Wellness
10 Ways to Live a Little Greener
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Power an eco-friendly practice.
Investing in a sustainable yoga mat was an immediate change I made to be more eco-friendly. My yoga mat is the foundation for my fitness routine and by investing in a mat that is not only good for me, but for the environment makes a huge difference all around. Brands like Manduka and Jade Yoga offer beautiful, high-performance nontoxic mats made out of sustainably harvested tree rubber. It’s a win-win for Mother Earth—and my workout.
—Natalie, Manager | Project Management
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Power an eco-friendly practice.
Investing in a sustainable yoga mat was an immediate change I made to be more eco-friendly. My yoga mat is the foundation for my fitness routine and by investing in a mat that is not only good for me, but for the environment makes a huge difference all around. Brands like Manduka and Jade Yoga offer beautiful, high-performance nontoxic mats made out of sustainably harvested tree rubber. It’s a win-win for Mother Earth—and my workout.
—Natalie, Manager | Project Management
Don't be afraid to eat ugly.
I use Imperfect Produce to get all my fresh fruit and veggies. It allows me to purchase produce that has imperfections (think “odd” shapes, extra leaves) which would have previously been thrown away and uneaten. They help to reduce food waste, which is really harming our planet.
—Lauren, Product Manager
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Don't be afraid to eat ugly.
I use Imperfect Produce to get all my fresh fruit and veggies. It allows me to purchase produce that has imperfections (think “odd” shapes, extra leaves) which would have previously been thrown away and uneaten. They help to reduce food waste, which is really harming our planet.
—Lauren, Product Manager
Educate yourself.
I recently read "The Uninhabitable Earth" by David Wallace-Wells. This book is mind-blowing and eye-opening. It paints a vivid picture of the all-encompassing consequences that will touch every part of our lives, not just our children's or grandchildren's lives. Highly recommend!
—Ryan, Business Insights Analyst
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Educate yourself.
I recently read "The Uninhabitable Earth" by David Wallace-Wells. This book is mind-blowing and eye-opening. It paints a vivid picture of the all-encompassing consequences that will touch every part of our lives, not just our children's or grandchildren's lives. Highly recommend!
—Ryan, Business Insights Analyst
Switch your beauty products.
I love all things makeup, but what I didn’t understand was how harmful my (now old) beauty routine was on the environment… and myself. Single-use plastic waste, animal testing, hundreds of chemicals—me being “beautiful” was detrimental to Mother Earth. At least California has the right idea by trying to ban toxic chemicals in makeup! I started reading my high-end labels, researching and purchasing organic and sustainable beauty products, like MILK Makeup, and started adopting easy, eco-friendly changes to my routine. I still look fierce, but I am not harming my body—or my planet.
—Brittany, Team Lead | Content Marketing
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Switch your beauty products.
I love all things makeup, but what I didn’t understand was how harmful my (now old) beauty routine was on the environment… and myself. Single-use plastic waste, animal testing, hundreds of chemicals—me being “beautiful” was detrimental to Mother Earth. At least California has the right idea by trying to ban toxic chemicals in makeup! I started reading my high-end labels, researching and purchasing organic and sustainable beauty products, like MILK Makeup, and started adopting easy, eco-friendly changes to my routine. I still look fierce, but I am not harming my body—or my planet.
—Brittany, Team Lead | Content Marketing
Recycle and reuse.
I try to avoid single-use plastics when I can. I purchased a fancy Tupperware FlatOut Container that I bring to restaurants to take home leftovers. I also prefer buying beverages (mainly beer) in aluminum cans instead of bottles. Cans don't shatter and are actually more economical to recycle.
—Barry, Software Engineer III
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Recycle and reuse.
I try to avoid single-use plastics when I can. I purchased a fancy Tupperware FlatOut Container that I bring to restaurants to take home leftovers. I also prefer buying beverages (mainly beer) in aluminum cans instead of bottles. Cans don't shatter and are actually more economical to recycle.
—Barry, Software Engineer III
Use what you've got.
It’s simple and straightforward, but the most eco-friendly thing to do is keep using whatever you already have!
—Megan, Lead Acquisition Program Manager
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Use what you've got.
It’s simple and straightforward, but the most eco-friendly thing to do is keep using whatever you already have!
—Megan, Lead Acquisition Program Manager
Commute consciously.
I try to take the train to work every day, and walk or ride a bike if I'm traveling a short distance and don’t have to carry anything heavy. It's good for both the Earth and my health. Planning your day around mass transit or human-powered transit is also a really fun way to get to know your city!
—Kyle, Senior Copywriter
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Commute consciously.
I try to take the train to work every day, and walk or ride a bike if I'm traveling a short distance and don’t have to carry anything heavy. It's good for both the Earth and my health. Planning your day around mass transit or human-powered transit is also a really fun way to get to know your city!
—Kyle, Senior Copywriter
Sunscreen smarter.
I’m a Hawaiian beach girl so whenever I’m at the ocean, I always make sure to use reef-safe sunscreen. Coral bleaching is a terrible epidemic happening across our planet, so anything we can do as humans to protect this vital part to our living ocean (Moana in Hawaiian) is important. Some of my favorite reef-safe brands include Raw Elements, Ao Organics, and Coola. If you want to learn more, Chasing Coral is a great resource for taking action and helping our beautiful oceans!
—Keana, Lifecycle Program Manager
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Sunscreen smarter.
