2022 LAST-MINUTE holiday gift ideas

December 13, 2022 Aspen Murray

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see that I’m softly but surely making a more regular return to posting content. This gradual increase has been in anticipation for the one post I can’t miss all year — my annual holiday gift guide! I’ve enjoyed doing this essentially since I started Ethigirl (aside from 2020 for unfortunately obvious reasons). It’s such a pleasure to put aside everything that happened throughout the year and get out on the hunt to bring you the coolest gift ideas ever.

See all past years’ versions here: 2018 | 2019 | 2021

With this post, I’m bringing you the ULTIMATE last-minute gift guide. As an occasional procrastinator, I’ve looked at a fair share of these kinds of guides myself, and they typically fall short. But this one is cool, local, thoughtful, ethical, sustainable, meaningful, and full of gifts your people will actually LOVE.

A quick disclaimer here: I know each business’ holiday cutoff times are different. I also know availability of each item in your area will be different. I hope some of these ideas will apply to you based on what you can access!

At this point, you may or may not still be in shippable territory. If you’re in an urban area or can access one, local pickup is better for the environment as it reduces shipping emissions — but if you’re in a rural area (like me, currently) or can’t get out to the stores, express shipping might be one of your only options. I encourage you to balance what is accessible for you and what aligns with your values.

So, let's dive in!

Eat Me

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Drink Me

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Eat Me 〰️ Drink Me 〰️

Specialty Food Items From Brunette (Or Another Local Grocery/Online Shop)

Brunette is an online, Montreal-based gourmet food retailer, which offers gifts, goods, and merchandise from the city’s top chefs, restaurants, and grocers. Montreal is such a major food city, with so many iconic spots and celebrities, so a business like this is incredibly cool to have. I ordered a box of their goods for my parents last year, and it was one of their favourite Christmas gifts! If your family is into food, try this site out. Or, pop into your local boutique grocery store and see what treasures you can find! Many of them also have websites nowadays.

From Brunette, I recommend ANYTHING from Stefano Faita, or one of their cool gift bundles.

Fair Trade Food - Coffee, Tea, Chocolate And More From Rosette Fair Trade

Rosette offers an abundance of fair trade goods in an easily-navigable site, and acts as a one-stop-shop for all things ethical! It also stocks Oxfam Fair Trade products, which provides Canadians access to a whole host of products that we can’t normally get here. In 2019, founder Lia Walsh VERY kindly gifted whole box of snacks to try, and everything was so delicious!

Another thing which I love about Rosette Fair Trade is that it sells Palestinian-made products! That’s why this year, I’m recommending the Zatoun gift bundle of Palestinian products, which comes with fair trade olive oil, soap, and za’atar (a Palestinian herb mix). This purchase directly supports Palestinian olive farmers, keeping a traditional practice alive while also economically assisting surrounding communities.

Spices From Diaspora Co.

What it is: Diaspora Co. was founded in 2017 by Sana Javeri Kadri, a third-generation Mumbai native, with the goal of creating accessible pathways to higher-quality, equitable spices and to build long-term partnerships with Indian farmers. Since its inception, the company has grown tremendously, and offers a great array of delicious products. The website has a dedicated page just for gift ideas, so take a look!

What I recommend: Check out The Trio, which allows you to choose three spices as a "starter pack” for your recipient, or The Pantry Refresh, which is comprised of six of Diaspora’s most popular spices.

A Coffee or Tea Apparatus

Someone pouring tea into beautiful brown and cream stone tea mug.

Hot drinks are one of the best things on the planet, and like many, I’m absolutely obsessed with coffee. This gift idea was inspired by my partner, who amazingly gifted me (and us, quite frankly) an espresso machine this year! Prior to that, I was using a cracked French press for way too long. Replacing that horrible item with something that has actually revolutionized my morning routine was one of the best things I could ask for.

So an espresso machine is one option, or if that doesn’t suit your needs, you could try a pour-over (with a reusable filter, to avoid waste), a different type of coffee machine, a nice kettle, a teapot, or a nice insulated mug/thermos in their favourite colour. I personally have my eye on this stoneware teapot set from United by Blue, a certified B-Corp that removes one pound of trash from oceans and waterways for every purchase.

Aside from apparatuses, you could also consider a nice bag of Fairtrade beans or tea! No one will ever be unhappy at that gift.

Zero-Waste Gin From Loop

Loop is a Montreal company that is seeking to solve food waste by using it to create innovative products (thus, closing the Loop!). They started out by making cold-pressed juices, and quickly expanded to a variety of other items, including gin!

The Lime Ginger Gin I’ve linked is made from potato chip waste which Loop rescues from a nearby factory.

Your recipient will be happy to have a delicious and sustainable gift with a very cool party story! According to Loop’s website, you can currently buy the gin at the SAQ (Quebec), LCBO (Ontario), ANBL (New Brunswick), and Highlander Wine & Spirits (Calgary).

Products from Peace by Chocolate

Red box of chocolates with blue background and white house/tree figurines

Peace by Chocolate is a wonderful company founded by the Hadhads, a family of chocolatiers from Syria who found themselves as refugees after their original chocolate factory in Damascus was bombed. After living in Lebanon for three years, they were invited to settle in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, where they relaunched their chocolate company.

I can say myself that the chocolate is absolutely delicious and you would be crazy not to buy it. Moreover, 3-5% of profits from every sale are donated to the Peace on Earth Society — a charity which supports global peace building projects.

And as a Maritimer myself, it’s a must-recommend!

Coming up next...

Art

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Music

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Art 〰️ Music 〰️

Artwork and Items that support artists

Cheese Dreams throw blanket from Society6

Specifically over the past few weeks with the rise of AI art, we’ve been having a lot of conversations about PAYING ARTISTS FAIRLY FOR THEIR WORK. This is such an important issue — art is important and we need it to keep us going. As such, what better time than the holidays to gift your loved one a piece of art that you directly supported the artist in order to do it?

There are a couple of different platforms you could look at for this! Some that come to mind for me include Society6, which is a platform on which artists can sell their art by featuring it on a number of mediums, including mugs, prints, rugs, curtains, bedding, and more. The list has actually kept growing and growing throughout the years I’ve been aware of Society6.

Of course, as I mentioned last year, Etsy is a wonderful small business marketplace to source all kinds of gifts, including art and creative pieces. Some of the things I recommended last year are this Sailboat Jewelry Holder, this Cereal-Scented Candle, this absolutely gorgeous Suncatcher, and these Flower Beaded Earrings. But seriously, go take a look yourself!

A Secondhand or Vintage record Player

If you have a loved one who is music-obsessed, I think one of the most thoughtful things you can get for them is a record player, or a physical form of their favourite music. Obviously, having every single song ever at your fingertips like we do these days is amazing, but listening to something on a record player is another experience.

I know that there are a lot of environmental concerns with records and record players, so that’s why I recommend this as something for someone you know will truly treasure it and get a lot of use out of it. As well, consider getting one secondhand — my current one is, and the amount of character and coziness it has is something I never take for granted. I also love displaying my records as artwork on my wall with these record wall mounts from Etsy.

Merch From Their Favorite Artist, Movie, or Show

Did your loved one share their Spotify Wrapped on Instagram (or other music streaming platform version of this)? If not, get them to, and figure out who their favourite artist was this year. Then, find a way to get them merchandise! T-shirts, posters, etc…. and this doesn’t even just have to apply to music. If they’re more into movies or television, the same thing applies.

For every one of your recipient’s interests, there is sure to be a merchandise shop somewhere — either on the website of the thing, or on somewhere like Etsy or Redbubble. A favourite musician will certainly have a t-shirt or pin for sale on their website. Get creative, and you’re sure to find something they’ll treasure forever!

An Instrument

I feel like we all have that person in our life who has always said, “one day I’m going to learn how to play the guitar” (I do — and they’re doing it!). If you do, help them! Learning a new hobby or talent is literally so special and one of the best things someone can do for themselves.

For a secondhand instrument, check out somewhere like Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, Craigslist, or eBay!

Let's dive into the next section!

Beauty

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Home

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Self-Care

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Beauty 〰️ Home 〰️ Self-Care 〰️

Sustainable, Ethical, or Vintage Jewelry

Are you looking for something thoughtful that your recipient will never forget? Jewelry just might be the right fit! If you want something secondhand or vintage, I suggest scouring thrift stores or flea markets, or again - checking out Etsy! Or, perhaps you have something of your own that you don’t wear anymore that you can think they’d love?

There are also a number of sustainable jewelry brands popping up that you might consider taking a look at, such as Mejuri (which I feel like everybody with an Instagram account is aware of at this point) or Vitaly.

As a side note, during research I also came across this vintage musical jewelry box on Etsy, which I just may be obsessed with…

Meaningful Christmas Ornament

If your loved one celebrates Christmas, a special ornament is a great way to their heart.

