If you're a pet owner, this episode is a MUST listen!  In my discussion with Aiden, we cover why exposure to everyday household plastic (and all of the unlikely sources in your home other than pet toys, food, beds, and blankets) can potentially become harmful to your pet's health and longevity, and how to make conscious choices to reduce your pet's plastic consumption.  We also discuss the lack of regulation in the pet food industry and the potential dangers to your pets. Please take time to check out all of the amazing resources available at Earthday.org to help you spread the word, take action, and to stay up to date with latest environmental news!Follow them on InstagramAnd don't forget to grab my Free Sustainable Living Home Guide to help you reduce your unintentional household plastic use by over 50%, you'll also receive weekly updates and tips to help you live lightly!If you'd like to watch this and other episodes, please join me over on YouTube, and for some extra inspiration you can follow on InstagramIf you enjoyed this episode please share it with a fellow pet owner (or all of them, this is really important news)!  To help others find us, please leave review, and don't forget to follow so you know when a new episode is available! I appreciate your support!

In this episode, I discuss the impact of common chemicals in everyday plastics on hormone health, fertility, and pregnancy with Functional Hormone Practitioner, Maritza Worthington. She explains the toxins in plastics that are considered hormone disruptors, such as phthalates, BPA, and heavy metals. Our conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding the leaching of these chemicals into food and water packaged in plastics in addition to their presence in makeup and personal care products. We explore how plastic consumption can lead to estrogen dominance, fertility issues, PCOS, and hormonal imbalances. Our discussion also touches on the effects of plastics on nutrient and mineral absorption, and what that means for energy levels and overall health and wellbeing, and some practical tips for where to start eliminating personal plastic use.  Maritza shares strategies for starting a plastic detox journey and achieving healthier hormones.Connect with Maritza on InstagramIf you experience ANY PMS symptoms, irregular periods, general lack of energy, or fertility challenges, download her FREE Peaceful Period Guide and join her Facebook community for valuable insights and more!  Start your journey to healthy hormones by booking a FREE CLARITY CALL with Maritza today! Start the journey to eliminating plastic from your life now!  Grab your FREE Guide to help you navigate finding the safest and most sustainably made plastic and chemical free swaps for your beauty routine, water filtration and so much more! (or find it on livelightly.eco under the Free Guide tab).Join me on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube (with closed captions) for weekly sustainable living inspiration and tips for busy moms including healthy meals! If you enjoyed this show, please help more busy moms find The Live Lightly Podcast, by taking a minute to share, subscribe, and leave a rating & quick review to let us know what you're enjoying!

In this episode of The Live Lightly Podcast, I discuss Vejibag, produce crisper bag sustainably made of 100% unbleached Organic Cotton French terry that keeps leafy greens fresh and crispy for up to two weeks without plastic.  I am joined by Anne Wing, the Director of Communications, and Stacey Erickson, the Director of Operations who tell the story behind Vejibag, its growth from using thrift store materials to sourcing organic cotton, and the company's ongoing commitment to sustainability as they move into a circular economy. Our conversation highlights the benefits of Vejibag, such as reducing food waste and plastic use, and we share tips on various uses for Vejibag and a few kitchen hacks to save time on meal prep!   Connect with Vejibag For tips on use, questions, customer support, and to order your Vejibags directly visit them online  Follow for inspiration on InstagramOther Sustainable Businesses mentioned in this episode: Opportunity ThreadsMaterial ReturnGrab my FREE Sustainable Wellness Home Guide (or find it on livelightly.eco - Free Guide tab) to help you reduce your Household Plastic Waste by OVER 50% AND eliminate harmful chemicals from the products that you use in your home!If you enjoyed this show, please help more busy moms find The Live Lightly Podcast, by taking a minute to share, subscribe, like, and leave a rating and quick review to let us know what you're enjoying!Join me on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube (with closed captions) for weekly sustainable living inspiration and tips for busy moms including healthy, simple meal ideas!

