The Best Products to Buy to Celebrate Earth Day
Observe Earth Day by making consumer choices that are good for the planet.
The Field Company
Want to know what to buy for Earth Day? Nothing. That’s right. Reducing consumerism is the single best way to help the environment. Sew a patch on that jacket. Stretch out the lifespan of your home goods. Upcycle that pair of pants into a market tote. But sometimes we’ve reached the end of the road with a beloved item, or have a household staple that needs replacing. Fortunately, dozens of brands are standing by to offer feel-good products you should consider. Here are a few of our favorites.
Glerups EcoWool Boots
Courtesy of Glerups
Natural wool liners and exteriors mean these boots will mold wonderfully to your feet. What’s more, the pure wool construction naturally battles stink and funk, which means you can wear them barefoot and fancy free.
Keen Harvest Flip
Courtesy of Keen
Whether these are your house shoes for quarantine comfort or your beach cruisers once regulations relax, Keen’s eco-friendly sandals boast webbing made from 100 percent recycled bottles. Recycled rubber in the outsole adds to the feel-good quotient while, you know, feeling good underfoot.
Rumpl NanoLoft Puffy Blanket
Courtesy of Rumpl
We’re big fans of the packable, comfy camp blankets from Rumpl—so much so they’ve become our favorite blankets indoors, too. This new insulation technology uses 100 percent post-consumer fibers that mimic the properties of down, with each unit putting 50 recycled plastic bottles to use. The best part: They are super simple to toss in the washing machine when they need a freshening-up.
Native Organic Kitchen Towels
Invest in a stack of kitchen towels and forever banish that jumbo multipack of paper towels from your big-box run. While shelling out a chunk of change for a dozen or so might seem like an investment, cotton towels can not only wipe up spills and dry hands, they can also be deployed as an oven mitt, headband, lettuce dryer, and warm tortilla cozy. Native Organic’s tea towels come in handsome colors and are made from cotton grown on family farms in the U.S. and are processed chemically free.
Houdini Power Air Houdi
Courtesy of Houdini
Conventional fleece garments shed microfibers like a dog sheds on your couch. The only difference is the fleece fibers aren’t great for the environment. That’s why we’re rocking this piece, which is made from a new Polartec fabric called Power Air that sequesters the insulation in tiny pockets. That means an 80 percent reduction in fibers escaping. Smart, stylish, and safe. What’s not to love?
Field Cast Iron Skillet
Stop tossing that questionably safe non-stick pan every few years and buy a “forever pan,” which is to say a sturdy cast-iron skillet that over time and with seasoning will become naturally non-stick and will outlive you and generations to come. The Field Company’s #10 skillet is one such tool: Just shy of 12 inches in diameter it’s big enough to hold a chicken for roasting, two New York strips, or any number of vegetables in need of a high-heat turn in the oven.
Patagonia Provisions Mackerel
Shelf-stable, sustainably sourced, and packed with Omega-3s, Spanish mackerel from Patagonia Provisions is just about the most perfect protein for our times. The Mackerel Variety pack comes with 12 cans of succulent, ready-to-eat filets in three flavors: lemon caper, roasted garlic, and smoked paprika.
Rothy’s Dual-Zip Crossbody Bag
Courtesy of Rothy’s
The San Francisco-based company known for its sustainable, washable shoes branched out into stylish and versatile bags with the same eco-ethos earlier this year. They’re crafted with ocean-bound plastic collected within 30 miles of coastlines.
Common Good Laundry Detergent
Courtesy of Common Good
Common Good’s collection of household soaps and cleaners actually makes us look forward to laundry and dishwashing. The formulas are ultra-concentrated, biodegradable, and Leaping Bunny certified. The brand was also founded on refillable and recyclable packaging, so you can minimize your single-use plastic consumption.
Coyuchi Organic Cotton Duvet Cover
Courtesy of Coyuchi
Awash in a sea of minimalist organic cotton bedding, towels, and table linens—Coyuchi is our home-decor version of heaven. The company’s natural aesthetic and commitment to the utmost environmentally friendly and humane manufacturing make it the real deal. We’re particularly crushing on this organic cotton duvet cover right now.
Heretic Body Spray
Courtesy of Heretic
On the shortlist of chemicals to avoid in everyday personal-care items, fragrance always tops the list. Why? Fragrance is a trade secret, so companies are not required to disclose what’s actually in any of them. They can include potentially harmful toxic chemicals that can cause hormone disruption, cancer, and allergies. Enter: Heretic, a gender-neutral line that makes 100% natural botanical scents and candles. Heretic has surpassed all industry standards by creating a line that goes beyond “clean” and “non-toxic,” focusing on natural botanicals that are blended with organic, non-GMO sugarcane alcohol.
Campfy Metal Boba Straws
For a while there, boba tea was a guilty pleasure of mine. I say guilty because I knew that all that plastic was bad for the environment, but sometimes I couldn’t help myself. Happily, biodegradable cups and sealing film are both starting to be a thing. The weak link is straws—paper versions just aren’t big enough to Hoover up tapioca balls, or strong enough to pierce the film on top of cups. But reusable metal straws are up to the task, and I like to keep a set on hand. In the days when I used to leave my house, I would take my straws with me in a handy carrying pouch. But I find that metal boba straws are good at home, too, for things like, say, slurping up a thick milkshake. (Hey, we all have our ways of coping.)
