This blog is the 3rd in our Earth Day to Mother’s Day #ShowUpForYourMother series with the Adventure Mamas Initiative. If you missed the first two, check them out here: Why we’re partnering with Adventure Mamas | 7 Ways to Love Your Mother
Raising the Bar
If you've spent much time in the woods, you've probably familiar with "Leave No Trace." You know, take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints. Easy, right?
The concept may be simple but in reality, practicing Leave No Trace (LNT) well is actually quite a challenge.
(For those who are wondering what the heck is LNT, they're a set of 7 Principles taught by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. When you follow LNT, and you can be confident that you won't be ruining natural areas you visit for those who come after you -- or for the native plants and wildlife. They're simple but very useful, and not always intuitive.)
I've always been curious: why would we only be really mindful of our environmental impact when we’re on a hike or camping trip? Shouldn't we be mindful of the impact we’re making every day?
In this blog, I'm sharing our approach to LNT at Redbudsuds, and how small daily choices - like showering - are where we can make a huge positive impact.
Going Deeper
If you’ve done any poking around our About Page, or met us at an outdoor festival, you probably know that my inspiration for creating Redbudsuds came out of the years I (Aubrey) spent teaching Leave No Trace guidelines to participants while guiding wilderness canoe trips.
When I returned home from my epic wilderness adventures, I started examining my lifestyle. I was recycling, buying local when I could, avoiding plastic, etc, but I wanted to do more. Knowing that isn’t possible to actually "Leave No Trace" - I'm human after all - I decided rather than feel bad about my impact, or play the never-ending game of trying to reduce it without ever feeling like I'm doing enough, I'd practice making my impact as positive as possible whenever I could.
I decided to start with my shampoo.
At the time, I couldn’t find anything that had ingredients I could trust, didn’t come in plastic, and worked. I probably tested out 15 different natural shampoos and shampoo bars. (It was rough.) So, I made Redbudsuds.
With each of our 4-in-1 bars, we eliminate three plastic bottles from the waste stream*. In just 3 years, we’ve saved almost 100,000 plastic bottles from even entering production.
No need to reduce, reuse, recycle; just take a lovely shower with a bar that smells great, works great, and protects wild-lands and watersheds. Isn’t that exciting?
*Market research shows the average American goes through roughly 12 bottles of shampoo, 12 bottles of body wash, 6 bottles of conditioner, and 6 cans of shaving cream per year. Our research shows that a bar of Redbudsuds will last between 1-2 months for one person. A little math leads us to say that 1 bar on average will save 3 bottles from entering the waste stream. Of course this is an estimate, but we’re rolling with it.
To sum this all up, no matter where you wander, here's how you make a positive impact with every shower:
From how we source our materials, to our production, to our multi-purpose design, to our packaging, to our collaborations with non-profit partnerships (1% to the Planet, plus additional collaborations like 50% for our max impact bars like the Adventure Mama's Grit and Grins) and more, we are taking action.
All you have to do is shower.
Share your story
How has Redbudsuds made a difference in your life and helped you “show up for your mother”? Where has your bar traveled? What other habits have you been inspired to change? What organizations or wild-lands and watersheds would you like to see us support in the future? What other products would you like us to create?
Let us know in the comments below, or share on Facebook/Instagram and tag us with @redbudsuds @adventuremamas #showupforyourmother
Lisa