Join me as I discuss reducing household plastic dependence with @me.motherearthbrand founder, Amanda Runkle. Amanda shares her journey of starting the business and the challenges of finding sustainable products. We discuss the issue of greenwashing and the importance of making small changes to reduce plastic waste. Amanda highlights some easy swaps that individuals can make in their households, such as using reusable towels and switching to liquid castile soap. ME Mother Earth offers a one-stop shop for sustainable and plastic-free products, taking care of ingredients, packaging, and shipping. Her online store prioritizes quality, sourcing, and research to provide customers with confidence in their purchases. As a small business, she's faced challenges in finding manufacturers and packaging solutions that align with her values. Patience and perseverance were key in the process of launching ME Mother Earth. Supporting small businesses like ME Mother Earth not only benefits the planet but also promotes mindful consumption and reduces waste. We discuss how free returns contribute to waste and are not truly free, as the cost is often borne by the vendor as well as the earth because returned items often can't be resold resulting in waste that goes to landfill. Making sustainable choices is a journey, and ME Mother Earth provides resources and support to help consumers as they make the switch.Connect with us! memotherearthbrand.comOn Instagram @me.motherearthGrab your FREE Sustainable Living Home Guide to help you reduce your household's unintentional plastic waste by OVER 50% AND eliminate harmful chemicals from the products that you use in your home!Join Live Lightly on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube (with closed captions) for weekly sustainable living inspiration and tips for busy moms including recipes!If you enjoyed this show, please help more busy moms find The Live Lightly Podcast, by taking a minute to subscribe, like, share, and leave a rating and quick review to let us know what you're enjoying!

In this episode I dive (pun intended!) into a discussion with Aiden from the Earth Day Organization about the global impact of plastic pollution in the Ocean's ecosystems, marine life, and ultimately humans.  If you eat anything from the ocean, or have a sweet spot in your heart for marine life this is a must listen for you! Please take time to check out all of the amazing resources available at Earthday.org to help you spread the word, take action, and to stay up to date with latest environmental news! Follow them on InstagramAnd don't forget to grab my Free Sustainable Living Home Guide to help you reduce your unintentional household plastic dependence by over 50%, you'll also receive weekly updates and tips to help you live lightly!If you'd like to watch this and other episodes, please join me over on YouTube, and for some extra inspiration you can follow on InstagramIf you enjoyed this episode please share it with a friend!  To help others find us, please leave review, and don't forget to follow so you know when a new episode is available! I appreciate your support!

Melodie Reynolds, founder of Elate Beauty, shares her journey of starting a sustainable and ethical beauty brand. She fell into the beauty industry by accident but was drawn to the transformative power of makeup and the importance of creating an amazing customer experience. After becoming disillusioned with the industry's lack of sustainability and ethical practices, she started her own company, Elate Beauty, with a focus on zero waste and refillable packaging. Melodie emphasizes the importance of desirability and user experience in sustainable products and highlights the need for individual research and finding personal thresholds for ingredient preferences. Melodie Reynolds emphasizes the importance of making conscious choices when it comes to beauty products, considering the quality of ingredients, sourcing practices, and transparency of brands. She discusses the issue of greenwashing in the beauty industry and the lack of regulations on labeling claims. Reynolds highlights the need for third-party certifications and transparency in operations and supply chains. She also encourages consumers to view their beauty rituals as mindful rituals rather than mindless routines and to make small, intentional changes that can have a positive impact on the environment.How to connect with Elate Beauty@elatecosmetics@melodieelatedElate Beauty - use code livelightlyelate15 for a 15% discount!Grab your FREE Sustainable Wellness Home Guide (or find it on livelightly.eco - Free Guide tab) to help you reduce your Household Plastic Waste by OVER 50% AND eliminate harmful chemicals from the products that you use in your home!If you enjoyed this show, please help more busy moms find The Live Lightly Podcast, by taking a minute to subscribe, like, share, and leave a rating and quick review to let us know what you're enjoying!Join Live Lightly on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube (with closed captions) for weekly sustainable living inspiration and tips for busy moms including recipes!

