Finding the Silver Lining
The last six weeks have been challenging in every way. Dealing with the vast amount of loss has been overwhelming at times. We have lost loved ones and friends to COVID, we have lost our financial stability, we have lost basic freedoms we often took for granted, and we have lost the ability to connect socially with the people we love. To say this has been difficult for everyone around the world, is an understatement. The gravity and heaviness of this situation has really started to settle in for me, and I can feel the loss the people of this world are experiencing all around.
For me, trying to find the silver lining has become a daily and sometimes hourly exercise. Without it, I feel overwhelmed with anxiety and helplessness. I think the biggest silver lining in all of this that I see is the pause and the break we are finally giving Mother Earth. Being forced inside has had an amazing impact on the environment, one that must be recognized, celebrated and most importantly not overlooked and lost once life returns to some state of normalcy. The dark and hazy cloud that was always apart of the Los Angeles skyline has disappeared and there are reports of dolphins returning to the now clear canals of Venice.
Recognizing and then reducing our environmental impact should be the silver lining in this situation. Some good must come from out of all of this loss and disruption. My Herbal Box was born to be an advocate for Her who has giving us so much. Our goal is sustainability and at a minimum everything we send out is eco-friendly with our ultimate goal being zero waste.
We only work with makers who share our vision and principles for a cleaner and more sustainable future for this planet. All of our packaging is mindfully recyclable and reusable. Our beautiful boxes were created so they would be reused time and time again. Our packaging materials are paper or plant based so they can be recycled or composted. Nearly every product we sell is packaged in glass, tin or cardboard...avoiding plastic at all costs. We often find amazing products but if they are packaged in plastic we won’t bring them into the shop. We often send customers boxes that we have recycled ourselves, sorry but not sorry if they're not pretty :)
We’re so excited by the number of our customers who are joining us in this movement. Those that are taking steps each day to reduce their environmental impact and giving back to Mother Earth. The last couple weeks, we have added some of our favorite zero-waste things to the shop. All in the hopes of giving our customers even more inspiration for reducing waste. We've added things like these Organic Cotton Produce and Shopping Bags, or this Natural Loofa Sponge that actually was a plant and can be composted when you're done. We’re obsessed with everything the mother and daughter team at No Tox Life creates. Things like the Dish Washing Block that eliminates the all to familiar plastic bottle and liquid soap which is often mostly water and costly to ship. Their Earl Grey Zero Waste Deodorant, Solid Shampoo and Solid Conditioner all come in bar form with absolutely zero packaging. All their products are made from the highest quality ingredients and are so reasonably priced because they pass along the savings of skipping costly packaging and shipping!
Now is the perfect time to look inside your heart and home to see what small steps you can take to reduce your impact. Thinking twice before buying something in plastic is a great start. Recycling and reusing what we have around the house is simple and can be fun. Going outside and planting seeds to grow a garden, planting a tree or flowers...anything to give back and help heal Her damaged soil. There are so many ways we can be more mindful and pay our respects to the Mother of us all, what are you going to do today?