As the ramifications of climate change increase, from hurricanes to wildfires to extreme drought, we as privileged first-world consumers have a responsibility going into 2020. It is on us to make changes in our day to day lives. It is on us to live a more mindful, eco-friendly, and sustainable lifestyle. You have much more power than you give yourself credit for when it comes to creating lasting and beneficial change for our planet and this blog post will point you in the right direction.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) the last five years (2015 - 2019) were the hottest years on record. Greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise with carbon dioxide emissions clocking in at 20% higher from 2015 - 2019 versus 2010 to 2014. Unfortunately, these increasing emissions lock in the rising temperatures for years to come. This cascade effect foretells a bleak future, one that permanently affects not only our ecosystems and precious wildlife, but also costs us human lives. 

In this post, I am going to share the top five ways you can mindfully live a more eco friendly and sustainable life in 2020. Our world is depending on it.

Planning a wedding can feel like a huge task to accomplish, let alone throwing a sustainable zero-waste wedding. As a fellow eco-friendly bride, I can tell you that planning an earth friendly wedding is possible with some good boundaries and a healthy perspective. In this post, I am going to share with you how our sustainable wedding went. I’m sharing all the details - from what we truly threw in the garbage to how much it cost!

Let’s all admit that the most sustainable wedding is the one where you and your partner *walk* to the courthouse in the clothes you already own with your IDs and proof of residency and get married in front of a judge. Full stop. 

Honest moment. A truly sustainable wedding is the one where you don’t have a wedding at all. No traveling family and friends with a carbon footprint, no rings exchanged whose precious metals and gems are mined, no food catered because no food waste - AKA no fun at all.

Listen, I fully understand that a wedding, even if a bride works for it to be a sustainable one, has an effect on the environment. But to my fellow brides, you deserve to spend this special day surrounded by family and friends. Having said that, your big day can also be one that reflects your values. Let’s dive in!

We can hardly believe it's been a YEAR since we launched the Positively Green Podcast. Launching this sustainable and holistic living podcast has been such a joy. Becca and I love seeing your sustainable swaps, hearing what episodes have inspired you to change your habits, and creating content that can hopefully make a positive impact as we curb climate change. 

• How we felt about each of the episodes we created
• What episodes are our personal favorites and why
• What’s next for both of us
• When you can expect Season 2 to air!

For all our earth-friendly cat moms and dads out there, we have got the purr-fect episode for you. If you have been wondering how to care for your kitty in a sustainable and toxin-free way, Roberta Donaldson of The Millennial Cat Mom is here to help. In this episode, we learn why cats are true carnivores and how to source ethically raised meat for the healthiest and most sustainable feline diet possible. We also cover everything from eco-friendly litter box care to zero-waste cat toys.

Roberta Donaldson is an Environmental Scientist and Conservation Biologist by day and passionate pet parent by night. She is the creator of the blog Millennial Cat Mom and is the pet parent of her two beautiful fur children, Loki and Lambeau. Roberta’s goal is to inspire pet parents everywhere to take their pet's health into their own hands by providing knowledge and resources about the monster that is the pet food industry. She was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, but is now lost in the mountains in Denver, CO.

• Why cats are true carnivores and how to keep them healthy
  
• The ethical and sustainable issues in the pet food industry
  
• What types of food options exist for sustainably-minded cat parents
  
• How Roberta went from feeding Friskies to pastured chicken hearts
  
• Pet Fooled Documentary and the Talk To Us Campaign
  
• Holistic Pet Radio
  
• What eco-friendly litter options exist and their pros and cons
  
• How to make the litter box transition for your kitty
  
• What zero-waste cat toys are out there
  
• Our cats, because Roberta and Kelsey are crazy cat ladies
  

• Feline Nutrition Organization
• Raw Feeding University
• Truth About Pet Food
• Karmavore Nutrition
• Perfectly Rawsome

• Vital Essentials
• Answers Pet Food
• Orijen
• Primal Pet Foods
• Steve’s Real Food
• Stella and Chewies

• Stainless Steel Litter Box
  
• Stainless Steel Litter Scoop
  
• Loft 312 Biodegradable Bags
  
• Branch Basics for cleaning
  
• Boxie Cat Litter
  
• sWheat Scoop Litter
  
• Simply Pine Natural Litter
  

The Millennial Cat Mom
@LokiTheKittyKing
@LambeauMiniAussie

Four years ago when I started practicing conscious consumerism, I had the darndest time finding sustainable shoe companies I could trust. So many footwear brands didn’t openly talk about where their materials were from, how their shoes were made, and how they treated their workers. The opaque quality of the fashion industry is starting to be chipped away thanks to nonprofits such as Fashion Revolution and trending hashtags like #WhoMadeMyClothes.

Transparency is what I look for first and foremost when assessing if companies are eligible for these sustainable posts. If companies aren’t openly sharing how they treat their workers and what they are doing regarding buffering their effect on the environment, it’s a hard pass. 

Next, materials used to make the shoes is assessed. If there is no open statement on their website about where they source their materials then it's a pass. I look for eco-friendly, regenerative or sustainable, and organic materials being used.

