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Just pulled onions

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 […]

The Love Local Shop

Love Local expands it’s small business directory to include an online shop.  Caring for the environment is an integral part of the Love Local mission, as is supporting small businesses. Love Local married the two […]

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

This Mother’s Day, show your love for mom with one of our hand-picked gift ideas. You’ll be supporting small businesses from all over the country who make ethical and sustainable products. Photos by: 1. Farmgirl […]

Lunchskins Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bags

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 […]

Photo of a farmers market from the street and tents in background

Behind the Farmer’s Market

Green leaf buds, cherry blossoms and tulips are the beautiful visual cues that spring has arrived. Spring also ushers in the return of farmer’s markets as farmers start sowing seeds and producing produce for markets […]

Reusable Produce Bag

Behind the ‘Organic’ Label

Understanding what organic means and what it applies to can be confusing. What types of products does the USDA certification apply to? What does it mean when the word ‘organic’ is used on a label? […]

Washed Out Salon

City Guide: Los Angeles

Los Angeles is known for beaches, sun, celebrities, Rodeo Drive and the glamour of Hollywood, but if you scratch the surface, this urban sprawl has so much more to offer. I collaborated with my favorite […]

Jeans

Sustainable Fashion: Viscose

When it comes to purchasing clothing, there are endless options at our fingertips. What makes one fabric better or more sustainable than another? What are the environmental impacts of creating clothing and how will it […]

Rapt_Reusable_Fabric_Gift

Meet the Maker: Rapt Gift Wrap

Who doesn’t love giving and receiving gifts? Part of the joy of gift giving is choosing the wrapping paper that best suits the recipient and the occasion. A beautifully wrapped gift, adorned with ribbons and […]

Brand Spotlight: Christy Dawn

Christy Dawn is a brand that will transport you to a picturesque field, filled with vibrant flowers, accented by a soft blue sky. A Los Angeles based brand with roots in an earth friendly ethos, […]

Long Hungry Creek Farm

Biodynamic Farming

Biodynamic farming is defined by the Biodynamics Association as a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food, and nutrition. The practice of biodynamic farming was first introduced in the 1920’s by Dr. Rudolf Steiner, […]

Lip Balms

You’re the Balm

Cold weather always means keeping lip balm within arms reach.  Choosing a lip balm with non-toxic ingredients is at the top of our list of course, but even the best ingredients have traditionally been housed […]

Beeswax Wrap

The Future of Convenience

To understand how small businesses came to be, we have to step back in time. Around 800BC  the citizens of ancient Greece organized the first iteration of shopping small with an open air market where […]

Vintage Jacket

MadAndie Brand Spotlight

Elizabeth Graf has always had a love for vintage.  “The imperfections and stories behind every piece of old jewelry and furniture fascinate me. There has yet to be a vintage typewriter, metal box or wood […]

Greenwashing

Greenwashing

I was 27 when I started paying attention to labels and marketing. Perhaps because during my time working at a prominent New York City ad agency, I gained a deeper understanding of the process behind […]

Sage Refill Market Founders

Refill It Nashville

There’s a movement taking hold around trash. As consumers become more aware of the issues surrounding trash, specifically plastic waste, they are not sitting idly by. People are seeking out alternatives to plastic, asking questions […]

Baguette

Meet the Maker: Lillian Street Bakery

On a quiet, residential street along Shelby Bottoms Park sits an unassuming structure anyone would mistake for a garage. The 594 sq. ft. structure is the home of Lillian St. Bakery.  Launched in 2016 by […]

Bountiful, Beautiful Gardens

When I moved from LA to Nashville, I knew I wanted to re-create a version of my backyard vegetable garden.  My interest in garden ideas piqued; I started noticing gardens around town, including restaurant gardens. […]

Lake Norman

Love Local Travel Guide: Lake Norman

Road trips are vogue right now. We joined the many Americans packing their cars and hitting the road for family vacations.  Heading east, we found respite at a quiet lakeside retreat in North Carolina.  Lake […]

Justin Head, Farmer and Owner

Raising Real Food

Smokin’ Oaks Organic Farms is a multi-generational, family farm producing organic beef, pork, chicken and eggs.  Located in Cedar Hill, TN, Smokin’ Oaks occupies rolling fields nestled amongst quiet housing developments.  Farmer and Owner, Justin […]