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Bluedot Living’s BuyBetter Marketplace newsletter includes affiliate links, including to Amazon. If you purchase a product through one of our links, we may earn a commission. These commissions help us fund the great journalism that you see on Bluedot. Thank you for supporting us! |
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Dear Readers,
Bluedot Living gets its name from astronomer Carl Sagan’s famous exhortation to “preserve and cherish the Pale Blue Dot, the only home we’ve ever known.” The Earth’s distinct cerulean hue comes from water, which covers 71% of our planet, yet less than 1% of that water is fresh and accessible. Rising temperatures further threaten that supply. And still, we squander it in everyday products like shampoo and mouthwash — even when there are better choices to be had.
Let’s consider a 16-ounce bottle of body wash. The first ingredient will be water (listed as aqua), and it will account for up to 95% of what’s in the bottle. The bottle itself is probably virgin plastic, and will be used just once. And it didn’t end up on a store shelf by magic. It, along with its mates, traveled via some combination of gas-guzzling cargo ships, planes, trains, and trucks. Compare the bottle to a 4-ounce bar of soap, and a clear winner emerges.
Today, I’m excited to share items that will keep you looking, feeling, and smelling good while cutting waste at every step. Even better, you’ll find them in our new shop, the Bluedot Living Collection. We’ve created this store to help you find quality, sustainable goods made for — and by — people who care about the planet.
The Bluedot Living Collection will keep growing as we add new items from companies we love (and soon, some very cool Bluedot merch). For now, I hope you find something special, like soap that transports you to Yosemite, Big Sur, or the Cascade Mountains.
Happy shopping,
– Elizabeth Weinstein, Marketplace Editor
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Invigorating Soap
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Juniper Ridge creates home scents, body products, and teas inspired by the wild beauty of the American West. The Oakland-based brand, now in business for over 20 years, forages and sustainably wild harvests all the plants before steam-distilling them into distinctive essences. Juniper Ridge first popped onto my radar about a decade ago, when I bought the Big Sur soap at my favorite yoga studio. Other scents read like a traveler’s bucket list: Cascade Forest, Coastal Pine, Desert Cedar, Redwood Mist, Sierra Forest, and White Sage. |
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A Great Soap-Saver
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When I first transitioned from body wash to natural bar soap, I missed all the bubbles. The issue was partly related to PFAS, which are foaming agents (and forever chemicals) that I’m glad I no longer scrub into my skin. The other issue turned out to be an easy fix: I put my soap in a bag, and it served the same function as the brightly colored plastic puffs I’d used for years. Zero Waste Store’s Soap Saver Bag is naturally exfoliating and encourages suds. And, storing your soap in it and hanging it up will keep your soap dry, dramatically extending its life span. |
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Rich Body Butter
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Just in time for drier fall and winter weather, this Zero Waste Body Butter offers deep hydration for thirsty skin — without the sticky or greasy finish that so many creams leave behind. The vegan formula blends cocoa and shea butters with flax, cranberry, rapeseed, and vitamin E oils to help support the skin’s natural barrier. Choose from two essential-oil–derived scents: Sunshine is bright and cheery, with a mix of mango, orange, pineapple, and vanilla, while Driftwood, a cooler blend of sandalwood, lavender, and peppermint, leans cozy and seasonal. |
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High-Performance Haircare
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Ethique began in 2012 as a university project in New Zealand, when a chemistry student realized most bottled shampoo is 95% water. Her answer — concentrated solid beauty bars — felt radical at the time, but the idea caught on quickly, and celebrity tweets helped the cause. (Thanks, Britney!) The Everyday Shine Shampoo and Conditioner do impressive work on my long, straight hair. Most of all, I love the crescent-shaped shampoo bars, which turn every wash into a soothing scalp massage. |
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Mouthwash You Wet Yourself
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I find mouthwash to be almost the worst offender when it comes to wasteful personal care products, probably because it really does just look like a huge plastic bottle full of water. (Once, I tried to find Listerine concentrate, and was disappointed to learn that even my dentist just buys scores of plastic jugs each year.) Tidalove Mouthwash Tablets skip all the water: You just “chew, sip, swish, and smile.” The fluoride-free formula uses hydroxyapatite, a mineral that helps prevent tooth decay by strengthening enamel. The result is minty and fresh, without the eye-watering burn of many conventional rinses. |
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Want to get in touch? I’d love to hear from you. Tell me about your favorite sustainable products and anything else that’s on your mind — email marketplace@bluedotliving.com. I’ll see you again Monday after next.
– Elizabeth Weinstein |
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Elizabeth Weinstein, Bluedot’s Marketplace Editor, lives in Manhattan with her husband; papillon Finley; and cats SanDeE* and Modell. When she’s not asking the folks at Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom to try on their most sustainable sneakers in a size 9½, she can be found at the Union Square Greenmarket or gardening on her rooftop terrace. |
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Our audience is informed, intentional, and tuned in to sustainable living. Reach our 300,000 readers by advertising here, or contact adsales@bluedotliving.com to reserve your space. |
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