Zero Waste Shops

This earth-friendly trend is hopefully here to stay

MOM jeans. Scrunchies. Kale. What do they have in common you may ask? They all have been the subject of what’s hot and trendy over the past few years for a particular niche of the population. But a trend that we can all get behind? Zero waste. Zero waste is the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health. In layman’s terms, the goal of zero waste is to rethink our decisions on a personal and global scale — by adopting sustainable consumption practices.
As a coastal community, Ocean City has a front row seat to the effects of single use plastic. There are approximately 5.25 trillion pieces of micro and macro pieces of plastic in the oceans. That plastic breaks down and is consumed by marine life, mistakenly thinking it’s food, and then contaminates our food chain. So what can we do about an overwhelming problem? Follow the lead of some local businesses doing their part and trending toward sustainability.
Local business Bowfish Kids, Good Deeds Market, and ‘Āina are on the forefront of the local zero waste movement, taking steps to ensure they are doing their part for a brighter future.
Bowfish Kids owner Caitlin Quirk introduced a sustainability initiative in August of 2019 to spark conversation and create a change in her kids apparel shop. The beauty and retail industry is one of the most wasteful from a packaging standpoint, with single use plastic being used to package most items. Caitlin has pushed to make her packaging more sustainable with algae based ink and eliminating as much single use plastic packaging as she can. Bowfish has started reusing packaging and provides in-store pick up options from their website. She’s expanded her brand selection, with over half the products carried in store having a sustainability focus. Being aware of what we consume and how we consume it is one of the first steps of trending toward zero waste.
Another local business, e-commerce-based Good Deeds Market provides accessible and quality goods that are not only good for ourselves, but good for the environment as well. It provides home, beauty, gardening and pantry items that come in zero waste packaging.
The Market was born out of a desire to help people. Good Deeds Market founder Jacki D’Amato, who’s background is e-commerce, wanted to create a space online, where consumers could educate and inform themselves on the ill effects of single use plastic and replace those products with earth-friendly alternatives. Bowfish and Good Deeds Market have teamed up for monthly plogging events (picking up litter while jogging). The monthly events, held the first Sunday of each month, provide an opportunity for a hands on approach to education and action – both critical steps in reducing single use plastic.
Arles Dupont is the owner of Ocean City’s newest zero waste boutique and refill bar called, ‘Āina – The Zero Waste Shop. An avid surfer, her love of the sea brought her to her newest venture after spending time reconnecting with nature in Hawaii.
“At ‘Āina, you’ll find products that have been mindfully and carefully selected from companies whose mission aligns with the goal of supporting, giving back to, and preserving mother earth,” said Arles.
Bring your reusable container (or purchase one there), fill it with your favorite nontoxic and fragrance free products, weigh and pay and you are on your way. When you shop at Āina you feel good because you are doing good – for you, your home, and the planet.
The idea of reducing our environmental impact can seem daunting but the trick is to take it one step at a time. Focus on the small little things that over time become consistent and then create bigger, more impactful decisions. Educate yourself on what products we consume and how that consumption affects the planet from start to finish. Learn about different ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Observe our behaviors, reflect on our habits and the change how we consume everyday products. Little by little we can start the spark to ignite a greater impact not just in our homes, but within our community as well. Trends may come and go, but for the sake of all our futures, let’s hope this one is here to stay.

Find this story and more in the May issue of Ocean City Magazine