There are countless articles online about how to best live sustainably, and while I am incredibly thankful for each one and the person who took the time to share, they often frustrate me. Many, if not all, completely ignore the realities of trying to reduce my impact as an athlete.

Yes, it would be fantastic if we could all only wear recycled organic cotton or linen and ride around gracefully on our lovingly refurbished vintage bikes, but it leaves out so many of us whose hobbies and passions just don’t mesh with the perfect sustainable lifestyle.

This post started as a list of all of the things I wish people would share instead of saying that my athletic clothing is terrible for the environment. (And yes, the microplastic pollution is a problem, but I can’t ride my bike 1,000+ miles a year instead of driving my car in organic cotton shorts. My skin wouldn’t survive.) But you don’t have to be hardcore or training for something to follow these tips.

Your love of sports does not have to be at odds with your goal to live as sustainably as possible. There are nearly endless ways to make training and competing more sustainable. Here are just some of them.

Here’s what you can do as an athlete to cut the trash and reduce your impact.

Gear

Wear your clothes until they wear through. I still wear leggings with a hole in the knee from a mountain biking incident a year ago. No one at the gym seems to be scandalized by a quarter-sized peek of my kneecap. Technical clothes can last for years when treated right and taken care of.

Limit tech, and hold on to what you have. You don’t need to track every mico-movement (guilty). If your 4-year-old watch works just fine, keep it! You don’t need the latest gadget to be your best or set a new PR. Our gadgets and tech require destructive, toxic mining of rare materials, and yet we don’t hang on to them. Each year the average household in the U.S. throws out 400 iPhones worth of e-waste. While you’re at it, keep your cell phone until it dies!

Rewear clothes when you can. In the height of summer, I am not pulling out yesterday’s shirt for round two (unless I’m traveling or backpacking), but once it cools off a bit, my performance fabrics hang up overnight so they’re ready for the next workout. Wool is ideal for this habit, but if you already have clothes with silver fibers or anti-microbial treatments (not endorsing these fabrics) you might be surprised by how easily you can add another workout before a wash.

Buy your gear used when you can. Many major retailers are starting to sell refurbished used gear online such as REI, Patagonia, and the North Face, but the standby used marketplaces such as eBay, Poshmark, ThredUP, and Craigslist are still great places to search. It also doesn’t hurt to join your local Buy Nothing Group and put out a specific request for the thing you need—you never know what someone is looking to get rid of.

Buy your gear from ethical, sustainable companies when you can’t find it used. If not, buy from large companies like REI who are aware of their impact and working to reduce it or small, local companies who are trying to make positive change in your community.

Wash full loads of laundry. For me, this means that I have enough exercise clothes to get me through six workouts or so. (No, my clothes alone are not a full load, but when combined with my partner’s clothes it’s much closer.)

Use a Guppy Bag to wash synthetic fibers. Microplastic pollution is a problem we are only just starting to understand. What we do know that is that these plastic fibers are infiltrating our oceans, waterways, tap water, arctic snow, air, and our bodies. These bags aren’t a perfect solution, but they help trap the fibers so they don’t end up working their way through the waste treatment process and into the waterways near you. Even better: install a filter on your washing machine to best catch these fibers.

Invest in clothing with UPF coverage. Clothing with UPF/UPV coverage is your best protection against harmful rays while outside. They never have to be reapplied, you can’t sweat them off, and they provide complete, continuous coverage. Use mineral, reef-safe sunscreen everywhere else, don’t forget your hat and sunglasses, and when you can, avoid being outside during the times with the highest UV radiation, typically between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the summer. Check your local UV index the night before an outdoor workout to pick the safest time to head out.

Repurpose, then recycle old clothes. When clothes are uncomfortable or no longer performing well (they’ve gone see-through, bunch and bag so they now rub and chafe, require constant adjustment or holding onto during activity, etc.), wear them for other activities. I wear less great clothes to the pool, on hot days, while gardening, to lounge in… you get the point. When they are really done, I recycle them at my local The North Face, which is the closest clothing recycling near me. Other places to look are at your recycling center, local thrift shop, and other outdoor gear stores. San Francisco even collects fabric curbside with regular waste pickup.

