B-Corp & Ethical Brands We Love
Part of the reason I wanted to start this blog was to talk about how AJ and I are trying to live a more conscious life. Everything from what we eat, what we do, and products we consume. And doing it all on a normal couple's income. Conscious/sustainable living can be extremely expensive (such a catch-22, but that's a conversation for another day) and I don't want to make it seem like we roll in an abundance of cash. We definitely don't. But we do prioritize buying certain things from certain companies and THAT'S what I want to share with you all through this blog. Things that WE think are worth the money or time investment into creating a healthy, conscious life.
That being said, AJ and I strongly believe in buying from ethical, sustainable brands where and when we can. Part of that criteria also includes small, local shops and boutiques as we feel that supporting local helps our community (and any community) that you’re shopping in. Of course, there are times when it’s “Amazon for the win!” But when we can, we really try to be mindful of where we’re spending our dollars. I wanted to share a couple of the brands, some smaller and some pretty large, that we absolutely love:
Grove Co: I cant remember how I found Grove originally because it was several years ago, but I remember finding them when I was first starting fertility treatments and trying to find alternatives to the harsh cleaning chemicals we were using around the house. Grove is certified B Corp and they have grown so much over the last several years. At first, it was just cleaning products I purchased, but now I purchase personal care products and even some makeup from them! Grove is a subscription service that I pay $20 a year for and it gets me free shipping no matter my order size every month on the products I need. It automatically updates my cart monthly according to what I should need, but inevitably I edit it before it ships out. Some of my favorite products that are on repeat are these compostable kitchen wipes, these laundry stain pods, and this hyaluronic moisturizer. I'm trying out these new trash bags this month as well and will see how we like them.
Athleta: Did you know they were certified B Corp?? For a long time, it was hard to justify the cost of their items because I wasn’t regularly working out. Now that I am again though, I bit the bullet a couple months ago and LET. ME. TELL YOU. Worth EVERY single penny I spent. My first items were these salutation leggings and sports bra but just last weekend, I purchased this skort from the same line (in the picture at the top). I'm also eyeing these bike shorts which will probably be a next summer investment because I currently have 2 other pairs (one Amazon and one Target) that work well for me now.
B3nth: Men's undapants. A new to us brand that offers carbon neutral shipping. AJ has been looking for boxer briefs that breathe a bit better and have better support especially during the summer when it gets hot and sticky. Especially when he’s out on the golf course or walking around farmers markets with me. Enter b3nth. He tried out two pairs recently and really loves them and is looking into purchasing more as he needs to replace his current stock.
ButcherBox: A meat subscription box. One of less than a handful of subscriptions we have. We don't eat a ton of meat, but the meat we do eat, we want to be the best quality. Butcherbox partners with farmers with high quality standards including 100% grass fed beef, humanely raised pork, free range, organic chicken and wild caught seafood.
Black Rifle Coffee: Another one of the few subscriptions we have. This time, it's coffee! We love Black Rifle because it is owned and operated by Veterans and gives a portion of their proceeds back to veteran causes. We have a handful of veterans in our lives and feel very connected to their support.
Cariuma: Another brand we haven’t actually purchased anything from there yet, but we have our eyes on these shoes. Specifically because they support the 4Ocean Foundation. Keeping our oceans clean, safe and free of plastic is near and dear to our hearts so we want to support a brand that supports our oceans. More on our ocean loving spirits at another time!
Some of the local shops that I love to shop at in Lake Geneva are Brick and Mortar, Summer Made, and Twelfth and Brown for home goods and clothing. And in addition to growing what we can in our garden, we love a good farmers market and shopping at Piggly Wiggly which is a franchised grocery store here.
I mentioned it a couple of times above, but I think it's worth reiterating: we don't buy things JUST to buy things or buy them to replace a current item because they are more sustainable or conscious. Because getting rid of perfectly good products (whether or not they're from Target or Amazon) is just as bad, to us, as only buying from those sources. It's important to us to wear and use what we currently have and then when we NEED to replace something or purchase new, choosing the more sustainable option. So like with the Athleta bike shorts example above, I'm excited to purchase them and support Athleta, but to me, it's just as bad to toss out a perfectly good pair of bike shorts that I already own just to buy something from Athleta. It creates waste regardless, so why not get as much use as possible before replacing? In my mind, that's still a very conscious decision!
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