My family’s Christmas tree is an absolute montage of all our memories, hobbies, pets, and gifts from over the years. We’ve got more “____ First Christmas” ornaments than you can imagine. It’s super sentimental and eclectic, and getting to take them all out and get flooded with memories every year is so lovely.

I think it’s so special to gift that ability to someone else, too!

Ethical Cosmetics/Skincare

Lush products in black pots with a patterned box and a pink bow

There are all kinds of wonderful ethical & sustainable cosmetics and skincare brands out there, but my ride or die is always Lush (as all long-time readers know) — especially for gifts! They are ethical and sustainable by-the-book on every cause, their products are all natural, their employees are treated fairly, they are serious about animal testing, they are vocal about human rights and activism, and most recently, they’ve decided to break up with social media!

Lush has a pretty extensive and wonderful gift selection! I most recently gifted Hello Gorgeous for a birthday, and my recipient was SO happy. I also suggest Charity Pot, a body cream for which Lush donates 100% of the profits to grassroots charities.

Candles from Shy Wolf Candles

Candle in an amber-coloured jar laid on a bed of pine needles.

Shy Wolf Candles are hand-poured using soy wax in Grey Highlands, Ontario. Founder Julie Klukas gets all her inspiration from rock and roll, tarot, nature, and community. All of the candles have different themes, and they smell absolutely lovely — can confirm! They’re high-quality, long-lasting, look beautiful on a counter, and some of them support cool causes, too.

If you live in Southern Ontario, you can order by December 19th for Christmas delivery!

Some other amazing candle brands I can recommend are P.F. Candle Co. and Mala the Brand Mala the Brand.

Your Favourite Book - or a Book that makes you think of them

Is it just me who’s trying to read more in 2023? Getting a book is such a thoughtful and amazing gift! Something you could do is buy them a copy of your favourite and write them a nice note inside on why you’re giving it to them. I promise they’ll cherish it forever.

If you’re looking for book recommendations, check out Indigo’s Best Books of 2022.

And, for our final section...

Experiences, Not Things!

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Experiences, Not Things! 〰️

Lessons — in Music, Languages, and More!

Person taking a video call on their computer

Maybe your person already has the instrument? Okay, gift them a lesson or two!

Or maybe, they want to learn something else! Gifting them lessons is such a great way to help them get started. For me, for example, I’ve been taking French lessons for months on Preply, an online language learning platform based in Kiev, Ukraine. I’ve loved how it’s kept me accountable to actually practice and advance at a skill that’s important to me. If you or a loved one might want to learn or practice a language this way, too, you’re in luck — I have a referral link! Get 70% off your first lesson by clicking here!

donation to a cause they care about - with a small physical token

If there’s an organization whose work they are passionate about, this might be a good option! Some people truly mean it when they say they don’t want anything, and this is a good way to ensure they know you are still thinking of them. This thoughtful option could also go very well paired with another small item, if you wished.

CanadaHelps is a good platform to donate to charities in Canada!

a spa or Hotel gift card

Who do you know that could use a massage, a trip to the Nordic spa, or a stay in a hotel? Aside from literally anyone, this might do the trick for someone on your list! The best thing with gift cards is they are SO last-minute friendly, but something like this isn’t your average $50 to Best Buy — they will truly never forget an experience like this!

I am a huge Nordic spa person (if you’ve never gone yourself, you have to!), so I have to recommend the following spas:

Montreal: Spa Bota Bota
Whistler: Spa Scandinave
Victoria: Ritual Nordic Spa Ritual Nordic SpaRitual Nordic Spa

A Travel Gift Card — with a Carbon Offset

If your recipient has decided they’re ready to get on a plane again (especially if it’s to come see you), help them make it easier with a gift card from FlightGift! It’s a service that allows you to purchase a gift card that the recipient can use toward virtually any airline and any destination. I gifted one of these to a friend earlier this year and they were incredibly happy! You could also go the extra mile by advance-purchasing them a carbon offset for their trip through a platform like Less.

Well, there you have it! I sincerely hope one of these gifts is going to get you over the finish line with your gift-giving this year. (Or maybe you haven’t even started yet — no judgement). I know it can be a stressful time of year, so ensure you take time to relax, too.

What did I miss? Which gift did you like the most? Please let me know in the comments!

With love and sustainability,
Ethigirl

2021 gift ideas to AVOID AMAZON!

December 9, 2021 Aspen Murray

Hello!

How are you? How are your family and friends? If you are in school, how are your exams?
I hope you’re enjoying your December and getting excited for the holiday break ahead.

Personally, I am well! Two weekends ago, I finally celebrated my graduation from my Bachelor’s degree, and after spending a couple of wonderful days in Montreal with my loved ones, I travelled back to spend the month of December at home with my parents. I am getting in some much-needed family time (and dog time). It’s lovely!

Being home this early before Christmas has also given me the chance to actually plan my holiday shopping ahead of time for once (possibly the first time ever?)! As part of that, I will be boycotting Amazon. During the holidays, we know that consumption drastically increases, and due to its convenience, a lot of that business gets directed toward the multinational online giant. This boom is very beneficial for Amazon, but not so much for its workers, who are the ones who make that 2-day shipping guarantee a reality.

Just read this Guardian article from February 2020, for example. Of course this is an American context, but follow the thread of our geographical and cultural proximity, as well as similar pandemic-related shifts in consumption, and you’ll conclude that the Canadian reality was, and is, not all that different. Valuing workers is just not in Amazon’s business strategy.

Shopping from Amazon is convenient, and many people aren’t able avoid it due to their economic or geographic situation, which is fine. But if you can, I strongly urge you to try.

And obviously, this is Ethigirl we’re talking about, so I’m not going to tell you to stop something without giving you an alternative! As such, I wanted to take the time to share with you some ideas for conscious, small-business oriented, thoughtful, sustainable, and/or ethical gifts you can give in 2021. I hope you like them, and that they give you some inspiration as you go about your shopping! And please remember to gift responsibly — aka, avoid overconsumption as much as you can!

food & drink

Specialty Food Items from Brunette (or another local grocery/online shop)

image of a St-Viateur Bagel t-shirt, mug, and all dressed seasoning mix.

What it is: Brunette is an online, Montreal-based gourmet food retailer, which offers gifts, goods, and merchandise from the city’s top chefs, restaurants, and grocers. Montreal is such a major food city, with so many iconic spots and celebrities, so a business like this is incredibly cool to have. I ordered a box of their goods for my parents last year, and it was one of their favourite Christmas gifts! If your family is into food, try this site out. Or, pop into your local boutique grocery store and see what treasures you can find! Many of them also have websites nowadays.

What I recommend: From Brunette, go for ANYTHING from Stefano Faita, or one of their cool gift bundles.

Spices from Diaspora Co.

photo of a Diaspora Co. Masala Dabba with an orange background.

NOTE: Keep in mind that if you order from Diaspora, at this point they might not be able to guarantee delivery by December 25th.

Fair Trade Food - Coffee, Tea, Chocolate and More from Rosette Fair Trade

What it is: If you’ve been around awhile, you’ll remember that in my 2019 holiday gift guide, I recommended Rosette Fair Trade too! Rosette offers an abundance of fair trade goods in an easily-navigable site, and acts as a one-stop-shop for all things ethical! It also stocks Oxfam Fair Trade products, which provides Canadians access to a whole host of products that we can’t normally get here. In 2019, founder Lia Walsh VERY kindly gifted whole box of snacks to try, and everything was so delicious!

image of a bottle of olive oil, a bar of soap, and a bag of za'atar on a wooden table with holiday decor.

What I recommend: Another thing which I love about Rosette Fair Trade is that it sells Palestinian-made products! That’s why this year, I’m recommending the Zatoun gift bundle of Palestinian products, which comes with fair trade olive oil, soap, and za’atar (a Palestinian herb mix). This purchase directly supports Palestinian olive farmers, keeping a traditional practice alive while also economically assisting surrounding communities.

Zero-Waste Gin from Loop

someone pouring a shot of gin into a measuring cup.

What it is: Loop is a Montreal company that is seeking to solve food waste by using it to create innovative products (thus, closing the Loop!). They started out by making cold-pressed juices, and quickly expanded to a variety of other items, including gin!

What I recommend: The Lime Ginger Gin I’ve linked is made from potato chip waste which Loop rescues from a nearby factory.

Your recipient will be happy to have a delicious and sustainable gift with a very cool party story. According to Loop’s website, you can currently buy the gin at the SAQ (Quebec), LCBO (Ontario), ANBL (New Brunswick), and Highlander Wine & Spirits (Calgary).

art & music

Vintage Décor, Artwork, Ornaments, Candles and More from Etsy

image of someone wearing a pink, blue, green, black, and white flower beaded earring.