Recycle old shoes. You can’t get around the fact that many activities eat through shoes. Continuing to wear old, broken down shoes can increase your risk for aches and generally make you dread an activity you used to love. Replace and recycle as needed, and keep encouraging companies to use recycled materials in their shoes. Support brands who consider sustainability and have ethical manufacturing processes when you can. This isn’t as common yet, but the more we ask for it, the more brands will follow suit.

More: Homemade Shoe Deodorant Spray, What to do with Old Running Shoes, and How to Make Your Shoes Last.

Buy your new shoes from a local, independent shop to support your community and reduce the impact of shipping to your house. Most local shops let you try out the gear and give you attention a computer can never muster. My local running store once let me try on every shoe in my size to find the one that didn’t press on my still tender scar from my ankle surgery. It took an hour, and they were so patient with me. #shoplocal forever.

Say ‘no thank you’ to (most) race t-shirts, medals, and other swag. If you finished Boston, girl, rock that medal! But otherwise, your shelf and closet space will appreciate the break. You don’t need the extra stuff, and hopefully the more we politely decline these items, the more race officials will start asking if you want it and only making as much as they need. While you’re at it, start shopping your stash the next time you need a new shirt.

Wash mindfully and air dry your athletic clothes! They will last longer and it’s way better for the environment. Use natural detergents and skip the bleach and fabric softeners. White vinegar does an amazing job at removing any lingering odors in the wash, and the sun will also help freshen things up. Use less soap than you think you need to prevent the dreaded never-ever-been-washed-stink. Any soap that’s left behind after the rinse, and any fabric softener, gets trapped in the fibers and makes your clothes not wick as well. It also makes a nice feast for bacteria that share the bounty with smells strong enough for the whole class to enjoy! When my clothes are really bad, I use an enzyme stain remover/prewash and add white vinegar in the bleach spot of my washer. If you’ve used a whole bottle of vinegar and still can’t get the rank B.O. out of your hot yoga clothes, try a non-toxic, specially formulated sports wash like Nikwax Base Wash or Laundress Sport Detergent (although I’ve never had it come to this).

Use what you have. You probably don’t need that new recovery gadget. Things around the house or that you can find left behind at a park are often good enough or better. I found my lacrosse ball on the side of the street during a run and a golf ball in the bushes while riding my bike. My dad made me a PVC-pipe roller from scrap he found on a construction site.

Sleep is still the best recovery. And humans tend to ruin the planet less at rest.

Food and Supplements

Buy candy in the bulk section instead of gels or gel blocks for quick glucose during training. Those who can tolerate dried fruit or a banana while exercising can also find those package free. You can find small, reusable bags that will fit in your pocket or running pack to refuel on the go if just popping a few jelly beans straight in your pocket seems like a bad idea (it probably is). I’m currently considering pocket-sized Stasher bags for when I need to carry fuel on longer runs or rides.

Skip the processed ‘supplements’ and powders. Let’s ignore the packaging and the fact that supplements are not tested or regulated—two major problems that really shouldn’t be minimized—and instead just look at their impact on the environment. Fish oil is stressing food chains and contributing to overfishing. Collagen supplements come with the massive impact of raising animals, and they haven’t been found to actually do anything for you. Many protein powders have also been found to be laced with dangerous heavy metals and BPA. Nearly all supplements are heavily processed, and they require a great deal of energy and resources to manufacture and ship around the world. Go for whole fruits, vegetables, and grains grown locally instead. You can make your own electrolyte mix and get the nutrients you need from whole foods.

Vary your protein sources. Protein is important, especially for those who are more active, but there are plenty of healthy, robust source that don’t come from meat. While I personally follow a vegetarian diet, many studies show that a flexitarian diet that includes plant-based proteins and reduced animal protein is great for you and eases your impact substantially, especially when compared to keto or paleo diets that are extremely heavy on the meat. You may even recover faster.

Reduce your dairy intake. Cheese, milk, and other dairy products are responsible for about 3.6 percent of planet-warming emissions globally each year. While there is questionable evidence that chocolate milk (studies are often paid for by dairy industry groups and ignore high sugar content—a known inflammatory food) is a good recovery food, what the researchers are really looking at is a mix of protein, carbs, and fat. You can get that with coconut oatmeal and dried fruit, peanut butter on an apple, or a homemade granola bar for example. You don’t have to go full vegan—unless you want to—to make an impact. You can start out by switching to non-dairy milk such as homemade nut or oat milk or trying to buy 50 percent less cheese each week. Every slice counts.

