Tag: recycle

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

It’s time to hop on the bandwagon and start living your sustainable lifestyle! Reduce your waste footprint, reuse what you have, and recycle what you don’t need anymore. Every little bit helps you and the Earth stay healthy and happy.

Check out some awesome ways Basil Bandwagon can help you jumpstart your new lifestyle below! BONUS- today only (Friday 4/26/19), all reusable products (i.e. Hydroflasks, Ukonserve containers, Stasher, Lifefactory bottles, Conscious Cutlery, and more!) are on sale for 20% off! DOUBLE BONUS- if you forget your shopping bag take one from our Bag Tree or if you have extras, leave them for someone else to use.

Buy in Bulk

Start small and work your way up! We carry a large assortment of teas, herbs, grains, coffee, snacks, and more in our bulk section. You can even use your containers from home (just make sure you weigh them at our cash registers before filling them with product)! Don’t have any at home? No worries, we carry all shapes and sizes of bulk containers for purchase!

Stay Hydrated

Everyone has their specific “cup of tea.” Whether you drink coffee, tea, water, or kombucha, look no further for your bottle of choice! We have a large assortment of sustainable drinkware- including stainless steel straws, straw cleaners, and awesome tea infusers!

A Foodie’s Heaven

Don’t forget your lunch! We carry containers of all shapes and sizes to pack your healthy meals in. Are you a meal prepper? The Stasher is a perfect product as you can cook, store, and freeze your meals for as long as you like!

On-the-go? Say no more!

If you are constantly traveling, make sure you always carry these necessities. Squeezable containers for your shampoo and conditioner, essential oil bottles, produce bags, assorted size bags for makeup and jewelry, and reusable storage bags are perfect for your suitcase.

Package Free Goodies

Have you checked out our package free soap from Zum Bar? This awesome goat’s milk soap comes in a variety of scents and is perfect to try before you buy their entire line! At $1.49 per ounce, you can’t go wrong!

Regardless of how you live your sustainable lifestyle, let us know! Leave us a note, email us, or tell us in person! #basilbandwagoncares

April 25, 2019
Plastic Bags: Putting an End to the Bag Monster We’ve Created
Check out this fancy outfit! Slimming, isn’t it?

But for real, Carolyn is shown here sporting a handmade jacket and hat of retail plastic bags. 500 of them, to be exact! Why is she wearing this? Well, besides to get a laugh out of all of us, she’s wearing it to demonstrate the amount of plastic bag waste ONE PERSON generates in A SINGLE YEAR.

Imagine 7.6 billion plastic-bag-wearing-Carolyn’s wandering around. (That’s the current number of us inhabiting our Earth.) The amount of waste is almost unfathomable.

Of course, the moral point here is that we should all be using reusable bags and/or reusing the plastic bags that are already out there. You already know that. What we all need to be doing at this point is practicing what we preach, spreading the word by creating and sharing impactful messages (like Carolyn’s outfit), and cleaning up our act.

Here’s some more information to get you further inspired to take action:
- The ever-familiar plastic bags we have grown so accustomed to using were originally introduced in the 70’s as an alternative to paper bags. They now account for over 80% of grocery bags distributed, according to the American Plastics Council (now merged with the American Chemistry Council).
- Have you heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Gross. “A huge sea of plastic trash swirling in the North Pacific.” The images are startling.
- 10 Shocking Facts About Plastic Pollution from EarthDay.org are bound to inspire you to mobilize your friends, family, coworkers, and community.
A big ‘thank you’ to our friends at Chico Bag for this eye-catching/opening costume. #ChicoBags supply us with our own custom-branded beautiful Basil Bandwagon reusable bags that fold up nicely and fit in your pocket or purse. Purchase them at both of our locations.

Or choose one of our classic Canvas bags!
June 13, 2018
10 Quick & Easy Ways to Reduce the Carbon Footprint in your Kitchen

1. Make Your Own Bulk Fermented Food.

Yogurt, sourdough bread, kefir, kombucha… these are all delicious, healthy foods that can be beneficial for your gut health. Unfortunately, if you are purchasing them on the regular, you’re disposing of a lot of packaging. While much of it is recyclable, an even better option would be to avoid the packaging all-together by making your own batches in home and storing them in your own glass reusable containers. Check out our Cultures for Health starter cultures, available in our refrigerated section.

2. Use your favorite hot/cold beverage bottle.

We <3 Hydroflask. Their bottles can hold hot or cold beverages, making them perfect for year-round enjoyment of iced tea, water, hot tea, or coffee – whatever fits your fancy. Plus they come it your favorite color, whatever that may be.

3. Stash the kids’ snacks in stainless.

Safesnacker made by KidBasix is BPA and phthalate free and the perfect size for a portion of fruit, veggies, or homemade granola. They’re easy to open and close, and are a mess-proof way of tossing in lunchboxes or backpacks.

4. Stop buying plastic wrap.

Reuseable food wraps like BeesWrap is not only functional, but beautiful as well. Pretty patterned cloth made in Vermont with beeswax, organic cloth, tree resin, and jojoba oil is great for wrapping cheese, lemons, greens, or covering plates or bowls of food.

5. Buy high efficiency laundry detergent.

A 64 fluid ounce bottle of Biokleen can clean up to 128 loads of laundry. It’s tough on dirt, but gentle on the earth. Less packaging for more uses of product = improved sustainability. Recycle the container when you’re done, or use it as a watering can for your plants! The built-in spout makes it perfect for this use.

6. Ditch fabric softener sheets.

Woolzies dryer balls made from 100% pure New Zealand wool are hypoallergenic and provide a 100% natural source of reusable fabric softener. They claim to reduce drying time by 25% and last for up to 1,000 loads!

7. Start a compost bin.

Worried about the stink? Purchasing or making an appropriate bin with a Classic Kitchen Basics charcoal filter can eliminate smells that might prevent you from doing this sustainable practice, which reduces your waste and feeds your garden!

8. Buy bulk herbs, snacks, powders and grains.

Buying in bulk from our amazing selection of Frontier Coop goods eliminates the need for excessive packaging AND saves you money. Win/win! Did you know? At Basil Bandwagon, you can purchase bulk items with your own reusable containers? Our cashiers will deduct the weight of your container from your purchase.

9. Use compostable coffee filters and sandwich baggies.

We realize that some disposable items make life easier. What you can do to reduce your footprint is to purchase from sustainable companies focused on creating compostable, natural products like these from If You Care.

10. Use your own bags!

Forget ‘paper or plastic’: use re-useable! We know how easy it can be to forget these bags during your shopping trips – so leave a handful in your car, and keep one handy in your purse.

April 11, 2018