What it is: One of my favorite places to do holiday shopping so far this year has been Etsy, a small business-oriented online marketplace. Man, it literally has everything! I love seeing the creativity that so many artists and small business owners have. For me, even when I’m not sure what I want to get someone, once I browse Etsy I pretty quickly come up with an idea! I love being able to support a real person through every purchase I make.

What I recommend: Although I could suggest things forever, here are a few items that have recently caught my eye: this Sailboat Jewelry Holder, this Cereal-Scented Candle, this absolutely gorgeous Suncatcher, and these Flower Beaded Earrings. But seriously, go take a look yourself! Etsy has a really extensive gift guide so you don’t get overwhelmed, and so many things are reasonably-priced and very high quality.

Merch from Their Favorite Artist, Movie/Show, Charity, or Café

movie poster that reads "All Too Well" with an image of two actors touching foreheads.

What it is: This is such a thoughtful one! For every one of your recipient’s interests, there is sure to be a merchandise shop somewhere — either on the website of the thing, or on somewhere like Etsy or Redbubble. If your recipient loves cafes, surely their go-to spot sells mugs, bags of coffee beans, or tote bags. A favorite musician will certainly have a t-shirt or pin for sale on their website. Get creative, and you’re sure to find something they’ll treasure forever!

What I recommend: Personally, I’ve got my eye on this All Too Well poster from Taylor Swift’s website.

Custom Records, Cassettes, or Coasters

What it is: If your recipient is really into music, we can go deeper down this rabbit hole! If they own a record player or have an old cassette player, you can make them a custom record or cassette mixtape, and even choose what goes on the outside!

What I recommend: For Christmas last year, I opted for the mixtape for my boyfriend — this one from Etsy. I was seriously so happy with how it turned out, and the experience of creating the playlist and then eventually listening to it together was so sweet! For the custom record, here’s one option. Another decorative idea is to do custom record coasters! You can pick the album(s) you like, and then your lucky recipient has all of their favorite music as decorations.

picture of a cassette tape, wrapped in twine, on a wooden table with flowers around it.

self-care

Anything from Lush

What it is: I have been a lifetime customer of Lush, and for every good reason. They are ethical and sustainable by-the-book on every cause, their products are all natural, their employees are treated fairly, they are serious about animal testing, they are vocal about human rights and activism, and most recently, they’ve decided to break up with social media!

image of the lush Relax gift set, including a gift box, bath bomb, and body lotion.

The latter thing is something I’m incredibly excited to follow. While I know as a blogger how powerful social media can be, I also know how detrimental it is and I’m terrified of its long-term impacts. Companies like Facebook are also extraordinarily unethical, and are only getting worse, so it is time to take a stand. I couldn’t be more supportive of Lush taking a lead on that.

What I recommend: Lush has a pretty extensive gift selection, all of which look absolutely wonderful! But if you are looking for individual products, I have a few suggestions too. If you’ve got curly hair, check out the Power conditioner and the Revive hair cream. Charity Pot is a body cream for which Lush donates 100% of the profits to grassroots charities. And Angels on Bare Skin is a wonderfully gentle face and body scrub that smells amazing!

A Nice Compost Bin

image of someone removing a bag of compost from a compost bin.

What it is: Alright, some of you might be laughing about this one (which is totally fair honestly), but think about my reader base for a second! If your recipient is eco-conscious, help make composting a little less disgusting for them. Let’s be realistic — most of us definitely leave our compost bins under our sink for WAY too long and forget to take them out. The whole thing is just not fun, but it’s worth it for the planet.

What I recommend: If you’re like me, you just bought the cheapest one you could find. But this one from OXO is a little higher-end, a little less unsightly, and it’s even dishwasher safe! Making sustainable household chores more palatable is something I’d definitely call self-care.

last-minute, harder-to-box, but still good

A Subscription to Book of the Month

a stack of 5 hardcover books on top of a bed.

Subscription boxes and services have become something of a go-to for a lot of people, but if your recipient loves reading, or wants to love reading but never knows what to pick, this is a great option! How it works is you pick the length of your subscription (3 months, 6 months, etcetera…) and then each month, the company lets you choose one book from five great new releases. The service is surprisingly affordable, and very exciting as a recipient (it’s fun to have something to look forward to every month, and it’s like a gift that keeps on giving)!

A Parks Pass

Does your recipient like nature? If they do, buy them a Discovery Pass from Parks Canada! It will let them get unlimited admission to more than 80 locations. With the pandemic, a lot of us are seeing more of the places we live in, and this is a cool way to help your family and friends do it without paying anything.

image of a woman and her son in a kayak, with an image of two Parks Canada Discovery Passes overlayed.

A Travel Gift Card

Whenever your recipient decides they’re ready to get on a plane again (especially if it’s to come see you), help them make it easier with a gift card from FlightGift! It’s a service that allows you to purchase a gift card that the recipient can use toward virtually any airline and any destination. I gifted one of these to a friend earlier this year and they were incredibly happy! If you have been separated from a loved one during the pandemic, this thoughtful idea could help close the gap (if/when it’s safe).

A Donation in Their Name

A Tinggly Gift Box

Here is an opportunity to consciously give the gift of an experience! Tinggly is a company which allows you to gift “experience gift boxes". What does that look like? You choose the category (think: Bucket List, Taste the World, and so on), and then Tinggly sends a personalized package that allows your recipient to select the experience from an extensive list and redeem it next time they are travelling. Examples of experiences include cooking classes, spa treatments, or even bungee jumping. It’s a really cool concept that I think goes a step beyond your traditional gift card and into the realm of something that will encourage your recipient to try something new and amazing!

conclusion

Well, there you are! A whole host of new gift ideas that I hope will make it easier for you to get started (or get finished, depending what stage of shopping you’re at). I hope you’ll remember to support local, shop small, and consume consciously this holiday season, whatever that looks like for you and your unique situation.

What are you planning on gifting this year that you’re excited about? What did I miss? Let me know in the comments — I’d love to hear it (I’m still collecting ideas, after all)! I love you all so much, and thank you for reading!!!

With love and sustainability,
ethigirl

here's where I'm at

August 30, 2021 Aspen Murray

A lot has changed since the last time I wrote, so I figured it might be time for a good old-fashioned life update.

On May 1st, on the cusp of finishing my undergrad, I packed my bags and relocated from Montreal to Vancouver. With me came little more than a couple suitcases and my best friend (and roommate of three years) Mariam. Between the two of us, we had very little set out for when we arrived other than a signed lease. We didn’t yet have jobs, furniture, wifi and electricity, mattresses, groceries, or anything else.
It’s the most okay with being unplanned that I have ever been.

By the time I wrote the first draft of this piece, two months after arriving in the city, I fortunately was able to have coordinated all of those things. In that very moment, I was sitting in the park by the water near my house, at sunset, watching baby geese cross the road as cyclists yielded to them. Even though geese are aggressive, there is nothing I want more than to hug one.

Sitting in this park is something I make a very peaceful habit out of several times per week. I’m not used to all this wildlife because Montreal didn’t have much of it — and in New Brunswick, where I grew up, there’s definitely more of it but the juxtaposition of it with urbanism makes it particularly striking.

I miss Montreal a lot, and I often feel conflicted about being away from it. Over the past few months, I’ve thought a lot about my relationships to the places I’ve lived, and will live, and the contrasting emotions that are turned up by both familiarity (what feels like comfort) and newness (what feels like adventure).

When I moved here, I left some of my belongings in Montreal, knowing I’d be back for them at some point. Held onto by some of the people I love are suitcases packed with old books from thrift stores, old friends, and the McGill book fair. A wooden nightstand that my great grandfather built, gifted to me by my grandparents years ago. And a vintage armchair I bought off of Facebook Marketplace in third year and struggled to transport up and down a very Montreal number of stairs.

I just think that things have inherent sentimental value. Conversely, baggage sometimes also looks very physical.

But, obviously, most of the time baggage is an idea in your head — hence the metaphor itself. I think that’s part of why I moved across the country. I knew that in order to properly clear my head, I needed to remove myself from the environment in which I’d felt so much heartache, hopelessness, and sadness. I know that I will return there once the dust settles. And maybe that’s why the idea of still having belongings there is significant — it’s a way to still feel grounded there. Even after losing the main signifier of my identity there — being a student — I still have a reason to go back.

Moving across the country has forced me to reconsider my relationships with everything, and to hone in on their very physical realities. I think it has to do with the trauma which the last 1.5 years bestowed upon me (and I am sure upon you, too).

life during the pandemic

Growing up, I was a very goals and future-oriented person, which served me well in many ways. It propelled me through a university career of passionate, keen climate and social justice activism, much of which influenced me to launch Ethigirl.