Use a reusable water bottle, even when racing. If it’s too much to bring a bottle with you everywhere, vow to not buy single use bottles and instead keep a reusable cup or bottle at work and in your gym bag.

Freshen up. It’s no secret that everyone, not just people who are sweating it out, needs to eat more fruits and vegetables. Shop at your local farmers’ market to get fresh, package-free produce. When shopping in the grocery store, bring your own produce bags (even the plastic ones you already have around your house) or simply put things straight in your cart or basket. The only things I put in a bag these days are unwieldy, loose items such as unpackaged spinach, green beans, or mushrooms so they can easily be weighed (and not fall out everywhere).

Skip the single use packaging. Whether it’s putting your favorite snack in a sandwich bag or buying a single serving of chips, the grocery store is full of packaging that becomes waste nearly immediately. Whenever you can, skip anything that is packaged in materials destined for the trash. And while we are here, no, your chip bag, cling film, and produce bags probably aren’t actually recyclable. Contact your local recycling agency to confirm, but most curbside programs do not take thin plastic films because they get stuck in the machinery and are difficult to recycle.

Get your caffeine jolt from a sustainable source. Many grocery stores sell coffee beans and tea in bulk. Look for organic, biodynamic, and/or fair trade beans and teas. Compost your grinds or tea, or sprinkle them around your plants in the garden or the landscaping in front of your office or apartment. If you buy a drink from your local shop, don’t forget your reusable cup or mug.

Buy food in bulk. Athletes eat a lot, for good reason. Buy your foods in the bulk bins when you can or in the largest package available to cut down on waste per serving.

Lifestyle

Double dip. If you enjoy endurance activities, consider using them as a way to get you to and from errands or work. I run to the post office (and run home looking like I stole packages off someone’s porch, but *shrug*). I also ride my bike to the gym, grocery store, and the pool if I fancy a swim.

Be mindful with showers. You don’t need intense soap to get clean. Mind your microbiome and only wash when really needed. I wash my hair every 3-5 days. Rarely, I will rinse with conditioner or a tablespoon of vinegar in a cup of water on days when my hair gets extra sweaty but am not ready to wash. A washcloth and a gentle, moisturizing bar of soap are all it takes to get my heavy-duty zinc sunscreen off. Don’t forget, the less time, the less water. Speed it up! (Talking to myself too.)

Do you do anything not included on this list to reduce your impact?

My clothes are ancient by today’s standards. In a world of 50-100 fashion “seasons” per year, disposable clothing that is only meant to last a night, and t-shirts that cost $5, my closet is an anomaly.

I have had everything in my closet and drawers, from my pea coat down to my running tights, an average of five years. And while at first that doesn’t sound like much, many of the pieces in my closet are still going strong 10+ years after they were handed down to me.

While I will be the first to admit that a few things in my drawers need to be replaced, for the most part my wardrobe—both my daily clothing and athletic wear—still looks like I bought it within the last year.

Why does the age of your clothing or wardrobe matter?

Lately I have been seeing posts from slow fashion and ethical fashion bloggers about #30wears and why it’s important to only buy clothes you can see yourself wearing at least 30 times. The idea is to ensure you don’t buy something you will never wear or only wear a handful of times before getting rid of it.

While I love this idea, I think we should hold ourselves to higher standards. With my closet, I try to only add items that I can see myself wearing frequently over the next five years. For basic pieces that will always be in my life like a coat or a dress, I imagine myself in it 10 years from now.

The longer I keep each item, the less of an impact I have on the Earth. Growing and producing fibers, manufacturing clothing, and shipping them around the world is extremely costly to the environment. The longer I hold onto a piece—and actually wear it!—the more I save in the long run.

Wearing clothes for years means you aren’t going out to buy a new one every year or so. It means you are saving all of those resources that are required to make a replacement in addition to the money it takes to purchase it. In other words, the longer you keep and wear your clothes, the smaller your impact.