Lastly, how comfortable and versatile the shoes are comes into play. I won't lie, I think Toms are hella uncomfortable! Maybe my feet are extra sensitive. Rest assured, I won't be sharing any companies that may work hard to be transparent and eco-friendly, but fail to consider the customer's comfort level.

So let’s dive into the top three sustainable shoe companies I’ve found and why they rock!

If you've fallen into a slump with your green and clean beauty routine and want to take it to the next level - one of mindful and conscious self-care, this episode is for you. Becca walks Kelsey through her very own Custom Green Beauty Consult, which is full of tips on how to take your own toxin-free beauty habits from humdrum to heck yes!

Becca recently launched her Organically You: Custom Green Beauty Consult service. So today, you get a front-row seat to the amazing work she does as she walks Kelsey through a consult of her own. With all of Becca’s hard-won knowledge on organic skincare, she helps Kelsey find a perfect, simple, and natural routine with some new clean beauty and skincare products.

• Cleanser: Osea Ocean Cleansing Mudd
• Facial Oil: The Sunday Standard Blue Tansy & GLA Ultra-Clarifying Facial Oil (code ORGANICALLYBECCA for discount)
• Toner: Osea Sea Minerals Mist
• Enzyme Mask: Ursa Major Bright & Easy 3-Minute Flash Mask
• Eye Serum: Ladyloved Jupiter Enlivening Under-Eye Serum
• Spot Treatment: Osea Corrective Complex Roller
• Lipstick: Faraday Face Cream Lip Color
• Mascara: W3ll People Expressionist Mascara, Lily Lolo Natural Vegan Mascara

If you want to see the companies you love the most utilize fully recyclable or compostable packaging for their products - I created a group where we can tackle the problem together.

After listening to your feedback on the #PackagingForThePlanet movement, I decided to put together a central community where we can problem solve openly together. We now have a Packaging For The Planet Facebook Group for us to call home!

In this episode, Kelsey and Becca talk all about why you should work towards a zero-waste and toxin-free menstrual cycle. They also share their favorite zero-waste options for feminine items, like absorbable undies and the menstrual cup, and how to use them.

• Positive News: Green Waste Recycling is turning green waste into greener fields
• Study on howsynthetic fibers mess with our bacterial environment
• Study on how those undisclosed chemicalsare absorbed from tampons and pads
• Study on how pesticide residue from cotton tampons is present
• A great video of Andrea Donsky burning a conventional pad next to an organic one
• Detox The Box
• Representative Grace Meng (D-NY), the Menstrual Products Right to Know Act of 2017 (H.R. 2416)

• Natracare
• Lena’s Small & Large Menstrual Cup Combo
• Bloody Buddy
• Diva Cup
• Compostable baby wipes
• THINX cotton line
• Luna Undies of Lunapads (a B Corp)
• Hesta Organic Cotton reusable pantiliners
• Reusablezippered wet/dry bags

If you have been thinking this is the year to get your first organic vegetable garden started, then we have the perfect episode to give you the final push. Discover the five surprising reasons to get your first vegetable garden going and how gardening can have a positive impact on your health, community, and the environment.

• How gardening can actually reduce your plastic waste
• What food miles are and how what you eat produces carbon emissions
• Why choosing organic over conventional gardening is better for your health and the environment
• How getting out in the sun when your gardening can help reduce low back pain
• What resources are the best to get you started with organic gardening

Kelsey’s Five-Part Blog Series on Organic Gardening
The All New Square Foot Garden
The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible

Ford has partnered with electric vehicle startup Rivian to develop an electric pickup truck and SUV. These partnerships are becoming more and more commonplace because it allows major automobile companies to share the innovation load with tech startups and work towards a cleaner transportation future.

You may not realize, but the bulk of the US’ plastics, paper, and glass actually is repurposed overseas. One of the biggest countries, China, has decided to restrict imports of certain recyclables and it’s causing a terrible ripple effect. This decision has forced US waste management centers to either pay a much higher rate to repurpose the plastics somewhere else - or just dump it in a landfill. Unfortunately, many have chosen the landfill. This is the perfect example of how recycling isn’t technically the answer when it comes to our waste problems, it has actually propped up the throw-away culture we as Americans have gotten used to. It’s time to think more deeply about how much we consume and the cost it has on our world. I highly recommend learning about closed-loop cycles to get started.

As the viability of recycling comes under scrutiny, a better option exists (and has been here since the dawn of time) - composting. I love seeing major companies step up to replace disposables with compostables, like Igloo and their new compostable cooler.

As deforestation exacerbates climate change, a study has shown that when women are involved with the decision making process, less forests are razed. Many countries in South America and Asia are facing accelerated deforestation, but governments are trying to slow the process down by offering Payment for Ecosystem Services incentives. The study showed that when women make up at least 50% of the leaders within the local village, those groups harvested 51% less trees.

The Green Dreamer Podcast Episode 134: Empowering farmers of color and dismantling racism in the food system.

The Sustainable Dish Podcast Episode 85: Ideological anti-meat agendas in dietary guidelines with Gary and Belinda Fettke