But it would be dishonest to shy away from admitting that all of that energy wasn’t, occasionally (and throughout the pandemic, basically permanently), exhausting. I’ve seen friends and fellow activists talk about this, too, so I know I’m not the first — or the only. And that’s part of why I write this, too. To let you know that, if you’re in the same boat, it’s not just you.

Somewhere throughout the pandemic, I noticed that something wasn’t right about me anymore. But it took so long for me to pay attention that my body forced me to do so through physical symptoms. Shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness. For me, the signs pointed to iron deficiency, so I called the McGill clinic to speak with a doctor. But as she continued down her line of questioning, it became clear to me that she disagreed. Long story short, in October, I was diagnosed with depression.

Admitting this online, when I know how many people read my writing, and how public it is, feels terrifying. It feels vulnerable and unnatural in the way that going into a store without a mask might feel now. So, I am trusting that this information is in good hands with you. Because in spite of the negative feelings, it still feels important for you to know.

I think that while the pandemic has done a lot to make it easier to talk about mental illness, we’re still pretty far from a world where it’s easy. We’re also pretty far from a reality wherein people know what to say or how to help when you share something like this with them. To those people, here’s the advice I’d offer: while it’s valid that you are, there’s no reason to be uncomfortable. Someone else just made you feel like there is.

Although hearing that I had depression was really difficult, it also helped create an externalized identity for everything that I was feeling — helping me to understand that although it was within my brain, and felt deeply personal, it wasn’t. It was just another part of my health.

recovery

I’ve spent the last 8-10 months recovering from my depressive episode. I’ve settled into a job that I enjoy, working from home and having the flexibility to create the workspace I want. I’ve been getting outside as much as possible, exploring my surroundings and swimming at the beach whenever I can. Also, now that I’m fully vaccinated, I also got the opportunity to go visit my family in New Brunswick a couple of weeks ago. I’ve got to tell you — the feeling of hugging my grandparents for the first time in two years was indescribable. I LOVE YOU, SCIENCE.

I’m focused on creating for myself, at a foundational level, simplicity. I love my routine, managing my time, pushing myself to wake up just a little bit earlier, so that I can make breakfast and open the windows to let the fresh air in. I love listening to the music I want, and steeping my coffee as strongly as I want. But I also love going out of my way to seek out joy, and to celebrate everything. I love stressing less about what my classmates are doing after graduation. I loved deactivating my Instagram account for months, and even now as I’ve reactivated it, I love barely using it (Lorde is so right about this one).

The past year was so complicated, with so many big life transitions and decisions. It makes sense that I feel this way, and if you do, that makes sense too.

I’m still figuring out what it means to properly balance activism, hobbies, and community work with my job, and still having enough time for all of the routine activities I need to complete in order to maintain stability.

identifying what hope feels like

There is no part of me, though, that is less concerned by the same topics than I used to be. I’m even more terrified by climate change than I ever have been. My first summer in BC has definitely introduced me to a fear of forest fires I never had before. A couple of weeks ago, during a heat wave, we had a day that I thought something was burning in my house because I could smell smoke. But when I looked outside, the city was engulfed in a huge smoke cloud.

I’ve been disappointed in myself for not doing more for our climate. But much more than that, I’m infuriated by the degree to which billionaires have profited off of the pandemic, and how the blame of increased pollution is instead placed on a population of people who are just doing what they need to do to get by. Especially when the reality is that the 1% is choosing a space race over investing in the climate action and social assistance that the world crucially needs.

Some pretty great swimming in Squamish, BC

I am simply not comfortable asking my readers to remember their reusable bags when, an hour two away from me, the forest is on fire. It’s like telling you to move around chairs on the deck of the Titanic. Should you still do that? Yes, of course! But…

Transparently, all of this has made me feel like, when it comes to Ethigirl, the problems engulfing our world are so overwhelming that I don’t know what to recommend at this point.

But the point of me saying all of this is not to be bleak or hopeless. It’s just to be vulnerable and honest. Inauthentic optimism helps no one.

I do believe there is still a lot of hope, and a lot of incredible people working as hard as they can. The most important thing is that we work together, rather than individually shouldering the burden of the most complex and enormous issue that humanity has ever faced. The best thing I can suggest, at this time, is to get involved. Organize in your local community. If you’re Canadian, ensure you vote critically this September. Find out when your next climate march is, and go to it.

Ensure, most importantly, though, throughout all of it, that you remember sustainability starts from within. Investing in your health is the only way you can show up for the causes you care about.

Thank you so much for reading, and I love you all so much.

With love, sustainability, and all the mental resilience I can offer,

Ethigirl.

And here she stood, at the crux of an epiphany, not yet ready to decide whether she was brave enough to accept it.

Here she stood, at the crossroads of comfort and challenge, balanced atop a twenty-two years of pushing, of working, of trying to encapsulate the person she saw herself as, while the person she really was quietly and patiently awaited the day she’d be confronted.

three mental health apps i recommend

February 16, 2021 Aspen Murray

Hi folks! Today I’d like to talk about mental health, which something I have spent more time thinking about this year than ever before in my life.

It may or may not be a surprise for you to learn this, but COVID-19 has negatively impacted many Canadians’ mental health. As a global community, we’re facing unprecedented challenges that will require all the brainpower, emotional labour, and sustainability we can muster to solve. We must have access to the mental healthcare that we need in order not only to survive, but also to thrive. I’d like to start on a micro level today by talking about something that’s helped me — taking advantage of my phone, rather than allowing it to work against me quite so much.

As someone who saw my Weekly Screen Time Report go up by much more than I’m proud of, a couple of months ago I decided to try and use my phone more positively. I figured there had to be lots of smart people working on lots of cool mental health-related apps, and after some research, I wasn’t disappointed! Here are my favourite mental health apps, coupled with brief rundowns on what they’re helpful for.

Headspace

Cost

- Normal subscription: $6/month or $70/year
- Student subscription: $10/year (I believe this may only work in the US! Apologies!)
- Family subscription: 6 accounts for $100/year (this is what I use with a group of friends!)

Source This image gives an overview of what the app’s various features actually look like. — *Source*
This image gives an overview of what the app’s various features actually look like.

Headspace is one of the most popular meditation and sleep apps out there, and for good reason. I’ve been using it for about a year and a half and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. There is truly something for everyone, even if you’ve never tried meditation before!

You’ll find programs ranging anywhere from a minute to basically an infinite amount of time, and you can search/filter based on whatever you need. There are also courses, an exercise tab called “move”, and then my personal favourite — the sleep tab. Headspace offers guided sleep meditations, calming music, soundscapes, and something called “sleepcasts”, which is basically a 45-minute story with calming sounds behind it.

Moreover, if you’d like to get a better sense of what Headspace — or even meditation in general — entail, you should consider checking out Netflix’s Headspace Guide to Meditation! This 8-part series guides viewers through the many benefits of incorporating a meditation practice into their daily routines, whilst also providing them with opportunities to try it out themselves. This show is definitely on my watchlist.

Jour

Cost

- Free version, with limited personalized features
- Paid version: $60/year, with a 7-day free trial

Jour is a mindfulness and mental health journal that uses tech to help you with your personal mental health needs. I have been using this app for about half a year, and I am such a huge fan of everything about it. It uses the freemium model — which essentially means there is both a free and a paid version, with the latter having more enhanced features than the former. While I recently upgraded to the paid subscription, I believe there is a lot of value in using whichever version you can afford.

This beautifully-designed app has a whole host of features, including guided journals and breathing, ‘stories’ (ie. short blog-style posts on various topics), insights, and a record of all your entries. Personally, I believe the most powerful aspect of the app comes in the form of its AI-powered journal and its insights tab. First of all, the daily journal works by asking you a series of questions about your mood and what you believe it’s being affected by. Based upon your answers, it creates a custom open-ended questionnaire that you can fill out. After you complete it (these normally take 5-10 minutes, depending on how much detail you use), the paid version of the app provides you with a “breakthrough”: bite-sized advice based on what you wrote in your journal.

After you complete enough daily journals, the insights tab will begin to populate — providing you with information about the trends of your daily, weekly, and monthly moods and thoughts. If you can foresee how this would continue over time, coupled with the everlasting record of all your entries, you can imagine how powerful this might become in managing your mental health. I really can’t recommend this app enough.

Habit

Cost

- Free version, with limited features
- Premium version: $40/year

Let’s end off with a simple, but immensely powerful habit tracker that will propel you forward in meeting your goals! Habit is a colourful, easy-to-use habit tracker that I’ve had for about half a year. The reason I like this habit tracker more than any others is that the free version (which I personally use) allows you to make a good number of habits. I also like the simplicity of its interface; there’s one screen for everything, and it looks good.