What I learned from this exercise:

1. Many of my clothes came from my mom either as hand me downs or gifts. Thanks mom!

2. With proper care, clothes can last years, if not decades.

3. I get more joy out of clothes the more I wear them. Yes, I could have seven pairs of pants so each one is only worn once a week to theoretically stretch out their lifespans, but I feel great knowing that my black jeans that lasted roughly two years had at least 200+ wears over their lifetime. Not too shabby! I wear my favorites on a weekly basis, and I love them just as much each time I put them on.

4. My small closet has served me well through so many transitions and climates.

5. I generally avoid trends and any clothing that I’m on the fence about, and calculating the age of my clothes really reinforced those habits. I likely won’t want to wear “boyfriend” clothes 10 years from now (or, you know, now), just like how my emo band shirts from high school aren’t still hanging around. Classic, timeless pieces give me the best cost per wear, have the most longevity, and end up being the most sustainable.

6. Quality is almost always worth the investment. I hate shopping, and it’s extremely important to me that my clothes are high quality pieces that will last me for years. The pieces that have been around the longest or appear to be the most likely to keep going for another decade are the ones that are made out of natural fibers that age well, are constructed well, and are classically styled.

7. I foresee the average age of my clothing increasing over time. Most of my clothes were bought in college or right after I graduated. I had a school uniform K-12, and it took me ages to figure out what I actually like to wear. Now that I am getting the hang of dressing myself, I am slowly replacing old, not-so-nice-looking items for pieces I hope to see me through the next decade.

Don’t you have a lot of clothes for a minimalist?

My wardrobe is broken up into two capsules and three categories: cool capsule, warm capsule, and year-round essentials. In general, this keeps my clothes feeling fresh and saves me space in my closet and drawers since out-of-season clothes live under my bed in a zippered canvas bag. It also means everything that I pull out for the season is worn frequently, sometimes almost daily.

I have a lot of athletic clothing—more than what’s in my “daily wardrobe.” Half of my drawer space is dedicated to it. And yet I wear all of it frequently. In the summer, I layer with my long sleeve tops to stay warm to and from the gym. In the winter, my tank tops and running shirts are often hiding under my thick running tops to help keep me warm on brisk runs or gym sessions. My leggings are layered with sweaters and dresses, and when the temperature really drops my warmer running clothes become baselayers under my regular, non-athletic clothes.

That said, unless you are also exercising or getting sweaty 6-8 times a week, this is likely aggressive. I could make it work with 2/3 of the clothes that I have, but I would have to do mid-week laundry and the load would never be close to full, which wastes water and energy. As is, most of my athletic clothes are worn 1-2 times a week, and this jumps up to a good 90 percent if you take seasonality into account.

Related: See what’s in my daily minimalist wardrobe and my workout capsule.

Ethical clothing is everywhere. From big brands to tiny blogs, everyone wants to be selling and wearing the most ethical items they can.

I’ve been feeling pressure lately to add ethical clothing to my closet, and I went through a stretch where I felt like the clothes I was wearing on a given day weren’t a good representation of my values. Many of my items have unnatural fibers that can leach into the water or environment, most were not created in safe or fair factories, and the dyes and other materials used were harmful on the environment and workers when they were made.

And yet the clothes already sitting in my drawers and hanging in my closet are the most ethical ones I could own. Why? Because I already own them.

Why are new clothes damaging?

• Dying textiles is the second leading cause of water pollution worldwide, just behind agriculture. Independent.
• Many of the chemicals used to dye clothes are toxic to humans and the local habitat/animals.
• Independent.
• Synthetic fibers like polyester leach small micoplastic fibers into the water. They make their way into the local waterways and the ocean where they are eaten by animals and humans. The Guardian, U.S. National Ocean Service, CNN, Scientific American, and the UN.
• Fast fashion has led to 50-100 micro seasons a year rather than two to four. World Resources Institute.
• “Cotton production is now responsible for 18 percent of worldwide pesticide use and 25 percent of total insecticide use.” True Cost documentary.
• The textile industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than aviation and international shipping, combined. Vice.
• We bought more than twice as much clothing in 2014 as we did in 2000, but kept those clothes half as long. World Resources Institute.
• It takes 2,700 liters of water, enough drinking water to last a single person 2.5 years, to make a single cotton t-shirt. World Resources Institute.