Kent Atherton, founder and CEO of Go Pure Pod, shares the story behind the company and its innovative water purification technology. The Go Pure Pod is a small device that continuously purifies water, eliminating bacteria and contaminants. It is made from dental-grade polypropylene and has a long-lasting ceramic core that filters down to 0.22 microns, removing bacteria, chlorine, fluoride, microplastics, heavy metals, and other toxins. The pod is small and versatile and can be used in various settings, such as in water bottles, pitchers, coffee makers, and water used for cooking. It is an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic water bottles and provides a convenient, affordable, and effective way to ensure clean and safe drinking water. In this conversation, Kent Atherton discusses the problem of single-use plastic water bottles and the solution provided by Go Pure Pod. He explains that many people buy plastic water bottles because they don't trust their tap water or don't like the taste, but they are unaware that these bottles contain microplastics. Go Pure Pod offers a sustainable and cost-effective alternative, with one pod being equivalent to 2,000 single-use plastic water bottles. Kent also highlights the importance of clean drinking water, especially when traveling to countries with unsafe tap water, and tells how to use it under such circumstances. He emphasizes the need to reduce plastic waste and shares tips for avoiding plastic in daily life. LinksConnect with GoPure Pod to stay updated on their products and sales, and if you missed out on the Earth Day sale, enter code livelightly15 to receive 15% off! (*affiliate link/code)Follow GoPure on InstagramGrab your FREE Sustainable Wellness Home Guide (or find it at livelightly.eco - free guide tab) to help you reduce your Household Plastic Waste by OVER 50% AND eliminate harmful chemicals from the products that you use in your home!Join Live Lightly on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube (with closed captions) for weekly sustainable living inspiration and tips for busy moms including recipes!If you enjoyed this show, please help more busy moms find The Live Lightly Podcast, by taking a minute to subscribe, like, share, and leave a rating and quick review to let us know what you're enjoying!

Green Llama is a company that focuses on creating eco-friendly and sustainable cleaning products.  Matt and Kay share the story of Green Llama and their journey to create environmentally friendly cleaning products with plastic-free packaging. They were inspired by their own desire to reduce plastic waste in their everyday lives and the need for non-toxic cleaning options, and prioritize sustainability, health, and effectiveness in their products, and they have their own formulas and production processes.  They conducted research to find eco-friendly ingredients and partnered with a company that recycles decommissioned wind turbine blades to create trigger sprays for their refillable glass bottles. They faced challenges in production, finding the right packaging, and raising awareness about their products. Their refill tablet and laundry detergent packaging is made of certified compostable materials.  They are committed to progress over perfection and continuously improving their products. Green Llama is named after llamas, which are eco-friendly animals that tread lightly on the earth. Connect *Order online and sign up for their newsletter to stay up to date! Use promo code: jessica at checkout for a 15% discount  Look for Green Llama on shelves at your local co-op or health food store! Follow on InstagramGrab your FREE Sustainable Wellness Home Guide (or find it on livelightly.eco under Free Guide) to help you reduce your Household Plastic Waste by OVER 50% AND eliminate harmful chemicals from the products that you use in your home!Join Live Lightly on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube (with closed captions) for weekly sustainable living inspiration and tips for busy moms including recipes!If you enjoyed this show, please help more busy moms find The Live Lightly Podcast, by taking a minute to subscribe, like, share, and leave a rating and quick review to let us know what you're enjoying!

In this episode, I speak with Aidan Charron, Director of Earth Day Organization's End Plastic Initiatives, about the impact of plastic on the planet and human health. Aidan shares his personal journey with me and explains that plastic is made from fossil fuels and contains harmful additive chemicals. He discusses the health effects of plastic, including endocrine disruption and increased cancer rates. Aidan also highlights the environmental toll of plastic production and the strain it puts on natural resources. We discuss the topic of recycling plastic and why it is not a viable solution due to the complexity of plastic composition and the lack of recycling infrastructure.  Our conversation focuses on the need for more reusability and transparency in plastic use. We go on to discuss the challenges of greenwashing and the need for informed consumer choices and how to simplify the process of reducing the use of single-use plastic and plastic in the household with my easy to use Free Guide linked below where I share all of my favorite sustainably made products that I use in my own home. Connect with Earth Day Organization:earthday.orgOn InstagramGrab your FREE Sustainable Wellness Home Guide (or find it on livelightly.eco under the Free Guide tab) to help you reduce your Household Plastic Waste by OVER 50% AND eliminate harmful chemicals from the products that you use in your home!Join Live Lightly on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube (with closed captions) for weekly sustainable living inspiration and tips for busy moms including recipes!If you enjoyed this show, please help more busy moms find The Live Lightly Podcast, by taking a minute to subscribe, like, share, and leave a rating and quick review to let us know what you're enjoying!