There are a couple benefits of moving to the premium version — you can use dark mode, you can track unlimited habits, you can create more detailed smartphone notifications, and you can add a Habit-based widget to your homescreen. I’m personally happy with the free version for now given the simple reasons I use this app; however, I can totally see why you’d upgrade.

I started using a habit tracker not because I wanted to whip myself into shape, meet fitness goals, or do something crazy. Instead, I downloaded this app because I just wanted to take better care of myself. Earlier this year, I was really struggling with accomplishing what were, to me, the most basic things. Something I know about myself is that I gain happiness from a sense of accomplishment, regardless of the scale on which those accomplishments actually are. So, I set myself up with a digital checklist which would help me access that.

Some of the things I started keeping track of every day include: taking my vitamins, eating 3 meals (or an equivalent) per day, getting outside, meditating, journaling (both using the two apps above!), and drinking enough water. For me, just having a very straightforward place to go check those things off a list, and see a bar fill a little more, was enough to keep me motivated. This app has definitely positively contributed to my life, and I’m sure it will yours, too.

Conclusion

I simply want to end off by saying that of course these apps are no substitute to mental healthcare; however, they have certainly been of great assistance to me. I wholeheartedly believe in the missions and power of all of the apps I’ve recommended above — a level of such that can come only from using them daily over the course of months.

Are there any apps — or other online tools or resources — that I missed and should check out? Let me know in the comments! I look forward to hearing your feedback and commentary if you decide to try any of them.

With love and sustainability,
ethigirl :)

how do I eat sustainably during COVID-19? a guide

December 22, 2020 Aspen Murray

Hey folks!

I hope you’re doing your best to crawl toward the end of the universally-hated 2020. In today’s article, I'm addressing a fun, yet challenging topic and allll of the nuances that come along with it: eating sustainably during COVID-19.

So much has changed about our lifestyles as a result of the pandemic. When it comes to our sustainable habits, the same is definitely true. Don't believe me? Well, would you still be comfortable using a restaurant’s reusable utensils right now? Or, have you been buying just a little more takeout than usual?

We’re in a whole new world now, and taking care of yourself and those around you has to be your top priority. That means everything else may go out of focus for a little while.

But many of us will still want to be as sustainable as possible during this time -- if not even more so, since the climate crisis feels even more pressing. So, what might that look like right now? In this article, I’ll provide my approach to sustainable eating during COVID through each of the three realms of sustainability (social, environmental, and economic), backing it all up with tangible and direct resources you can use today.

So, without further ado, let’s dive in.

social sustainability

When it comes to social sustainability, we primarily think about people. We think about things like the treatment of marginalized groups within society, equity, diversity, and workers’ rights. Although many think the pandemic has had an equivalent effect on everyone, the research makes it clear that COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted marginalized communities. For example, more Black people get infected with and die from the virus, and many people in lower income brackets are also the ones working essential service jobs.

As such, there’s a huge role to play when it comes to socially sustainable food. Mainly, it looks like supporting restaurants, brands, and practices that seek to support marginalized groups and workers. You could consider donating your money to funds that combat food insecurity and provide relief to restaurants and food industry workers. Montreal Eater has a big list of those resources here. If you’re at McGill or in Montreal, you should also consider checking out Meals for Milton-Parc and the Montreal Student Initiative for Covid-19 Response and Relief.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Meals For Milton-Parc (@mealsformiltonparc)

Above is a recent post from Meals For Milton-Parc’s Instagram page! It gives a description about what this amazing, student-led organization is doing to support food sovereignty and security in Milton-Parc, a community near the McGill campus that is home to a group of houseless folks.

Moreover, this time is an excuse (in my opinion…) to eat out more. It’s a great excuse to take a break from cooking, and it directly assists restaurants, who are greatly in need of our support right now. You might consider specifically supporting BIPOC-owned restaurants. Cult MTL, for example, has a big Montreal-based list of Black-owned establishments. As well, when eating out, you might wish to go physically pick up your order or to contact the restaurant directly, because delivery apps take a pretty large cut of the restaurants’ earnings (as much as 25-30%!).

economic sustainability

Many people don’t totally get the term ‘economic sustainability’, which is fair since our mainstream conceptions of environmentalism seem to argue that financial systems are the root causes of climate injustice. While the aforementioned is pretty true, that doesn’t mean we can’t still use our money to fight for good (just look at the huge list of ways you can do so above)! Economic sustainability refers to the ways in which we can support “good economic growth” — that is, growth which doesn’t hurt the earth or its people.

The main way you can practice economic sustainability is by shopping locally! And the good news is, that’s pretty easy nowadays. COVID has influenced most brands to create online shops, meaning you don’t have a reason to support giants like Amazon anymore.

This photo shows two individuals shopping at a store (wearing their masks, of course!) Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com — This photo shows two individuals shopping at a store (wearing their masks, of course!)
Photo by Anna Tarazevich on *Pexels.com*

There are also so many incredible local businesses and restaurants, wherever you are — it’s up to you to check them out! To start you off, this article has lists for every part of Canada. And as we are in the holiday season, you can use your gift shopping to introduce your friends and family to all the amazing new establishments you’ve discovered recently.

Also, consider looking for products at your local stores which have the Fairtrade label! Fairtrade is an ethics standard that certifies the fair treatment of all workers in the supply chain. From experience, the products also taste absolutely delicious because they’ve been made with care, by people who were paid ethically and treated the way they should be.

environmental sustainability

A very aesthetic reusable bag photo…which you can replicate by bringing your OWN tote bag to the grocery store to be sustainable! Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com — A very aesthetic reusable bag photo…which you can replicate by bringing your OWN tote bag to the grocery store to be sustainable!
Photo by cottonbro on *Pexels.com*

Finally, environmental sustainability refers to the obvious: protecting the planet’s natural resources through our every action. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, many of our typical individualistic environmental efforts have been compromised somewhat by the pandemic — taking our own containers and reusable cups to the restaurant or cafe doesn’t feel as safe anymore. For my part, my takeout consumption has also increased by a lot. On the positive, at least, many of us are travelling a lot less due to the rapid implementation of stay-at-home orders. This is great for reductions in our transportation-based carbon footprint.

But when it comes to fighting back against environmental degradation during the pandemic through our food choices, there are numerous actions we can take! As I somewhat mentioned previously, if you’re ordering takeout, consider going to pick it up in-person (at least if it’s walkable). Doing so will save a carbon footprint-inducing car trip for someone else. You can also request that your restaurant leave out the single-use utensils and napkins so as to avoid that extra bit of waste. Moreover, taking your reusable bags to the grocery store is still safe, so keep doing that!

You might also consider buying more of your groceries locally, meaning both travelling to small, local shops as well as selecting products grown/produced nearby! Practicing both of these techniques will help reduce your food miles, a concept that argues in favour of reducing your culinary carbon footprint. It’s hard to know the exacts when it comes to this topic, and there’s lots of nuance, but it’s a good starting point. Finally, if you’re located in Quebec, you could check out Lufa Farms, which is a local foods delivery service.

a Lufa Farms fresh produce basket! Consider ordering from Lufa Farms for safety, convenience, and sustainability. Source — *a Lufa Farms fresh produce basket! Consider ordering from Lufa Farms for safety, convenience, and sustainability.*
*Source*

conclusion

Well, there you have it! A rundown of many of the ways in which you can eat sustainably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay calm, take care of yourself, and do your best — there’s lots we can all do, but don’t get overwhelmed trying to tackle everything at once.

As a final plug, I want to share an article I wrote for a project that I did this past spring in another class. I believe it ties together all of the pillars of food sustainability in a meaningful way. Check it out here; I hope you enjoy it! Let me know in the comments what else you’re doing to stay sustainable during the Coronavirus!

with love and sustainability,

– ethigirl :)

feminist brown bread: on memorializing through baking and the devaluation of domestic labour

December 13, 2020 Aspen Murray

I’ve been thinking a lot about my grandma recently. She died about two and a half years ago, and she was my best friend all my life. All this thinking about my grandma reminded me of an essay I wrote last spring about her for one of my classes. I don’t exactly know why, but I feel compelled to share it here with you now.

(Okay — I do have one lead on why I’m so emotional about her — on Taylor Swift’s latest album there’s a song called “Marjorie” that’s about her grandma. And oh my, this song is KILLING ME. Here, YOU listen to it and tell me you don’t understand what I mean.)

If you’ve read any of my other content, you also know that this blog is actually in dedication to…well, her (as in my Nan, not Taylor Swift. Although I do love her too). So, having this here is fitting <3

This blog post details my experience baking brown bread, a family recipe passed down through generations, as a way of remembering my grandma and how I came to better understand feminism. I also detail how this experience got me thinking about how society systemically undervalues domestic labour.