The clothes you already have are the most ethical choice.

The emissions and harm from production and manufacturing have already been done. Now what matters most is helping them last as long as possible to lower their carbon footprint per wear, keep them out of the landfill, and reduce your overall consumption of clothing.

Rather than going out and buying new clothes, even used/second hand, to replace the items that don’t fit my values perfectly, I’m choosing to love and care for the things I already have. This not only saves me a lot of money, it also gives me peace of mind to know that I am making the most of the damage that has already been done.

And when they finally reach the end of their lives, I will carefully recycle them through a textile recycling program nearby before looking for a second hand option to replace them. If that fails, then I will buy new from an ethical producer.

See inside my minimalist capsule wardrobe.

It’s true what people say about freelancing: you’re either being hit between the eyes with a Super Soaker or standing last in line at Bi-Rite Creamery. Either drowning in work or in tears. (Or, let’s be honest, both).

The start of this year was painfully slow on the work front. I had come off the high of trying to do every possible project I could get my hands in October into the blissful month I spent in New Zealand. When December rolled around I wasn’t particularly worried, a slow month here or there won’t kill anyone. But by February I was desperate.

Which was how we got here. Those brutal, hungry months can lead to some of the best stories and most exciting opportunities, or crippling self-doubt. I went from not blogging because I was constantly pitching and worried about putting my best ideas here to barely having enough mental space to remember family birthdays and the last time I brushed my teeth. I find it challenging to make the time for words that I’m not getting paid for. I have to eat, and at this point in my life—despite what freelancers tell themselves—I work for everyone else.

Which is all to say life is good now, freelancing is just as challenging as everyone forewarns, and I’ve done too much reading and writing to fully catch you up. But that doesn’t mean I wont’ try. So here it is, seven months of reading in a single blog post. Enjoy!

What I’ve Read So Far This Year

I would break the internet—okay fine, my brain—if I tried to give you a feel review of everything I’ve read since January. Instead I’m offering the reductionist version. Here’s a quick list with a couple thoughts thrown in.

1. The Imperfect Environmentalist: 2.3-3/5 stars… although part of that could be because I want to write a book like this, but better.

2. Lotta Jansdotter’s Handmade Living: 3.5/5 stars. Scandi-living candy. Did not actually get me to start decorating two years after moving in as hoped.

3. The Heart’s Invisible Furies: 2/5 stars. Went on forever. Not a fan.

4. The Kinfolk Home: 2.5/5 stars. Depressing. How can anyone afford to live like this? Liked most of the essays.

5. Still Life with Tornado: IDK stars. I don’t remember how I felt about this YA book. So I guess that says something.

6. New Minimalism: 3/5 stars. Nothing new or surprising to me here. Still liked it. Good place to start if you haven’t already gotten rid of 75-80 percent of your stuff and moved into a 275 square foot apartment with your partner.

7. Spark: 2.5/5 stars. I liked the first chapter. Then it felt like it went on too long.

8. Wing Jones: 4/5 stars. Loved this YA novel about finding your power and voice through running.

9. Fix Your Clothes: 3?/5 stars. Helpful reference. Still can’t really fix clothes.

10. Make Yourself at Home: 3/5. Book did not magically decorate my home.

11. Urban Jungle: 3/5. Have two new plants.

12. Sing, Unburied, Sing: 4/5 stars. Cried.

13. Little Fires Everywhere: 4/5 stars. Weird. Liked it.

14. Sage Living: Decorate for the Life You Want: 3/5 stars. Still have not hung up a single photo.

15. This Will Be My Undoing: 4/5  stars. Insightful, honest read. Recommend.

16. The Last Magazine: 1/5 stars. I wanted to leave this off this list to prevent drawing any more attention to it. Came off as sexist and racist. I have complicated because the author is dead so I feel like an ass for hating it and getting so worked up about it.

17. Born a Crime: 4.5/5 stars. Cannot recommend it enough.

18. Rethink The Way You Live: 2.5/5 stars. Kind of interesting? Have not rethought.

19. Tin Can Homestead: 4/5 stars. Gorgeous small living.

20. Goodbye, Things: 2.5/5 stars. Roughly translated, concept is just not for me. Repetitive.

21. Garbology: 5/5 stars. I cannot stop talking about this book. The history and scientific analysis of our trash blew me away. Please read it. It’s way more interesting and insightful than you could ever imaging a book about physical trash could be. So good.