I’m a Hawaiian beach girl so whenever I’m at the ocean, I always make sure to use reef-safe sunscreen. Coral bleaching is a terrible epidemic happening across our planet, so anything we can do as humans to protect this vital part to our living ocean (Moana in Hawaiian) is important. Some of my favorite reef-safe brands include Raw Elements, Ao Organics, and Coola. If you want to learn more, Chasing Coral is a great resource for taking action and helping our beautiful oceans!
—Keana, Lifecycle Program Manager
Bring your own bag.
When I make my Sunday afternoon trips to the grocery store, I always try to remember a reusable tote bag instead of buying or using a plastic bag. It's something small, but I've made a habit out of it—baby steps!
—Erica, Copywriter
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Bring your own bag.
When I make my Sunday afternoon trips to the grocery store, I always try to remember a reusable tote bag instead of buying or using a plastic bag. It's something small, but I've made a habit out of it—baby steps!
—Erica, Copywriter
Invest in your H2O (and your look).
This may seem like a no-brainer, but I always use a reusable water bottle. Replacing plastic water bottles can help reduce single-use plastic consumption worldwide. Brands like Hydro Flask and Swell have bottles that are long-lasting—and have cool designs. I also try to always support brands that are made from recyclable materials, especially when it comes to my clothes. Fast fashion companies, like H&M, have a detrimental effect on our environment, so I have chosen to shop more sustainably. Brands like Reformation and Girlfriend Collective offer super cute and stylish remanufactured clothes that are perfect for every occasion.
—Devin, Consumer Marketing Communications Specialist
Whether you’re implementing small changes into your daily routine to help the environment or updating your wellness to be more eco-friendly, we encourage you to make every day a little bit greener!
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Invest in your H2O (and your look).
This may seem like a no-brainer, but I always use a reusable water bottle. Replacing plastic water bottles can help reduce single-use plastic consumption worldwide. Brands like Hydro Flask and Swell have bottles that are long-lasting—and have cool designs. I also try to always support brands that are made from recyclable materials, especially when it comes to my clothes. Fast fashion companies, like H&M, have a detrimental effect on our environment, so I have chosen to shop more sustainably. Brands like Reformation and Girlfriend Collective offer super cute and stylish remanufactured clothes that are perfect for every occasion.
—Devin, Consumer Marketing Communications Specialist
Whether you’re implementing small changes into your daily routine to help the environment or updating your wellness to be more eco-friendly, we encourage you to make every day a little bit greener!
Wellness
Foundational Steps to Cultivating a Daily Self-love Practice
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When you think of self-love what do you think of? Bubble baths, walks on the beach, facemasks, or what? Self-love can mean so many different things but when we think about self-love, we have to acknowledge loving ourselves both on the outside and on the inside. The way that we show ourselves love is one of the most important things we will ever do.
How do we treat ourselves? How do we talk to ourselves? What foods are we putting into our bodies? How are we thinking about our overall well-being when practicing self-love?
As self-love defines and redefined itself for you over the years, here are a few foundational tips to think about when easing into your self-love journey.
Step 1: Learn to set boundaries
Don’t we love this one? Loving ourselves has a lot to do with the boundaries that we have for ourselves, with others, and for others. Take time to think about your own emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual needs when setting boundaries that reflect your personal needs. Boundaries don’t have to be big and scary; they are here to remind us that you get to have your lived experience and still have expectations about how you’d like to be treated and what you’d like to feel.
When thinking about your boundaries, ask yourself:
- How do I feel without having boundaries?
- What would I like to have boundaries around?
- Are my boundaries actual boundaries or am I creating walls in my life?
- How do I plan to uphold my boundaries?
Step 2: Cultivate self-compassion
In a world where perfectionism and curated existences have been rewarded, begin to cultivate compassion for yourself. You are a soul having a human experience and it’s totally okay if things are not perfect.
Mindfulness exercises such as Breathwork, self-care activities, and self-compassion, all help train the mind, emotions, and even the body’s stress chemicals to be able to deal with undesired situations. Self-compassion means, can you be nice to yourself? Can you find empathy and kindness for yourself in the middle of what feels chaotic, stressful, or unwanted? Self-compassion means that we get to make mistakes, have our plans not work out the way that we wanted, and we still get to celebrate that we are doing the best that we can and it is enough.
When thinking about self-compassion, ask yourself:
- How do I respond to stressful situations?
- How hard am I on myself?
- How do I celebrate myself?
- How do I show myself kindness?
Step 3: Nourish yourself
In every sense of the word “nourishment”, begin to learn what nourishes you and what depletes you. Nourishment doesn’t just mean food for yourself; it means that whatever you are consuming whether it be media, podcasts, people, energy, information, etc. all impact the way that we think, feel, and experience life.
Nourishing yourself definitely goes right along the lines of having your boundaries intact and practicing self-compassion.
When thinking about nourishment, ask yourself:
- How do I nourish my emotional well-being?
- How do I nourish my mental well-being?
- How do I nourish my physical well-being?
- How do I nourish my spiritual well-being?
- How do I nourish my social well-being?
- How do I nourish my financial well-being?
That’s it. Those are the foundational steps to cultivating a self-love practice that you can ease into your daily routine. Come back to these questions often, because like anything else, self-love is a practice and it takes effort, time, and intention to maintain.
If you’d like to try breathwork, mindfulness, or play classes with me, check out these workshops and training sessions that work with your schedule. For other breathwork classes, browse Mindbody.