A huge part of my childhood was defined by time spent sitting at my Nan’s kitchen island, telling her about my day as I watched her prepare meals for the nursing home that she and my grandfather ran. Lots of times, I would even help her. One day, on the menu was a homemade chocolate cake. She walked me through the recipe, and then when it got to my favourite part — decorating — she unveiled an array of sprinkles and coloured frosting for me to choose from. Although eight year-old me did an absolutely horrible job decorating that cake, my Nan was quick to fawn over how beautiful she thought it looked before slicing it up and proudly serving it to the folks of the home.

My grandmother, or Nan (as I knew her) passed away in August of 2018. She was an enormous part of my life and one of my best friends. Even more broadly speaking, looking back, I was truly so lucky to grow up surrounded by so much of my extended family within arm’s reach — on any snow day I had somewhere to go, and for every afterschool obligation I had someone to pick me up.
There was certainly a dichotomy between my own dreams and the life she led. Throughout my adolescent years, as I started to learn about feminism, my initial understanding was tied to second-wave ideas such as those put forth in Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique. The idea that housewives were inherently oppressed and that “strong, independent women” worked high-level jobs and lived in big cities was ingrained in me. But even though my Nan’s life directly opposed this ideology, I still considered her one of the strongest women I knew.

She told me several times that throughout most of her life, she knew she wanted to be a homemaker. She spent so much time learning how to cook and sew from the older women in her family and her community. My grandfather was a pastor, so when she married him, she dedicated herself to putting forth the most emotional availability for her family and for her church community as she possibly could. She made everyone with whom she came into contact feel special. And if she could have created a new love language, it would have been cooking. For instance, at the last church she and my grandfather worked in, the entire congregation always looked forward to her muffins! That was because directly following every Sunday service, Nan would have the hallway all set up with a whole selection of freshly-baked, homemade muffins, as well as coffee and tea.

Therefore, when I found out about this assignment, I knew I wanted to focus on my grandmother. But I struggled to figure out how I would do it, and I also worried I wouldn’t do it justice. Regardless, memories upon memories kept popping into my head — things that I hadn’t thought about since I was a young kid. At some point, I remembered one specific day I’d spent with my Nan during which she was making bread for the special care home. As she waited for it to rise, I sifted through a jam-packed recipe card holder, filled with very well-used index cards that had important family and community recipes. Upon remembering this, I called my aunt (who was visiting my grandfather’s home at the time) and asked her to send me as many photos of these recipes as she could. After looking through them, I felt confident I’d found the perfect one: Homemade Brown Bread.

Brown Bread: Deciphering the Recipe

Brown Bread is delicious, dark, and sweet — thanks mainly to the copious amounts of molasses and shortening that one must add to achieve the perfect loaf. Looking at the photo of the recipe card, which has been passed down several generations, reminded me not only of eating it in my Nan’s kitchen, but also of making it with my other grandmother and my great-grandmother on my mom’s side. However, I haven’t found anyone here in Montreal who is familiar with the recipe. Therefore, for this assignment, I decided to do some research to pin down where Brown Bread actually came from, and I found out that it is indeed a Canadian Maritime thing. For example, an article on the molasses company Crosby’s website by Bridget Oland details how she grew up in Southern New Brunswick (not far from me at all) and “homemade bread meant one thing to [her]: molasses brown bread.” (Oland 2014)

Especially after understanding that the recipe really did have regional roots, I was so excited to bring it into my new living space and to introduce all of my friends to it. There was just one problem: the recipe card was not descriptive at all!

Although the recipe card does fortunately list the measurements of each ingredient, the instructions leave something to be desired. They simply read, “add flour to right consistency...makes 3 double loaves.”

Aside from the fact that I (a university student living in a tiny apartment) had no need for three loaves of bread, I also had never made bread by myself before. But I did know there certainly had to be more to it than simply combining all of the ingredients together and adding flour “until the right consistency.” So, I called my grandmother on my mom’s side, hoping she’d be able to help me out. Fortunately, she was! I took detailed notes, and soon realized that this was not going to be nearly as quick of an assignment as I’d initially thought. The dough needed to proof twice, she said! For an hour and a half each time! There went my plans to leave the house that day. However, with the promise of freshly-baked bread on the other side of all this waiting, I decided it was worth it.

Preparing the Bread

I began by activating yeast, which I’d never done by myself before. As it rose, I prepared all of the other wet ingredients in a bowl, and then combined the yeast with that. Next, I moved to a larger workstation so I had more room for dough-kneading purposes.

After about twenty-five minutes of hard work, the dough was looking pretty good! So I added it back to a shortening-greased mixing bowl for its first proof, being sure to also cover the top with extra shortening so it didn’t dry out (as per my grandma’s advice).

One and a half hours later, the dough had doubled in size, and I was very excited about the living being in my kitchen! I punched out the air and then divided the dough between a loaf pan and a muffin tin. Then, I set my timer for another hour and a half for the second proof.
After over three hours of waiting impatiently, the bread was finally ready for the oven! Unfortunately, I’d actually forgotten to preheat the oven, so that added another ten minutes to the process. After, however, I slid the pans in at 375 degrees celsius for 35 minutes.

Just over half an hour later, I sped to my oven and excitedly removed my bread! I burned my fingers on a roll because I was too excited to wait for them to cool to try them out. And… It was delicious! I was so pleased with the fruits of my labour that it made all the waiting well worth it.

Reflection

Although I felt satisfied, I also ended this process utterly exhausted. Aside from the bread-making, I’d also spent my Sunday preparing two meals for the week, as well as doing laundry and schoolwork. One thing became abundantly clear to me from this exercise: domestic labour is very, very difficult and we systemically undervalue it. Scholar Bridget Anderson also speaks extensively about this in her book Doing the Dirty Work?: The Global Politics of Domestic Labour (2000).

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that, early on in my exposure to feminism, what I understood very much resembled the second-wave narrative. To me, “women’s empowerment” looked like a sophisticated, independent woman living in a city, working an “important” job. But I obviously know now that this understanding was problematic, and feminism comes in many forms.

In any case, I realized that all of those days I’d spent with my grandmother — and all the ones I hadn’t — she’d probably ended absolutely exhausted. During her time running the special care home, she woke up nearly every day at 5:30am to prepare breakfast and didn’t stop working until everyone went to bed that night. She made three meals from scratch, plus desserts and snacks, every day for years — and here I’m only counting the time at the special care home. Prior to this, she did all of the same things for free for her husband and three kids.

Like I mentioned, she always told me that she loved what she did. But regardless, it is difficult for me to do justice how hard she worked during her life, and how much it upsets me that domestic labour is nearly invisible. As Peter van de Ven, Jorrit Zwijnenburg and Matthew De Queljoe of the OECD demonstrate, it simply goes unaccounted for in GDP calculations (OECD 2018). Moreover, socially, we simply take it for granted as something that will “just get done” (mainly, of course, by women). And there are many feminists who, like me when I was younger, still look at women’s desire to be a homemaker or a stay-at-home mom as a form of oppression.

I certainly do think there is a tension between intrinsic goals and systemic, oppressive pressures, and I think there are elements of what my Nan did during her life that fit into each. However, it is invaluable labour that society simply expects to be provided from somewhere, and always with a smile. My grandmother told me many times toward the end of her life that she felt fulfilled by the work that she did, and that it was always her goal to accomplish what she had. I am so grateful to have had this experience and to have tried living in her shoes, even in a small way, for a day.

Works Cited
Anderson, Bridget. Doing the Dirty Work?: The Global Politics of Domestic Labour. New York: Zed Books, 2000.
Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.
Oland, Bridget. “Sarah's Molasses Brown Bread.” Crosby's Molasses, February 19, 2019. https://www.crosbys.com/sarahs-molasses-brown-bread/.
van de Ven, Peter, Jorrit Zwijnenburg, and Matthew De Queljoe. “Including Unpaid Household Activities: An Estimate of Its Impact on Macro-Economic Indicators in the G7 Economies and the Way Forward.” OECD Statistics Working Paper Series, no. 91 (July 25, 2018).

ethigirl eats: first event!

December 11, 2020 Aspen Murray

Hi everyone! For those of you who don’t follow me on social media, you might not have heard about the new fun, interactive thing I’ve launched: Ethigirl Eats!!

We’re in a very isolating time right now and it isn’t easy. That’s why I wanted to find a way to connect with more of you safely, over food, while discussing important and interesting topics. Enter: Ethigirl Eats! A new way for us to interact.

Here’s how it’s going to work: monthly (maybe more frequently as time goes on), I’ll invite you to a themed zoom hangout where we can cook together while chatting about something important. You’ll sign up (for free), and get the password and recipe options. Then, just log in and VIBE!

And, if I have your attention so far, you’re in LUCK! I’ve just announced the very first event - the holiday baking edition. It’ll take place on Saturday, December 19th at 4pm EST (Montreal time). Catch the signup link here, and I’ll be in touch with all the details soon.