22. How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky: 2/5 stars. So, so weird. I don’t get the hype. Wish I hadn’t finished it.

23. Emergency Contact: 2.5/5 stars. It was okay. Would have been better if the text messages the story was built on would have had stupid typos and autocorrect nonsense like they would have in real life.

The fact that this post is going live a little more than week before the next edition is due is telling. Life can be frustratingly disruptive on the reading and writing front. But no matter, still we continue.

Escape the news, laugh at yourself (and the people toiling away in the gym while you eat a donut), dig into culture, and find a little happiness with these January Book Reviews.

January Book Reviews

Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection

I did get a few laughs out of Drop Dead Healthy, but I was kind of surprised at the weird knowledge he chose to follow and the lack of sturdy science. That said, it was mostly entertaining just to listen to his thoughts and follow along with his always-a-little-out-there experiments.

Big Mushy Happy Lump (Sarah’s Scribbles #2)

There are times when I read a book and I think “Yes, this author and I so get each other!” Big Mushy Happy Lump was just as great as Adulthood Is a Myth. When you can’t take the news anymore or you just want 30 minutes where it’s perfectly alright to laugh by yourself in a corner, I can’t recommend Sarah Andersen enough.

The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World’s Happiest People

Everyone is obsessed with Scandinavia. Even I can’t help myself. Both with The Little Book of Hygge and the latest, The Little Book of Lykke, I found myself thinking how at home I would feel  nestled amongst the candles, hot drinks, warm cinnamon buns, and bicycles.

This book was less handbook and more of an intentional eye-opener. I loved the stats and examples, and it made me start thinking of ways that I could live a little more like a Dane (preferably somewhere without snow and ample winter sunlight). Be forewarned, it will also make you want to hop on a plane and see what all of the fuss is about.

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy

Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of those writers that I compulsively read, but he makes me work for it. His books are never well-suited for tearing through, but instead make you reread entire pages and stare off into the distance while you rethink what you thought you knew about the world or imagine a world that owned up to its mistakes and rectified them quickly instead of desperately clutching onto lies and undeserved power.

While it’s true that you can read most of the essays in We Were Eight Years in Power on The Atlantic’s website, I much preferred being able to take my time with them, set the book down when I needed to, and come back a few days later when I was ready again. I may be an outlier, but I also really enjoyed his introduction to each essay where he explained what was going on in his personal life, what he would have done differently, the work that went into the piece, and the parts of it that he still feels strongly about or has changed his mind on.

The Mother of All Questions

From the author of Men Explain Things to Me, The Mother of All Questions takes on rape jokes, violence against women, damaging masculinity and femininity, and the power of women who cannot be silenced.

Revoke my Millennial card now – I’m about to commit internet blasphemy.

I don’t like Everlane.

The brand has made its name touting its transparency and ethical wares, but I feel strongly that it doesn’t belong on the same racks as truly sustainable, ethical clothing. Yes, it is fantastic that Everlane is making an effort to show consumers where there clothes come from and break down the real costs that go into each piece. But I don’t think the clothes they are making right now are deserving of the praise they’ve been getting. (And there’s an ongoing debate about if they are actually radically transparent.)

It may seem unfair to complain about a company that is trying to do better than most fast fashion brands, but that doesn’t mean that it belongs on every list of ethical clothing brands or in every conscious consumer’s closet.

Before I get into my reasons, I want to be very clear. I have only bought from Everlane once and visited their pop-up shop in San Francisco once. Outside of my time in their shop, I have only tried on and touched three of their pieces: crew neck cashmere sweater, v-neck cashmere sweater, and a cotton v-neck t-shirt.

Let’s get into it.

Why I Won’t Buy Everlane

1. It’s Fast Fashion Lite

Trendy? Check. Cheap? Check. Built to last? Definitely not.

Everlane may not add new items to the site every day, but they certainly pump out their fair share of new styles and colors. Most of their clothes are on trend, which means they will quickly become dated. Are they the same as H&M and Zara. No. But they are more like fast fashion than most people would like to admit.

