Helping keep our oceans clean is super important to us, but so is keeping our planet clean.  That means using more eco-friendly products that use more renewable and sustainable resources and don’t deplete our planet or cause more greenhouse gases.

We have gathered together five of our favorite eco-friendly products.  From kitchen sponges to dog food and treats, each of these products and companies focuses on using more sustainable sources, thus being more recycling friendly.

Chippin

When we brought Nyk, our newest furbaby home, we knew that we wanted to provide him with wholesome, natural treats and food.  There are so many options on the market, but so few use renewable or sustainable resources that are more planet-friendly.

So when we came across Chippin, we were intrigued.

Chippin is so different from any other pet product.  The primary source of protein in their treats is, hold on to your hats, crickets!  Yep, those noisy little bugs that keep you awake at night!

It turns out cricket protein is actually better for dogs than beef or chicken.  It contains more protein and B12 than beef, and each bag of Chippin treats uses 40% less water to produce; how’s that for water conservation?

Mixed with other natural ingredients like blueberries, pumpkin, peanut butter, and even Spirulina for those vegan pups, they contain no protein by-products from mammals.  This means they are filled with digestible proteins that use 80% less natural resources.

Their latest product addition, Silver Carp Daily Food, uses U.S.-caught silver carp, an overpopulated and renewable resource for the main protein source.  Matched up with other healthy and natural ingredients, it’s another way they are keeping their “carbon pawprint” low.

Each ingredient in all of the Chippins products is sourced from U.S. small to medium-sized farms or fisheries to help support small businesses and keep the country moving.

Nyk absolutely loves both the treats and daily food, and we love that he is getting healthy, sustainably produced nutrition that is developed with the guidance of board-certified vets and is baked, not fried, in small batches.  Check out their story and products and use the code TeamNykRaidon15 to save 15% off your order!

re-brush

If I told you that 1 billion plastic toothbrushes are tossed into landfills every year?  Or what if I asked if you changed your toothbrush every 3 months as your dentist recommends?

Now, what if I told you that there is a way that you can stop the landfill issue AND get your toothbrush replaced every 3 months for $3.99 every 3 months?

That’s where re-brush comes in!

By using recyclable and sustainable products, they have come up with a handle made out of an aluminum alloy, similar to what soda cans and airplanes are made of.   They paired that with a brush head made of a biodegradable thermoplastic derived from renewable resources like corn starch which is recyclable.

When you sign up for their subscription program, you get your first brush handle and brush head for $4.99, and then, every 3 months, you get a new brush head for just $3.99!  That is significantly cheaper than plastic toothbrushes, AND you’re not adding to the landfills.  Even the packaging is completely recyclable and 40% smaller than standard toothbrush packages.  What’s great is that you can request a pre-paid return package and send back your used brush heads if you don’t have a recycling program near you.

Why spend all that money on plastic that ends up in landfills when you can help save our planet and save money with re-brush!

Kind Scrub Sponge

It may sound a bit weird that a sponge can be one of our favorite eco-friendly products, but it is.

The Kind Scrub Sponge eco-friendly, being free of glue, dye and is even hand sewn.

Made from plant-based, natural cellulose, even the scrubber is all-natural.

Since it is 100% natural, when it breaks down, it can be recycled easily without harming the environment.  Plus, since it doesn’t have any added color, you don’t have to worry about it “bleeding” into your water or onto your dishes.

You can pick them up at Target or order them through Amazon.

Stream2Sea

We have mentioned in several posts about our love of the ocean and how important protecting it is to us.  Part of that includes using eco-friendly, ocean-friendly sunblock and haircare products.

Stream2Sea is our favorite simply because it contains no chemicals that will harm the environment, and, as a company, they are very active in helping to save our oceans and marine life.

While there is a myriad of products that claim to be safe for the oceans, very few really are.  The truth is, many still contain the chemicals that are slowly killing the coral reefs and marine life.  While they may say “reef safe” on the package, once they break down in the water, they can actually be more toxic.

With chemicals like Zinc-Oxide, Parabens, Formaldehyde, Phlataes, and more, many sunscreens are not only bad for the environment; they are bad for you.  Would you like those chemicals in your body?  Chances are, your skin is absorbing them every time you use products containing them, just as the marine life and coral reefs do when you jump in the water with these on your body.

Stream2Sea products start with a core of  “good for you,” natural products like a nutrient-rich antioxidant blend of organic.
Wakame, Green Tea, Tulsi, & Olive Leaf.  Every product is biodegradable and safe for the environment, both above and below the waves.

Besides biodegradable sunblock, they have hair and skincare, the all-important hand sanitizer, and neck gators made out of recycled polyester that is UPF 40+ safe.

Even the packaging is eco-friendly.  The tubes are made from sugarcane resin, the large 32-ounce bottles are made from recycled milk jugs, and the plastic bags are made with biodegradable and recyclable PLA film.

Stream2Sea is the only mineral-based, reef-friendly sunblock that is safety tested and proven to be safe on fish and coral larvae.  It is also the most recommended brand on the island of Cozumel, which has strict standards regarding sunblock to help keep the Mesoamerican reef system safe.  We learned that important fact before we took our trip to the island in 2019.

Save 10% off your purchase and learn all about their mission to help save our oceans and marine life at Stream2Sea.com

Ocean Bottle

If there is one thing that you can do to reduce landfill volume and protect our oceans, it is this – stop single-use plastic!

When it comes to starting your own eco-friendly lifestyle, it is super easy to reduce single-use plastic use by investing in a reusable bottle or two.  But all bottles are not created equally.  Some are still made of plastic which defeats the whole purpose, and some do nothing to give back.

Ocean Bottle is different!

Produced from PBA-free plastic, silicone rubber, and recycled plastic, with a stainless steel interior and award-winning design, each bottle sold helps remove the equivalent of 1000 plastic bottles from our oceans.  Oh, and did I mention that they also give back by donating a portion of every bottle purchased to Plastic Bank?

Plastic Bank is an organization that employs people in places like Haiti and Indonesia to collect plastic from the beaches and oceans, and in turn, they pay them via IBM blockchain.  This not only helps remove the plastic from the environment but also improves the lives of those involved by helping them earn a fair wage to help their families and communities.

By teaching communities the importance of ending single-use plastic through education and employment, they are helping decrease the amount of plastic in the oceans and give communities a sense of pride at the same time.

Through this program, over 1,200,000 kilograms (that’s over 2.6 million pounds) of plastic has been removed from the oceans and landfills.  That’s more than enough bottles to cover over 179 football fields!  Imagine going to a football game and watching the players run through plastic bottles – yuck!

Visit Ocean Bottle and read all about their mission, the work they do, the message they have, and pick up your ocean bottle today.

While April is officially “green month”, it takes every one of us, every day, doing our part to change habits and start using products that are better for our environment.

We can’t just be eco-conscious one month of the year!

After all, we only have one big blue orb we call home, and unless we all pitch in and start some housekeeping, mother nature will kick us out!