Who.What.Why.

My name is Sara. My husband Josh and our daughter Blythe and I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Josh works for a local non-profit and I am a PhD student at Michigan State University.  About 2 years ago, after finally reading enough horrible news about the devastating impacts of our consumption-obsessed society, we decided to make some major changes in our purchasing habits. 

We both appreciate beautiful design and delicious food.  We want our home to be full of lovely and practical things, but we also want those things to be made humanely using sustainable environmental practices and traded for a fair price. We want our food to be whole, nourishing, clean and healthy.

We've learned a lot over the past 2 years.  It hasn't been easy and we've made some mistakes along the way.  But we have a lot of information we can share that might make this kind of lifestyle feel more attainable for you!  That's what this blog is about.

Here is a list of some of our major priorities when we make purchases:

- fair trade
- made in the USA
- made locally
- sold at a local/small/family owned/independent retailer (no big box stores)
- organic
- non-toxic

Basically, we try our best to make sure the things we buy help make the world better, not worse.  We avoid pretty much anything made in China or SE Asia unless we have thoroughly researched the company's production ethics and/or there are literally no other options.  When we have to buy from larger retailers, we try to support those who demonstrate ethical business practices.  For example, we purchase books from BetterWorldBooks rather than Amazon, and we occasionally get things from Costco as opposed to Target or Walmart.

We hope you find this blog helpful and inspiring.  Thanks for stopping by!