The BEST Eco Swaps of All Time
I’ve gotten hate comments in the past saying I’m too negative. So I’m turning the tide today by talking about some zero-waste swaps, brands, and habits I implement and use every single day and have loved for years.
These are eco swaps I am excited to use and support, and truly love every single day.
Plaine Products
A brand I’ve been screaming about for years, Plaine Products. They are innovative, high-quality, and have the best team that I was lucky enough to meet in person. It’s always a pleasure to work with these kind folks.
Beyond that, I love that they make refilling accessible through the mail. They acknowledge that shipping empty bottles isn’t perfect in this interview, but I agree with them when they say that it sure is better than single-use materials. They have travel sizes, large sizes, and listen to their customer base about new products, new scents, and even retiring products.
I think I’ve gotten my hands on all of their items, but I keep going back to their lotion, face wash, and face oil! Shop here!
Aventon
My trust e-bike that I’ve had since 2022 has never seen as much action as it has this year. I did a car-free challenge in June and, dare I say, it changed my life! I have become so much less reliant on my car ever since then. I learned how far I can go and how far my bike can go. I’ve learned about safe biking routes and where to park to bike at several destinations. I’ve even added a crate I found in the trash to help me carry more and heavier things!
And it’s all thanks to my Aventon e-bike, truly. I couldn’t be this free from my car with a non-electric bike. E-bikes help me commute in a decent amount of time, without getting all sweaty, and I have arthritis so I’m trying to protect my joints as much as I can.
While I use my e-bike a few times per week, Dan uses his several time a day as a regular bike commuter. It helps us save so much money and so many emissions. We are HUGE fans!
Stio
The one brand I’ve been wearing a lot of new items from in recent years has been Stio. Many of their items are made with recycled materials, and they are truly built to last. My oldest pair of pants from them I got around 5 years ago and still wear them often. Plus they’ve all been through the wringer doing fieldwork, trail work, maintenance, and general hiking and backpacking.
I especially love that they fit my body. I’m curvy with long legs on only an average-sized body so my proportions are weird. But my Stio pants fit like a glove and are so comfortable!
Pair that with their sun shirts for eco-friendly sun protection, I wear almost exclusively Stiowhen I’m hiking.
Reworked by Sav
Though I do prefer to shop secondhand. It’s especially cool when I can shop secondhand while supporting small artists like my friend, Sav. She works with 100% recycled materials to make wearable art. Even her thread is secondhand!
I have several of her pieces that ensure I’m repping her art at least once a week. The political and environmental messages are perfect for getting your point across without sacrificing the planet by buying mass-producedfast fashion.
Give her a follow on IG to support her work for free and buy some of her amazing work if you can!
My reusables: bag, coffee cup, water bottle
The classic zero-waste swaps: reusable bags, reusable water bottle, and reusable coffee cups. They have helped me reduce so much waste and save so much money over the years.Learn just how much they can save you in this video.
My reusable shopping bags are from Baggu and Chico. But you can often find a lot of these at thrift stores to save even more money and waste.
My reusable water bottle was a Christmas gift, and it’s a Stanley brand. It’s fine, but I prefer truly eco-friendly brands like Klean Kanteen.
My reusable coffee cup was (gasp) an impulse purchase from around 5 years ago, and she’s still kicking, so I still use her. But, again, I would prefer a Klean Kanteen as well as a different style that allows for easier transport.
Despite my little qualms, these are my most used eco swaps!
Stojo
We started using Stojo containers when we moved into our RV. They checked so many boxes for mobile and tiny living:
Lightweight
Collapsible to compact space/not take up all of our valuable limited space
Non-breakable
Microwaveable
Dishwasher safe
Multi-purpose
Even though we’ve been in an apartment for about 2 years now, we still use our Stojo containers DAILY. They are great for leftovers, packing a lunch for work, bringing snacks on a hike, organizing food for a potluck, and so much more. We are huge, longtime fans of Stojo.
Shop here!
Thrifting
Okay, moving on to a few habits. I’ve been a thrifter since I was a child, technically. We shopped a lot at Goodwill in the early 2000s as a way to save money but I loved the feeling of treasure hunting that still draws me to the thrift today.
I love hunting for a bargain but also a unique-to-me item. It’s such a find when I find something in my size and style and then realize how cheap it is compared to new!
Pretty much all of our home is secondhand, too: desks, chairs, table, couch, shelves, books, bed frame, dresser, you name it, we thrifted it. We opt for small in-person thrift stores over large chains (more on that here) and also use Facebook Marketplace a lot to buy from our community members.
Give it a try!
Upcycling
Another eco habit I formed in my childhood is upcycling. To craft on a budget, we got creative with what we had growing up: toilet paper tubes, tin cans, tissue boxes, rubber bands, you name it. This has followed me into adulthood and I never see trash as just trash.
