Lena Milton is a freelance writer who covers sustainability, health, travel, and environmental science.
Are Global Supply Chains A Thing of the Past? How Climate Change Impacts Supply Chains
How Climate Change Will Impact Global Supply Chains
Global supply chain issues have hit the news recently as the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the true vulnerabilities of global supply chains dependencies and sourcing relationships. As a result, it has become abundantly clear that we cannot take global production for granted.
COVID is not the only global event threatening supply chains. As climate change continues to worsen, natural disasters are becoming more frequent, thereby increasing e...
Climate Change & Human Rights: The Inextricable Link Between the Planet’s Health and the Human Condition
The Inextricable Link
Between the Planet’s Health and the Human Condition
by Lena Milton
Climate change is the most monumental human rights issue we face.
While we often discuss the environmental impacts of climate change, we’re only beginning to discuss how environmental issues affect human rights. As we’re already seeing, climate change causes indirect human rights violations and will exacerbate current human rights issues.
Climate change is causing more extreme weather, increased weather v...
How AI Is Making the Fashion Industry More Sustainable
Sustainable Fashion and AI
The fashion industry as it stands today is not sustainable in the truest sense of the word; we cannot continue to produce clothing in the way we are now.
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world and contributes to 10% of annual global carbon emissions. Our consumption of clothing is rising astronomically, and with it rises the fashion industry’s pollution and carbon footprint.
However, achieving sustainability in fashion presents gre...
How Carbon Taxes Will Impact Supply Chains
What Is a Carbon Tax?
Carbon dioxide is one of the main factors causing climate change. A carbon tax is an increasingly common government tax on a company’s carbon emissions that are released when a company produces a good. Carbon taxes aim to incentivize companies to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions, thereby helping to slow global warming.
Carbon taxes are intended to reduce the amount of carbon a company produces by making it more expensive to continue emitting carbon than to simply de...
Are Smart Yoga Mats Actually Smart? Get the Scoop on Electronic Yoga Mats
As more and more people begin to do yoga in the comfort of their own homes, technology is increasingly used in today’s home yoga practices. But have you heard of intelligent yoga mats?
You’re probably familiar with using your phone to use a yoga app, or playing your favorite yoga video on your TV. But technology in yoga is going even further these days, with the introduction of smart yoga mats. Yes, smart as in electronic.
These smart, electronic yoga mats are popping up everywhere. Whether y...
Is A Plastic-Free Kitchen Possible? A Beginner's Guide To A Sustainable Kitchen
Many of us have heard that going plastic-free is a great way to reduce your personal environmental impact. However, removing plastic from your life, and especially from your kitchen, sounds like a daunting task. Trust me, I get it – plastic is so convenient!
A plastic-free kitchen is possible. This guide will first explain the benefits of a plastic-free kitchen, and will then provide you with some simple tips on how to achieve the sustainable kitchen of your dreams.
Why Ditch the P...
What to Pack for the Pacific Crest Trail: PCT Gear List to Get Your Pack from Heavy to Ready!
Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers may be the only people who agonize over a single ounce while packing for a trip.
After all, you’ll have to carry everything you need to live for the next few months — in very few situations are the stakes this high!
The decisions of what to bring for hiking the PCT (and more importantly, what not to bring) may feel like too much pressure.
But don’t worry — this guide will help you understand what you should bring, and how to decide what makes the cut, from some...
Solutions: How Fashion Can Create a Circular Economy
How the Fashion Industry Can Embrace a Circular Economy
By Lena Milton
We know that the clothing choices we make have an environmental impact. But the choices that the fashion industry makes as a whole have a much larger potential to make long-lasting positive change. The main pathway to make fashion more sustainable is through embracing a circular economy. This guide explains what a circular economy is and discusses solutions a circular economy offers that fashion brands around the world can...
Chemicals and Toxins in Food Containers
This guide was developed to help provide an overview of chemicals and toxins used in food containers, as well as the related negative health impacts. We provide context and background information to help you understand which chemicals are used, why they are of concern, and how regulations aim to reduce the toxicity of food containers.
See the table of contents below for quick navigation.
Summary of Key Takeaways
Food containers include anything that comes into contact with food, such as conta...
How To Road-Trip Sustainably
Just hearing the word “road trip” conjures images of adventure and excitement. Whether it’s a single day’s drive or traveling around the country for several months, road trips are sure to bring the fun. However, the environmental impact of road trips is less positive.
Every year, thousands of people embark on a road trip, and they’re becoming an ever more popular method of travel. This extra driving adds large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and contributes to climate ...
Health Benefits of Echinacea
Echinacea, also known as coneflower, is a purple flower commonly grown in North America in woods and fields. Native Americans in the United States’ Midwest have been using echinacea as a medicinal herb for over 400 years. The Great Plains Indians used echinacea for all sorts of problems, from toothaches to snakebites. Explorers Lewis and Clark even learned about the plant’s health benefits on their voyages and shipped echinacea seeds back to President Jefferson in the 1800s.
The echinacea pla...
5 Ways We Can Stop Ocean Acidification
Although it may not be discussed frequently, ocean acidification is one of the biggest problems humanity (and the environment) faces today. The rising acidity of the ocean is not only harming biodiversity and marine ecosystems, but is impacting human industries that rely on the ocean’s resources.
While the best way to stop ocean acidification is to reverse climate change, there are other smaller steps we can take that can make a difference. This guide will provide you with 5 ways that individ...
How to Dispose of Old Kitchen Appliances (Properly)
Disclosure: This blog is reader-supported. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own.
In 2020, Americans bought over 560 million household appliances, including large and small kitchen appliances.
While these appliances may be sparkly and new now, they will eventually come to the end of their use ...
How to Shop Ethically in 2022
The amount that we buy increases every year. According to the National Retail Federation, American shoppers buy more and more every year, with an average increase of 4.4% annually, and a record increase of 8.2% in 2020.
As we begin another year, consider adding ‘ethical shopping’ to your list of resolutions for 2022.
Easier said than done, you may be saying! With so many guides to the “best ethical brands” in every industry, it can be difficult to know where to start.
This guide will help you...
What Are the Nine Essential Amino Acids
What are the nine essential amino acids?
Amino acids are extremely important in helping the human body function. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When your body breaks down protein, amino acids are left. Your body can use these amino acids to make new proteins to help your body with a variety of crucial tasks.
Your body uses amino acids in order to digest food, repair damaged body tissue, and to grow cells, in addition to many other important functions.
There are many different...