2. Poor Quality

Their low prices should have been a dead giveaway, but my biggest disappointment has been the poor quality of their clothing. All three of the pieces I ordered, including two cashmere sweaters, were see-through thin. The same can be said for most of what I saw in the store. The fabric is not high quality and the pieces do not feel like they are built to last.

You cannot pay fair wages, produce things well, use high quality materials, and sell a shirt for $15. The math just doesn’t add up. Something has to give.

Every time I wash my only Everlane piece, a dark gray v-neck t-shirt, I am paranoid it’s going to rip. I wash it on delicate and in a garment bag because it’s so thin.

3. Materials

Ethical comes in all shapes and sizes, but to me ethical clothing needs to be sustainable. Everlane does not use organic cotton or other low-chemical, low-water alternatives. They do not tell you what kind of dyes or process they use. They do not use leather that has been safely tanned without harmful chemicals. Their jackets are stuffed with polyester and polypropylene. Pants and dresses from their work wear collection contain viscose from unspecified origin, polyester, polyamid, and nylon.

That said, most of their materials are natural and not man-made. They have gone out of their way to manufacture their jeans in a sustainable denim factory. The sustainability of their materials and production is something that Everlane clearly cares about, but they haven’t gone far enough for me across their entire line. (If I had to guess, the cost of organic materials is likely their biggest barrier at this point to more sustainable materials).

4. Personal Reasons

It would be unfair to leave these out. I have struggled to find pieces that fit both my style and my body. However, it’s all of the things above that keep me from trying new pieces or giving them more chances.

Take a look inside my minimalist wardrobe or read why the ethical clothing blogger behind Gretchen’s Closet Stopped Buying Everlane.

We need to talk about trash.

There have been some important stories about trash in the news lately that are weighing on my mind, and yet they seem to be going unnoticed.

If every grocery store looked like GoodFor in Aukland, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.

The biggest is that China is no longer taking our trash. Before the new policy went into effect on January 1, 2018, China recycled about half of the entire world’s paper and plastics. Now they are refusing to take on our dirty business due to environmental damage, poor quality of the materials we send, and hazardous waste and trash that’s mixed in and bring down the value of the recyclables. Countries including England, Ireland, Germany, and Canada are already reporting a buildup of plastic recyclables according to the article in the New York Times.

As more plastics and paper products build up in cities and ports around the world, the article reports that many are looking to export their waste to other countries like India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. But what are these countries going to do with this overflow of trash? Without proper recycling facilities and a capacity to actually process the massive surge, these countries will be inundated with our castoffs and left with the same problems that has left China reeling.

Sure, it feels like you’re doing the right thing by recycling – and yes it’s better than throwing things straight into the trash – but this is yet another (7.3 million ton) reminder that recycling is not enough. So what is?

We, as an entire global community, need to make less trash. It starts at home, but we also need to hold companies accountable for the packaging they use and demand better options.

For more of what you can do to reduce your waste right now, go here.

It’s been a full year. A full 356 days of standing up for what I believe in, fighting for what’s right, and bracing myself for the next New York Times notification.

Many of the things below are not necessarily new to my life – some have been around for at least a decade – but they have taken on new meaning to me. Here’s a fairly exhaustive list of what I’ve been doing to resist (in no particular order).

1. Reading

Books are powerful. Written language carries weight and meaning beyond the letters on the page. There’s a reason the current administration doesn’t want anyone reading newspapers or getting their right to free education.

Newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books illuminate other perspectives and immerse you in someone else’s experience for a brief moment. They add context and gravity to the things happening around us and help us better understand the real stakes. While I think any reading can be an act of resistance (and self-care!), here are a few of the books I read in the past year that fired me up or gave me much needed understanding:

• No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need
• On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
• Radical Hope: Letters of Love and Dissent in Dangerous Times
• Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture and What We Can Do about It
• Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman
• Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
• Hope in the Dark
• We Were Eight Years in Power

The first two are must-reads.

2. Supporting Real News

It’s vital to support valuable sources of truth with money. I have a NYTimes subscription, but just remembering to turn off my ad blocker and spending more time with their content can make a difference for newspapers and journalists.

