Love Local & Eco-Friendly in 2025
Happy 2025! As you settle into the new year, I invite you to add one resolution to your list: shop small. There are many reasons to support small businesses; here are a few: Reinvest revenue […]
Blog
Thoughtful Gift Giving
Cold air, changing leaves, and holiday displays signal the arrival of the biggest gift-giving season of the year. Many of us feel pressure to buy the perfect gifts for everyone on our list, often choosing […]
Refilling Hope in Boston
UVIDA began as a passion for using less plastic. Founder Maria Vasco was a junior at the University of Massachusetts when she was awarded a university scholarship that would propel her toward her goal of […]
Red Rock Tileworks
It’s a warm late-September morning in Nashville, and I’m standing outside the brightly painted facade of Red Rock Tileworks. I’m waiting for my indie interior design friend Kimberly. Kimberly is the principal and designer at […]
Circular Living
Circularity as an approach to consumption is rooted in observation of the functionality of the Earth’s ecosystem. The underling principal of a circular approach is zero waste. In nature, the by-product of a process is […]
The Beauty of Cork
Natural cork is a renewable resource harvested from a specific species of Oak tree called the Quercus Suber, also known as the cork tree. These trees are mainly found in the Mediterranean, with Portugal being […]
Meet the Maker: Textile Revival
This is the story of a woman whose path brought her to middle Tennessee, where she started a business that married her two loves, art and fashion. Hailing from Iowa, Cindy Sarver found herself drawn […]
Food, Farms & Families
Middle Tennessee is home to country music, civil war history, and perhaps unexpectedly, a community of small farms. Locally owned, regenerative farms dot the landscape of Nashville’s pop culture and rolling hills. You see their […]
Meet the Grower: Pinky’s Microgreens
Pinky’s Microgreens was created by a man seeking to create a work-life balance. Inspired by watching his grandmother tend her garden and make creative dishes, Jacob Pinkston knew he wanted to be a chef. He […]
The Anatomy of a To-Go Coffee Cup
The paper to-go coffee cup became mainstream in 1987 thanks to one man’s decision — Howard Schultz. Then CEO of Starbucks, Schultz chose paper over styrofoam cups for the expanding brand’s beverage vessel. According to […]
Nature at Home
Mother Nature and Snow White are a couple of the nicknames given to me by family members who know my relationship with nature. I once returned a baby bunny to its mother after it was […]
Women Shaping Our World
March is Women’s History month. What better way to honor the women who came before us, and those who walk among us, who’ve dedicated their lives and voices to keeping the world a safe and […]
Grow Wild
The last couple of years, people have been trading life in dense urban areas for the slower pace of mid-sized American cities. Affordable living, spaciousness and close knit communities have drawn companies and families alike […]
Circular Ideas for Business
We are living through a time of an unprecedented amount of waste. Instant gratification coupled with poor quality and single use products has created a huge problem. Small businesses are in a perfect position to […]
Give Greener
The holiday season is here and it’s one of my favorite times of the year. I love the festiveness, time with friends and family, and the warmth of the season. We put so much effort […]
Embracing Locally Grown
We live in a time where our culture of convenience has created an environment of seemingly endless and instant food availability. According to the New York Times, half of all the fruit and a third […]
Meet the Maker: Verdant Wild Apothecary
I recently had the opportunity to connect with Liz Hodges, the creator of Verdant Wild Apothecary, a small batch, botanical skincare line. Down to earth and happiest in nature, Liz creates holistic products by marrying […]
Changing Climate Change
Carbon. You can’t have a conversation about planet health without talking about carbon. Our world is powered by greenhouse gas emitting processes; raising animals for meat, driving cars, heating homes, and traveling are some ways […]
A Better Picker-Upper
I start every morning with a scroll through my Apple News feed. Of course I have favorited topics pertaining to the environment and sustainability to keep up-to-date so I can share insights and positive news […]
Living With Less Plastic
Plastic Free July is a campaign that encourages us to look at our relationship with plastic. How much plastic do we use on a daily basis? Where can we make adjustments to switch to reusable […]
Meet the Maker: Effervescence
There’s a hopefulness each of us can identify with when talking to the young woman behind Effervescence, a line of natural skincare and haircare products. Rose Quinn started Effervescence with the intent to make sustainable, […]
Natural & Organic, What’s the Difference?
A common misconception exists amongst shoppers when it comes to the labels ‘natural’ and ‘organic’. Most people think that the two are equally safe, healthy and environmentally sound; in reality, they’re vastly different. This common […]
Finding Home: Alabama Chanin
In order to tell the story of Alabama Chanin, we have to take a step back in history. In the 1860’s Alabama was known as ‘The Cotton State’ with one million acres of land being […]
Bye-Bye Ziploc®: Plastic-Free Lunch
Did you know the average American uses around 500 single use plastic baggies a year? Only a small portion of those baggies will ever be recycled, the majority instead ending up in landfills and waterways […]