Make sustainable swaps at Green Life Trading Co.

Sasha Stone started DIYing in college to make aspects of her daily life more sustainable. She started making her own deodorant and sewing her own produce bags, for example. As someone with an interest in connecting people with the environment, she realized that a lot of people didn’t know where to start when it came to living a low-waste lifestyle.

“I realized busy people don’t have time to DIY their life,” Stone says. “I want to find the most sustainable, most ethical products so they don’t have to do all the work that I had to do.”

Stone started Green Life Trading Co. online two years ago, but opened a brick-and-mortar shop this past spring. She largely sources her products from North America to lower the carbon footprint associated with transporting them to her store. Stone keeps two questions in mind: “Are they made ethically?” and “Are the ingredients safe for the environment?”

Photo by Timothy Hughes

At Green Life, people can bring their own containers and refill them at various stations. The shop has household and personal refills along with the raw materials to make your own products. If you don’t bring your own jar, there’s a shelf of donated and sanitized containers that are free to use and keep.

If you’re considering starting a low-waste journey, Stone has a few suggestions: Make a list before you shop so you don’t buy something you don’t need, use what you already have before buying new and take note of what ends up in the garbage.

“Look in your trash can and your recycling and do an audit,” Stone says. “Just pull everything out and see what you’re throwing away the most and that’s a good place to start.”

Save your leftovers in airtight stainless steel, dishwasher and oven-safe containers. $16-$35

Photo by Timothy Hughes

Swap your paper towels for reusable UNpaper towels. $15.99 for six

Photo by Timothy Hughes

After much research, Stone says she found the best shampoo and conditioner bars. She stocks different varieties, so people can match the product with their hair type. $12.95-$15

Photo by Timothy Hughes

Change up your laundry routine with ultra concentrated detergent strips. $0.40 per strip (good for two loads)

Photo by Timothy Hughes

Replace that bottle of dish soap with a vegan and cruelty-free dishwashing puck. $9.50

Photo by Timothy Hughes

Smell fresh and clean with a handmade deodorant cream that comes in a reusable or recyclable glass container from the supplier. $12

Photo by Timothy Hughes

Switch up your makeup routine with Lip + Eye + Cheek Balmies, a zero-waste, all-in-one product made by a women’s cooperative in Bali. $14

Photo by Timothy Hughes

Find Them: 1334 Williamson St., 443-6331, greenlifetradingco.com