GoingGreen
REFILL SHOPS AND AN ECO-FRIENDLY PACKAGING SHOWROOM HAVE POPPED UP IN LAGUNA AS MORE PEOPLE SEEK TO EMBRACE SUSTAINABLE LIVING .
By SHARON STELLO
Thea Pauley has practiced zero-waste living for at least a decade . She composts food scraps , wears mostly secondhand clothing , only buys items with minimal packaging , if any — looking for materials that can be composted — and uses refillable bottles for shampoo , dish soap and other household products . The only waste coming into her home is junk mail and gifts from other people .
“ For my home to become a zero-waste home , it took about four years — just one thing at a time ,” Pauley says . “… Now it ’ s pretty on point .”
Pauley also helps others adopt this sustainable lifestyle . She owns Eco Now , a regional chain of refill stores including one that opened last fall in downtown Laguna Beach . Located in the Lumberyard Mall on Forest Avenue , Eco Now offers an entry point to making your home more environmentally friendly : Among a vast array of products , jugs of soap , laundry detergent and the like can be pumped into reusable containers while chewable toothpaste tablets allow customers to forego the hard-torecycle tubes , and canisters of basics like baking soda and borax can be scooped into a jar in the amount desired . This is the second such shop to pop up in town recently : The Ritual Refill , owned by locals Shannon Hall and Danielle Holland , opened in north Laguna in early 2022 with similar products .
“ We are both passionate about the importance of respecting the earth and keeping it clean for future generations ,” Holland says . “ Our goal is to encourage others to begin or continue their journey of low-waste living .”
This eco-friendly effort seemed a perfect fit for Laguna , a city that has banned eateries from using disposable plastic cutlery and polystyrene takeout containers and consistently wins the Wyland National Mayor ’ s Challenge for Water Conservation . If ever there was a place for refillable home and beauty products , surely this is it .
“ We loved the concept and would drive as far as an hour to visit our favorite refill shops from San Diego to LA ,” Hall says . “ We felt that a similar shop would really resonate with our town .”
BECOMING ECO-CONSCIOUS To get started , Pauley suggests doing a “ trash audit ” and making little swaps here and there rather than overhauling everything at once , which can feel overwhelming .
“ Look at your trash can . What are you throwing in there ? Is it bathroom packaging ? … Refill it . If it ’ s food packaging , you can shop at a farmers market ,” she says . “ What material is it ? Is it plastic ? Is it cardboard ? Because the plastics are the problem right now .”
Both Pauley and Holland recommend starting in one room . As a first step , Holland advises switching hand and dish soap for refillable options . “ It ’ s an easy swap ,” she says .
Pauley believes that sustainability moves
Danielle Holland ( left ) and Shannon Hall , owners of The Ritual Refill
people toward a more minimalist mindset . “ That is really good for your mental health ,” she says . “ People who have less can focus more on doing things than buying things . It gives your life more fulfillment .”
REDUCE , REUSE , REFILL Hall and Holland , who both grew up in Southern California with a deep appreciation for nature and the ocean , worked for years in the retail and apparel industries where they witnessed the incredible amount of waste generated by consumers . With The Ritual Refill store , they wanted to provide an ecofriendly alternative .
“ Whether it ’ s single-use products or fast fashion , there is so much waste produced in consumerism everyday ,” Holland says . “ This inspired us to start a business where we could offer more sustainable swaps like refilling your essentials and buying secondhand clothing .”
Peruse the rack of vintage and repurposed apparel , slice off a piece of bar soap or bring
GEMMA TOTTEN /@ GEMMATOTTEN AND AHMET URAS /@ AHMETXURAS ; OPPOSIT PAGE : DANIELLE HOLLAND
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