I can’t wait to see you all there! Please let me know if you’ve got any questions or if there’s any way I can make this a more exciting and/or accessible experience for you.

Much love,

ethigirl :)

“sustainability guilt” and re-centering joy: interview with juliette escande, sustainable food aficionado

November 5, 2020 Aspen Murray

Aspen: So, tell me about your history with food and sustainability.

Juliette: I became vegetarian for weird reasons. I started living by myself from a young age and I was worried about how I’d ensure I stayed healthy. So I decided to make a change in my diet. I knew that if I focused on that with a goal in mind I could stay motivated, learn new recipes, and eat less takeout.

Later on, when I came to McGill, I initially wanted to focus my degree just on business. But when I found out about the Fair Trade Corner (a volunteer-run, by-donation coffee stand on campus) I got excited about food and sustainability. That’s what pushed me to change my degree to Managing for Sustainability and make it more than just my daily life. I loved my classes; for one of them we even came up with a venture idea to reduce food waste. I then found a job at Lufa Farms as Community Coordinator, through which I educated folks about sustainable foods and their importance.

Aspen: I relate to what you said about making vegetarianism a project. I learned so much about cooking and creativity, plus ate out way less, during my time as a vegetarian. Could you tell me more about what specifically sustainable food means to you?

Juliette: Working at Lufa made me realize that the most important thing is eating locally -- it’s not only good for the environment, but also accessible and beneficial to the economy. It checks all the boxes. Local usually means less packaging and less food miles. In order to buy with as little packaging as possible, I go to the farmers’ market, which is super cheap and you can bring your own bags. To me, that’s the most sustainable you can be.

Aspen: I agree. For me, when I started out, I thought eating zero meat was peak sustainability, but I later realized it wasn’t for many people for many reasons, including myself. Also, meat isn’t inherently bad for the environment, it’s just how we produce it.

Juliette: I was once told that sustainability isn’t about vegetarianism, it’s about mindfulness. The moment you become conscious of your choices, you start making a difference. The idea of just one day cutting out all meat is so discouraging and overwhelming. So if I eat meat, am I mindful of where it came from? Being mindful also means not just replacing your meat with vegetarian substitutes, which aren’t necessarily great for the environment either!

Aspen: I agree and I like that. Being mindful is super important. When people feel like if they’re not doing it perfectly it’s not worth it at all, that’s discouraging and gatekeeping. In reality, eating meat once a week is not much worse than not eating it at all. It’s important to shift into that mindset.

With that said, how do you balance taking care of both yourself and the planet?

Juliette: I find that sometimes, even if you’re not doing something by the “textbook definition” of sustainability, there’s always another way to adjust. It’s not about specific rules that need to be followed; we don’t need to be so strict on ourselves. Putting all this pressure on yourself is not worth it. For me, it’s more about asking myself “what’s the best thing I can do to reduce this waste”. It’s a matter of adjusting to the situation and not telling yourself there’s a right-and-wrong way. The other week, I ordered from GoodFood because I got a great promotion, and when it arrived the packaging made me feel sick. But at the same time, if I’m broke, I shouldn’t feel guilty of taking advantage of an offer to get $80 off my groceries. However, feeling guilty also means something -- I understand the consequences of my actions. I can weigh the decisions and adapt accordingly.

Aspen: Completely agree. I wrote a recent article about how HelloFresh helped me. Although I feel awful about the packaging and not cooking from scratch or local, I’ve been eating healthy meals and I’ve been more satisfied with myself.

Juliette: And you actually end up wasting less food!

Aspen: Yes, exactly! And I feel like we don’t talk enough about the mental health impact of all this sustainability guilt. If you’re feeling guilty about how your individual decisions are destroying the environment all the time, that’s really unhealthy. Ensuring all our purchases are sustainable is an unfair expectation. It’s important to balance what sorts of pressures we’re putting on ourselves, and whether they’re actually productive.

What’s a main tip you’d give to someone looking to make their diet more sustainable?

Juliette: Go to the farmers’ market! It’s hard to stay connected to our food. For me, sometimes food is just like brushing my teeth - something I need to do today. It can be hard to find excitement about cooking, and on top of that I also need to be sustainable? There’s no joy left. Finding pleasure in food is what makes it so much fun. With my roommate, we go every Saturday to Jean Talon and make it a fun activity. Food is at the basis of changing everything, and the moment you eat sustainably, it’s going to taste and feel better. It’s finding a way to make sustainability fun; in the long run it will make you happier.

Aspen: Wow. For me too. Food and cooking changed my life. Discovering that as a hobby, something to look forward to and build a routine around. Finding pleasure in my food, sustainability, doing right by the planet, feeling connected to food and purchases in general is a radical act. Our current systems have divided us from who makes our products. Reclaiming those connections is a beautiful thing.

Juliette: It goes with the rules we talked about. If you put rules on your eating, you make it less fun. If you actually start enjoying what you eat, you naturally become more mindful of it. They go hand-in-hand.

Aspen: yes - just trying to find ways to take the “chore” aspect out of it and make it more enjoyable.

OK, last question: what are your favourite sustainable restaurants and stores?

Juliette: Here’s a list:

my case for meal kits: a realistic review of HelloFresh.

October 16, 2020 Aspen Murray

I take a lot of pride in considering myself something of an amateur chef (read: someone who watches a lot of cooking content on YouTube). So whenever I saw ads on social media for meal kit services like HelloFresh, I quickly scrolled past. I thought they were ridiculous. Overpriced, too much packaging, and a sad testament for how capitalism has made us too busy to even have time to grocery shop and cook.

But a month or two ago, I read this article during a period when my anxiety was making it impossible to eat, let alone cook. It discusses how the pandemic and its mental health repercussions influenced the author to sign up for a meal kit service. A switch flipped in my mind and I did the same thing. Ever since, I’ve been using HelloFresh, and I’ve decided to write a review of my experience because I want to nuance the narrative surrounding these services a little bit.

the service

If you aren’t familiar with HelloFresh or those like it, it’s a subscription service that allows you to pay a weekly fee and, in return, pick a few recipes and receive corresponding individually-portioned ingredients. You tell them what you want, and when you want it, and the box arrives at your door. You barely need anything other than salt, pepper, and oil to get cooking.

the prices

Many folks’ main concern about these services is that they’re expensive. From my experience that all depends on you: what you normally pay for groceries every week, how many recipes you wish to receive, and whether you’re willing to pay a slight premium for the element of convenience. In any case, I pay roughly $75 per week for 3 recipe kits, totalling 6 meals. It’s more than I used to pay for groceries (about $50 per week) but if it means I’m actually eating, I don’t mind the extra $15.

the quality

Source: this Insider article about using HelloFresh during the COVID-19 lockdown. — Source: this Insider article about using HelloFresh during the COVID-19 lockdown.

From my roughly four or five weeks using HelloFresh, I have found the ingredients and recipes to taste really good. The produce is usually quite fresh, but I’ve occasionally run into some wilted herbs. Some of the recipes have been somewhat unflavorful, but if you’ve got a well-stocked spice collection, you’ll be fine. And I like how healthy and balanced the meals always are. You know exactly what’s going into them, and you don’t have to worry that you’re getting all your food groups.

the sustainability

HelloFresh advertises on its website that it’s a sustainable service. However, this piece is my main critique. Every week I’m dealing with tons of unnecessary cardboard and far more ice packs than I know what to do with. Each box also comes with corresponding recipe cards, and for each one they send along an English and a French version. These things should either be eliminated or at least optional.

HelloFresh should also prioritize local ingredients. One week, I received fish all the way from Iceland! As someone originally from the Maritimes, I felt a little insulted; Canada has no shortage of local options and taking advantage of them is a sustainability must.

Source: Crippledscholar’s article “When Accessibility gets Labeled Wasteful” — Source: Crippledscholar’s article “When Accessibility gets Labeled Wasteful”

However, HelloFresh does appeal to some aspects of social sustainability, bringing up an important intersectional environmentalism issue. Some folks may remember the great plastic straw debate, wherein a bunch of environmentalists led the campaign to eliminate them altogether as an unnecessary, single-use utensil. But many disability rights activists, like Crippedscholar, critiqued this cause with much validity. They argued that sometimes, single-use plastics and packaging that might just seem “lazy” to able-bodied people can actually be empowering for disabled folks. This point is important when critiquing HelloFresh’s sustainability, because even though it’s easy to call them out for pre-cutting and individually-wrapping the veggies in their meal kits, doing so eliminates a barrier in cooking for many. And again, more broadly speaking, the service itself does that for a lot of people in general.

conclusion

All of this is to say that while meal kit services might not be the right fit for everyone, they’re helpful for more folks than you might think, and a lot of people who use them aren’t just “lazy”. I’ve had a great experience using HelloFresh, and while I likely won’t be a lifetime customer, it’s certainly a helpful resource during these difficult times.

