Well, here we are in December... how the heck did that happen? Ah well... this just means there will soon be more mashed potatoes to look forward to!

So, let's talk holiday season! We often have some mixed feelings this time of year. As a small business, we love the buzz this season creates in store, but as stewards of the earth, we steer away from the overconsumption this time of year brings.

So we ask ourselves, how can we reconcile those two seemingly conflicting ideas, and create a beautiful, positive impact on our community?

As we wrap up Small Business month, we thought we'd share a bit of our story with you!

Just over 5 years ago, we embarked on a mission to tackle one of our major environmental problems: plastic. Inspired by other refillery models popping up around the globe, and frustrated by our lack of local options, we jumped in headfirst, as activists and trailblazers do. We knew we could gather and create a tribe of conscious consumers who wanted to change things right along with us!

Thanksgiving is coming up and - since it's a holiday that's all about expressing gratitude for our many blessings - why not show the earth how blessed we feel by treating it well this holiday?

How can we do that, you ask?

Here are some planet-friendly ways to enjoy Thanksgiving and feel good about it:

It’s back to school time, and we thought maybe you’d like to know why we choose the vendors we do with all our to-go lunch options! Of course, we are always looking for reusable options, as opposed to single-use, but there are other features we look for as well! Here are some highlights on the companies we support:

This season is beautiful... so warm & lush...

Things are growing all around us, and it’s a perfect time to enjoy all the beautiful bodies of water in our wonderful neck of the woods, be it lake, river, or our incredible ocean.

But it’s also the dry season, and a time to think about ways to reduce our water consumption wherever possible. Here are some super easy ways to do so in your kitchen!

We're just kicking off summer in one of the most beautiful places in the world! 

This season brings all sorts of fun adventures in the sun, whether it's camping, swimming, cycling, paddle boarding, tubing... or just enjoying lounging outside. With all this time under the glorious sun, our skin needs some extra protection!

One of our favourite areas in the store is our DIY section. We have enough different containers to meet just about any need, along with many beautiful ingredients to make candles, cleaning products, creams, salves, and more!

We would like to assure you that although we're very excited about this section, we are by no means pros! We're just having a lot of fun trying new things. So if you're a newbie to this world of DIY, grab a seat and make yourself at home.

In addition to contributing to food security and reducing the pressure on farms to produce enough food for everyone, here are some great reasons!

Our favourite thing about this community is how - despite how we may feel defeated sometimes regarding the state of the planet - we all have the mindset of hope. Every bit you do matters. Every effort makes a difference.

For Earth Month, if you're stuck on where to start or where to go next, here are a few ideas to get you going. And if you're doing them already, give yourself a big pat on the back! 

These ideas are to help engage your child in recognizing challenges we have, and encouraging connection, earth friendly skills, and fun!

Have you tried "drinking chocolate"?

If not, are you in for a treat! And if so... well... you already know what we're talking about. 😋

We're very excited to be carrying some delicious Drinking Chocolate & bars from Black Jaguar Chocolate. It's all so good, we're going to have to geek out a bit. (If you just want to get straight to the Drinking Chocolate recipe, now's your chance to scroll down. 😁)

Looking to start the year off with some changes to your routine that help reduce your footprint on the earth?

We've got a list of super-easy switches to get you started!

We who live, work and play in our community are deeply connected to those of us who create products and services for us.

Halloween is over, and we've had so much fun with our carved creations, but... now what do we do with them?

We've got good news for you! You don't have to rake those beautiful (but sometimes dreaded) leaves that are starting to fall! Each year, we break out the rake, but fallen leaves are actually part of nature's grand plan to keep our ecosystem healthy.

So, you're already buying in bulk (look at you go! 👏), but - with escalating food costs - you're also looking for ways to save money.

Today we're going to talk about a different kind of bulk. Bulk food bags. Not the awesome fabric ones you fill with all your goodies when you shop. We're talking the BIG bags of dried goods.

These are a great way to save money, and work really well if you have a few people to share the quantity with. Take a look at this:

Have you been tossing peels from your apples, potatoes, bananas, and oranges? They have so many uses before they’re discarded. Check ‘em out!

Some motivation & tips to get you started or get you back on track with your journey towards less plastic consumption. (P.S. It doesn’t have to be July to start! 😉)

Heard of Live for Tomorrow? Or maybe seen it in the store, but not sure what it's about?

LFT was one of our very first vendors. We love them because they've created an award-winning, biodegradable, toxin-free, and cruelty-free product line made in Metro Vancouver, but also because they reduce water waste where possible, which in turn reduces emissions while transporting.

For example, their laundry detergent is 8 TIMES concentrated!

By a show of hands, who loves bees? 🐝

Ok, seeing a lot of hands... now who loves dandelions?

Noticed several hands dropping there…

We have just entered No Mow May, where - in support of biodiversity - we abandon our Spring chore of mowing the lawn until the end of the month. Some folks are more than happy to just sit back and watch it grow, while enjoying this warmer weather (we're getting there!). Others may be saying, "but... the dandelions...", and for those, we have a couple points we'd like to share: