We do a big sweep of errands instead of several single-destination trips. We have our reusable bags and have gotten really good at putting them back in the car and inside our backpacks. Fast fashion? We don't know her. We buy few things and keep them longer, donating them or upcycling (ever make a keepsake blanket out of t-shirts you can't bear to part with but know you'll never wear again?) and only resorting to the trash when something has truly no more use left.

But there are always those corners in life where we can do better. We know we can be more mindful during the holidays—wrapping paper can be recycled if all the tape, ribbons, tags, bows, etc. have been removed—and with a little planning and some cooking before leaving home, we could avoid single-use plastics on road trips.

Where are your blind spots when it comes to sustainability? 

Some of our achievements so far:

1. Extending the lifecycle of plants through our patented upcycled technology. We take residual and leftover plant materials and transform them into active skincare ingredients, namely our Acer Rubrum Extract made from red maple. This process is a gentle process using only water, heat, and pressure to make our Acer Rubrum Extract, without added chemicals or solvents.

2. Though we get our red maple after it’s been cut up and leftover from a facility that processes trees for lumber and other uses, we make sure the red maple we source has a mindful, sustainable journey. We proudly source leftover red maple wood that’s certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to ensure the trees have been grown and harvested according to sustainable practices. The trees are grown and processed in upstate New York.

3. Acer Rubrum Extract isn't the only upcycled ingredient in our formulations. We source other great ones like avocados that are too ugly and blemished to sell in markets and sugarcane bagasse: the dry, pulpy fibrous materials left over when sugarcane is crushed for juice extraction.

4. In 2022 and again in April 2023, we partnered with One Tree Planted for an every-order-plants-a-tree initiative. In North America, One Tree Planted aims to restore forests destroyed by wildfires, repair damage caused by industry and resource extraction and even support the endangered Southern Resident Orca of the Pacific Northwest.

We’re gearing up to unveil some packaging changes this year from the containers that hold our skincare to the boxes they ship in.

• Leave it on your sink to hold your rings while you wash dishes.
• Fill it with pins, tacks, paperclips and other little things that are easily lost.
• Use it as a travel jewelry case for earrings and rings.

• Add the tissue paper and paper bags from clothing purchases to your gift wrap supply.
• Go all-digital with your bill pay to cut down on the amount of paper you receive.
• Turn envelopes and other unwanted paper into scrap paper. Cut to the same size and make a tidy little pile.
• Donate magazines with great photos to places where kids make crafts, like preschools, after-school programs, etc.

• Break up with single-use water bottles for good. Find the reusable bottle that's perfect for you and bring it everywhere.
• BYOB—bring your own bags, that is. Leave reusable grocery bags in your car (and put them back as soon as you empty them). Keep a fabric bag that folds down to nothing in your handbag or tote.
• Keep a fork, knife and spoon in your glove compartment or bag so you never have to use disposable cutlery.
• Seek out recycling bins at stores for plastic bags you can't avoid.

• Buy in bulk so you can refill empty spice containers instead of buying new containers.
• Empty pasta sauce and mayonnaise jars make great containers for everything from surplus smoothie to homemade hot sauce.
• With the right tools and some caution, you can transform empty wine or beer bottles into vessels for candles, flowers, plants and more.
• Not feeling crafty? Use an old wine bottle as a vase.