3. Riding My Bike

Every time I pick up my helmet instead of my car keys, I’m giving this repulsive administration a massive middle finger. Oil money has bought them off, and I refuse to put any back in their pockets. Instead I make every effort to ride my bike and pay for public transit. Each time I buy a ticket for the local train I am voting with my dollars and insisting that we need more funding and investment in our shared resources and sustainable transit. Riding my bike improves my community’s air quality, reduces traffic and road congestion, (hopefully) inspires other people to bike, and makes it safer for everyone. It also makes me really happy.

Who knew riding could feel so damn satisfying.

4. Calling My Representatives

I am lucky to live in a state/region that has politicians who are fighting for equality and justice. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need to hear from the people who support them. Actually calling makes me nauseous (and I totally cried once while talking to a staffer about health care and how much the Affordable Care Act has helped me), but I always feel better when I do.

5. Eating My Values

I’ve been vegetarian for more than a decade. This year we’ve made an even bigger push to eat local foods by skipping the grocery store and getting our produce at our farmers’ market instead. Our veggies are from fields around the area and our money goes straight to the farmers instead of filtering through Amazon’s pockets. I refuse to give Monsanto or other massive agro-companies my money. We buy organic to protect our local environment, the workers, and ourselves. We’ve also been paying attention to foods with big carbon or water footprints and trying to eat them less.

6. Working Toward Zero Waste

In general packaged foods don’t fit my values or come from companies I feel good supporting. Even more so, I can’t stand the idea of sending chip bags and granola bar wrappers to a landfill where they will either end up in the ocean or be buried in other plastic junk longer than I will be alive.

Reducing our trash has pushed us to support local business and farmers, discover new resources around us, reuse what we already have in different ways, and slowly cut down on our environmental impact. (You can see more about the changes we’ve made here.)

7. Refusing to Support Companies Who Support Hatred, Racism, and Sexism

A simple Chrome extension let’s me know when companies support the current administration. Before I purchase anything I do a quick search to make sure that the company ethically produces their goods, has sustainability practices, and aren’t in favor of the current regime. (Here’s a good list to get you started, compilations of dirty donors, or dive into the ultimate list of people and companies to boycott.

8. Keeping an Ethical Wardrobe

Creating an ethical wardrobe is about more than just buying from ethical retailers. Instead I have been taking good care of the clothes I already own. I have refused to buy from companies who don’t use sustainable materials and practices, don’t treat their workers fairly, and don’t pay fair prices for their raw materials. For much of the year, I just didn’t shop at all. When I did need something, I checked for used options first.

9. Reducing Online Shopping

 10. Supporting Independent, Ethical, Environmental Business

11. Staying Off Twitter

12. Ignoring Clickbait

13. Listening to New Voices

14. Talking

There have been some falling outs in the last year over social and political beliefs within my extended family. But that hasn’t stopped me from seeing how important it is to talk to the people in my life candidly about what’s happening, how it’s affecting everyone, and what we can do to help one another.

15. Supporting Public Services

16. Refusing Greed and ‘Me First’ Attitude

This obnoxious, toxic behavior is what got us here. We’re all trying to grab what’s ‘owed’ to use before the next person can, and it’s destroying our societies and our happiness.

I’m actively working on not getting mad at people who cut in front of me when driving, being mindful to hold open doors, wave other people through at stop signs, and generally reassess whenever I feel like I have to have something before someone else gets it. This also includes not chasing after the latest and greatest things and instead being thankful for the things we do have.

17. Recognizing Humanity

American society is weird. We pride ourselves on giving each other personal space and being self-reliant individuals. And yet we close ourselves off from others and ignore the humanity in the people around us. I’m all for gliding through the background unnoticed, but there are times when I think it does more harm than good.

This one is as easy as saying ‘hello,’ ‘thank you,’ or even ‘good morning.’ Start with people who hold doors open for you and move on to every service worker who helps you, homeless people, or strangers on your commute. Talk to the person in your office that you’ve never actually met. Get to know the people who take care of your yard or your local park. If an introvert like me can do it, anyone can.

Noticeably Absent:

This year I didn’t make it to any protests. I let my still healing ankle and fear get in the way. 2018 seems like a good year to change that.