THIS PAGE : ( LEFT ) COURTESY OF THE HEAL ROOM ; ( RIGHT ) GETTY IMAGES / MUKHINA1 .
Sustainability entrepreneur Ana Duque spills on her new shop and refill station , the Heal Room , in Pawtucket . BY CASEY NILSSON
Ana Duque with business partner
Karen Mejias .
When Ana Duque first learned about the zero-waste movement , she says
she went a little crazy .
“ I was obsessed with avoiding all plastic ,” says the twenty-five-yearold , who grew up in Pawtucket , studied at the University of Rhode Island and spent two years working as a teacher ’ s assistant with City Year in
Los Angeles , a mecca for eco-friendly options .
By the time she returned to Rhode Island , in 2018 , she ’ d created a blog called Green Tenderfoot to track her sustainability efforts . She began selling homemade deodorants and lip balms to friends , family and , eventually , a steady client base at popup events across the region . She also sourced bulk home goods and bath products for sale , as well as low-waste , packaging-free items like bamboo toothbrushes and stainless steel straws .
The coronavirus pandemic put an end to such events , but the shift motivated Duque to strike out on her own . In the fall , Duque and friend , Karen Mejias — a wellness entrepreneur who also grew up in Pawtucket and who helped Duque find her footing in Rhode Island — opened a permanent refill and wellness shop in Pawtucket called the Heal Room .
On one chilly Sunday , a socially distanced line weaves out of the shop , past La Arepa restaurant and around a corner along busy Smithfield Avenue . Visitors wait to browse bulk herbs , wellness literature , low-waste home and beauty goods — think : products in reusable or refillable glass containers — supplements , and a refill station with laundry soap , body wash , shampoos and more .
Here , Duque engages in conversations about chemicals in standard plastic packaging and offers gentle encouragement that emphasizes consistent sustainability , | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 94
Do-Good Donations
Recycle your gently used goods into the hands of in-need Rhode Islanders through these direct donation programs .
Clean towels , blankets , sheets and pillowcases Providence Animal Rescue League , Providence , 421-1399 , parl . org Women ’ s Resource Center , Newport and Warren , 247-2070 , wrcnbc . org Dorcas International Institute of RI , Providence , 784-8663 , diiri . org
Gently used clothing Lucy ’ s Hearth , Middletown , 847-2021 , lucyshearth . org Dorcas International Institute of RI , Providence , 784-8663 , diiri . org Foster Forward Community Storefront , East Providence , 438-3900 ext . 108 , fosterforward . net Clothes to Kids RI , Providence , 941-8050 , clothestokidsri . org House of Hope CDC , Warwick , 463-3324 , thehouseofhopecdc . org
Home goods and furniture Lucy ’ s Hearth , Middletown , 847-2021 , lucyshearth . org Dorcas International Institute of RI , Providence , 784-8663 , diiri . org Foster Forward Community Storefront , East Providence , 438-3900 ext . 108 , fosterforward . net
Rhode Island Cities and Towns with Plastic Bag Bans
The pandemic slowed your reusable grocery bag habit but , in these cities and towns , plastic ’ s off the menu altogether .
Barrington , Bristol , Central Falls , Cranston , East Greenwich , East Providence , Jamestown , Middletown , Newport , New Shoreham , North Kingstown , Portsmouth , Providence , South Kingstown , Tiverton , Warren , Westerly
Read Reporter columnist Ellen Liberman ’ s take on plastic bag bans on page 25 .
40 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l MARCH 2021