I’ve turned old shirts into rugs and reusable tissues, toilet paper tubes became a birthday banner, I’m using hold hummus containers to make a floral wall hanging, and more! It’s free materials I can make into free home decor and avoid the landfill and our poor recycling system in the process.
Give it a try!
My eco makeup
I’ve tried many amazing eco makeup brands over the years, many of which I continue to use to this day because they are either so long-lasting I still have them or they are of such good quality that I keep buying them over and over again:
Elate: I’m currently using their eyeliner, lip liner, powder, concealer, eyeshadow, and blush, and love it all! It’s such high quality and long-lasting on my face and in the palette. I especially love that the palette is reusable and customizable. Shop here!
Zerra & Co: I’m currently using their mascara, toner, and makeup remover paired with my handmade, upcycled makeup remover pads. Their mascara is easily the best eco mascara I’ve tried, and I keep buying it over and over again. Shop here!
Fat & The Moon: I’m currently using their highlighter. I’ve had it for over 2 years, it lasts so long! It’s so shiny, and they have so many colors to choose from. Shop here!
Axiology: the first eco makeup brand I tried! I’m currently using several shades of their lip-to-lid balmies and lipsticks. These are 100% plastic-free and give my face such a glow. Shop here!
Sustain Yourself: my go-to eco lip balm that I buy over and over again. Totally plastic-free and insanely hydrating and luscious. Shop here!
My local refill store
I’ve never been able to shop as package-free as I have living here, and I’m so grateful! Not only is our bulk store (well, a bulk section in our co-operative grocery store) robust with many dried goods, liquids, personal care items, and even refrigerated goods, but we also have a local soap store that also does refilling of shampoo, detergents, vinegar, soaps, hand sanitizer, and more!
You bring your own container, weigh it, fill it, and then it gets weighed at the register and the weight of the container is subtracted. I also oftentimes find it cheaper per ounce than buying that item in packaging.
GOT BAG
When we moved to Las Vegas in mid 2021, we wanted some nice backpacks so we could walk and bike to get groceries more. While we did that some in Vegas, we do it more now…with the same backpacks all this time later! They have held up to years of use, several moves, and long hiking and biking trips.
I mostly use mine for school since it is made with 100% recycled plastic and waterproof, I can guarantee my books, folders, and laptop are safe on my rainy PNW walks and bike rides to school most of the year. But it also accompanies me on long bike rides to carry all of my items, and also in case of the rain.
We’ve been longtime fans of our GOT BAGs.
Shop here!
Floofah
A newer brand to me (compared to some of these others) is Floofah. And maybe you haven’t heard of them either, since they are up and coming!
These 100% natural loofahs are totally compostable at the end of their life, but in the shower or the kitchen, they provide a great scrub and exfoliation without shedding microplastics. They are an excellent alternative to plastic loofahs, and I keep buying them time and time again to use all over the house.
Period Company
I’ve been a period underwear stan since I first tried them in 2021, and I haven’t looked back. In recent months, there is but one brand I reach for time and time again amongst my ginormous stash of brands I’ve had the privilege to review over the years: Period Company.
They are easily the comfiest and most absorbent. I find many brands these days claim high absorbency, but leak easily. They are also extremely affordable, long-lasting, and have a variety of styles. I honestly could use a few more of this brand and retire some other brands that didn’t stand the test of time. Let me know if you’d like an updated period panties review!
Nora
Though I am still a period underwear stand, I’ve been diving into the world of reusable pads recently after trying a few subpar brands. I am pleased to recommend Nora! They are comfy, absorbent, stay in place, wash well, and do such a good job. They are much more convenient to change in public than reusable underwear which is what I often reach for them for.
Buffy, Sheets n Giggles, Avocado
And lastly, we have our eco sleep setup.
It started with new sheets when we moved to Vegas. I knew I wanted to make an investment in something nice, and I am never going back to synthetic. These bamboo sheets are so soft, luxurious, and long-lasting. Every time I sleep somewhere with synthetic sheets, it’s so uncomfortable! Sheets n Giggles is worth the investment.
Then it was time for a new comforter. We decided on Buffy just to give another popular eco brand a go, and we were, once again, blown away. This comforter is warm without being too hot and has lasted us years, including in the RV. At first, it was white. But tiny living can be dirty sometimes, and the wear on the white comforter with pets really started to show. I dyed it in 2024, and the dye has held this whole time! Give Buffy a try!
And most recently, Dan needed a new pillow, so we gave Avocado Mattress a try. We are also highly considering them for our mattress upgrade, which we are planning for next year. Let me know if their mattresses are worth it!
That concludes the list for today, but there are many more eco brands, swaps, and habits I love. Let me know if you’d like to see more!
As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)
Emma
