumer I am today, it raised a red flag in my mind.

A 130 person wedding on average produces 62 tons of carbon dioxide and 400-600 lbs of waste. These numbers include everything from the wedding invitations to the flowers to the wedding dress.

An opposition arises when you try to have an earth-friendly wedding within the confines of modern wedding culture. We are constantly bombarded by pictures and ideas on Pinterest of perfect personalized weddings with all the trimmings. Then you have the concept of zero waste, which can feel so minimal and bare, making a bride feel like there’s very little wiggle room to make it feel special for herself and her guests.
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The good news is that there are so many options for making your day feel special while still achieving an earth-conscious wedding. Once you understand the basics of having a green wedding then you can choose your own adventure from there. 

In this guide, we will go over the options you have from finding an ethical engagement ring to where you can buy an eco-friendly wedding dress. While we talk over these options, I’ll provide you with what I’m choosing for my low to no-waste wedding so that you have some experience to fall back on and you know you are not alone as you plan your own big day.

• The top ethical and conflict-free ring companies
• The best fair trade and sustainably made wedding dress companies
• How to go about sending invites to cut down on your carbon footprint and reduce waste
• How to set up a conscious consumer wedding registry
• Tips on how to cut down on food waste and the right questions to ask your wedding caterer
• The best places to get eco-friendly glitter and confetti (because duh)
• Other sustainable wedding tips you might not have thought of!

We did a three-day fast safely and effectively and the results were surprising. I want to share our fasting experience with you in hopes of demystifying fasting and ultimately give you the tools to try it for yourself.

First things first, if you have a significant other, it will be a million times easier to complete the three-day fast if they do it with you. Imagine you are on day two of not eating and your partner cooks up some pastured bacon and eggs in the morning. I swear to you that you will not last. Paul and I did our fasts together and it helped immensely to be able to share the experience with someone. Send your partner this post to encourage them to try it with you!​

For those of us who deal with dysmenorrhea, aka periods from the seventh circle of hell, I’ve got a good line up of zero-waste and holistic period pain management options for you. When PMS rears its ugly head for many of us ladies, the conventional options are all we feel we have at our disposal to help manage the pain.

Thanks to my endometriosis, I’ve tweaked and tested so many snake oil remedies out there and have weeded out the ludicrous. I know every lady is different, but I hope some of these suggestions can bring you relief as you journey towards a more sustainable and zero-waste lifestyle.

In my first post we talked about why it's important to have a toxin-free and eco-friendly menstruation cycle, in my second post we chatted about what zero-waste options you have for menstruation, and this final post covers all things period pain management. Enjoy!

​In this episode, Becca and Kelsey discuss the top five body products you should swap now. Our skin is our biggest organ, and what we put on it definitely affects our health. Finding non-toxic products that are both effective and trustworthy can be difficult. That's why Kelsey and Becca share their tried and true favorites with you.