I’ll leave you with a treat: an incredibly entertaining YouTube video (as I mentioned earlier that I enjoy greatly) from Sohla El-Waylly, one of my absolute favourite chefs.

With love and sustainability,

Ethigirl.

how to (actually) eat more sustainably!

October 9, 2020 Aspen Murray

The article below I originally wrote and published for CCOM 315: Writing the Internet, a class I’m taking at McGill University currently. I hope you enjoy!

In the times we’re living in, one question that’s on all of our minds is this: how can I feel less resigned to the fate of the world?

Things are undeniably scary. Wildfires are raging, sea levels are rising, air pollution is increasing. Climate injustice is looming, and in spite of our protests, we feel like things aren’t changing.

But you don’t have to feel so hopeless and helpless. Although they may seem trivial, individual actions can make a difference — but they should be informed, too. So what can you do?

1. realize perfection is impossible.

We live in an age of Instagram-perfect zero wasters, all-or-nothing vegans, and a world that otherwise pushes us to achieve unattainable success levels all of the time. Our work effort is admirable, but it’s resulting in way too much burnout.

Don’t let your altruistic efforts to make the world a better place become so all-consuming that you give up before you even start. Acknowledge that baby steps are important and far from trivial. Every single little thing you do, you should celebrate — instead of beating yourself up for failing your goal of cutting out red meat, celebrate all the mealtimes that you opted for something else instead.

**2. challenge the notion that ‘sustainable eating’ looks only like cutting out animal products.**

As we’re all pretty much aware by 2020, plant-based diets have gained tremendous levels of popularity, and for good reason. Opting for less meat and dairy can be excellent for your health, and it’s certainly better for the environment. For starters, according to UCLA, it reduces our individual water use, carbon emissions, and landfill contributions.

But it’s important to remember that you don’t have to go fully vegetarian or vegan in order to be a good environmentalist. And there are many reasons why you might choose not to be. Personally, I was a die-hard vegetarian for about a year and a half, but over this past summer I switched into a much more flexible diet.

Moreover, encouraging everyone to cut out meat and dairy because it’s “bad for the environment” can be unjust, for numerous reasons, as writer Juliana Yazbeck says here. Meat and dairy aren’t inherently carbon-intensive — capitalist and colonial practices have simply made them so through things like factory farming. Second of all, replacing meat and dairy with mass-produced crops like chickpeas and quinoa, and more have resulted in higher demand, and therefore higher use of unethical labour practices. These jobs are often done by underpaid folks of colour. Finally, meat is culturally intrinsic to many, and asking people to take it out of their diets is asking them to surrender their culture. We cannot care about the planet if we don’t also care about the welfare of its people.

**3. look for sustainable and ethical products.**

Like I said above, climate action must have a justice-oriented approach. We must care about the earth and its people. A great way to find climate and ethics-friendly products is to look for the Fairtrade logo: a holistic certification that ensures rigorous labour and environmental standards. Some examples of easy-to-find, Fairtrade-certified products include Equifruit bananas and Camino chocolate.

4. Watch out for greenwashing.

Big companies are catching on that consumers are trying to buy better. But for many, instead of actually tangibly changing their practices, they’re instead only trying to make it look like they’ve done so. This is greenwashing.

You can avoid greenwashing by doing your research. Look up the company: do they have reports on their sustainability practices? What about third-party certifications (like Fairtrade)? You can also check out other sustainability bloggers and influencers, many of whom do product reviews and resource lists of actually-eco stuff.

With love and sustainability,

ethigirl

and i hope you are able to write again.

September 7, 2020 Aspen Murray

the: beginning of it all.

A photo taken by a high school friend the summer I launched Ethigirl.

Slightly over two years ago, from the kitchen table of my childhood home in rural New Brunswick, I created Ethigirl.com. I was fighting my way through the summer after my first year of university, working full-time at a local bank during the day, running during the evenings, and travelling around the province during the weekends.

But those were the easy things. Because there were lots of harder things, too. I finished my first year of university feeling lonely. Throughout high school, the final two years of which I’d also - in retrospect - felt incredibly lonely, I imagined university as a utopia. The time I’d finally find “my people” and thrive instantly. Needless to say, that… didn’t happen. I was also in a long-distance relationship. I felt caught between two worlds: my New Brunswick one, which contained my family and boyfriend, and my Montreal one, which contained my new home, school, and handful of friends I clung to and desperately wished to make lifelong. And I never, during all of those months, felt fully present in either. I started getting unbearable anxiety. My chest felt tight and full of butterflies all the time. Sometimes, I could barely eat. I managed by exercising as much as I could, so that I was too tired to even recognize the anxiety. But I knew something was wrong - something needed to change.

When I moved home that spring, my boyfriend and I broke up several weeks after celebrating three years of dating. I had changed so much during that time that I felt unrecognizable. It was the hardest thing my young heart had faced to that day. So I threw myself into productive things. I started running. A lot. I’d sometimes get up before work, around 5am, and run a 15k before heading into the bank. It was working well, for awhile. My anxiety got better.

Then one week, when my parents were on vacation and I was home alone, I checked my phone while out for groceries. My grandma had sent me a message on Facebook. She was sick and at the hospital. My chest got tight immediately and my heart dropped. I raced to the hospital to see her. She was okay, and I continued to visit her for the next few nights. My parents came home early from their vacation. It seemed like everything was going to be fine.

My grandma and I at my high school prom.

But then my parents came home one day after visiting my grandparents. I remember the look on their face as they came through the door. I couldn’t place it. My dad told me they gave her three months to live. She had been re-diagnosed with cancer. It ended up being three weeks. She passed away just a few days after I moved back to Montreal to start my second year of university. I returned home with my brother and his girlfriend to attend the wake and the funeral.

I had been spending time that summer figuring out what went wrong my first year of university, why I felt so alone and so lost and like everything was wrong. Why this place and time I’d projected so much onto for so many years didn’t live up to the expectations I’d created for it. I thought, second year will be a new start. I’ll do things differently. That summer was supposed to be calm time at home with family. And it really was, up until the end. Until I lost my grandma. Something I could never have been prepared for.

My grandma was everything. She was the strand that tied my family together. She was filled with light and laughter and creativity and the most compassion and selflessness I’ve ever seen a human being possess. I loved her so much.

Her passing made me realize I needed to do something important. I needed to try and create something. I needed to live out my passions in creative, beautiful ways that helped others.

And so I created Ethigirl. And Ethigirl was my place.

It was a brand for me, a persona, something created by me and me alone. People started using it as a nickname. My website was a platform for my passions, for sharing what I believed to be good and right. It allowed me to differentiate myself from other people. It gave me something to talk about when people said “tell me about yourself”. It was an outlet and an identifier.

the: then.

Me on a rooftop in early March, just days into the pandemic.

A couple of months ago, everything changed (obviously). At first, I felt okay. I wrote some things. I reached out to my friends. I exercised.

I was also a hypocrite.

I shared to my Instagram story all of those posts like “the quarantine is not the time to shame yourself for your lack of productivity!!”

…But then went and did literally exactly that. I found myself in darkened rooms unable to find the motivation to eat, let alone write or work on a side hustle or passion project. Why couldn’t I afford myself the same compassion and generosity that I afforded every single one of my talented, intelligent, hardworking friends when they told me they were going through the same things?

At some point, I closed the always-opened tab of Ethigirl.com on my laptop. I could not write anymore. I could not bring myself to write something that didn’t feel equally as existential as the times we are living in. I couldn’t write yet another slow fashion influencer listicle. I could not write something that didn’t feel like me. That didn’t match all of the very raw, vulnerable, unprecedented feelings that I was and still very much am feeling.

So I didn’t write anything at all.

Because I didn’t even know what I actually WANTED to write. How do you put all of this into words?

During this time away from my site, I also realized that along the way, I lost the part of Ethigirl that was an outlet. A creative space. A platform for me to live out the values that my grandma inspired and instilled within me. At some point, it became far more about the page views, the follower counts, the likes and comments. And so much less about the content itself. About writing things that made me tick. That made other people feel something. I realized that I need to make this feel less like an obligation and more of a way of writing my thoughts and inviting the world to read them.

I’ve been thinking a lot about defining, and quite frankly redefining our normative definitions of “success” and “accomplishment”. I could put my academia hat on and critically analyze the fact that capitalism leads us to define our success by financial and productivity terms. By working hard, VERY hard, exhausting ourselves until we reach our lofty goals. Goals that usually look like blog/social media engagement numbers (like follower counts), numbers of articles or posts published, dollars made, hours worked, projects finished. Anything that is tangible and easily quantifiable.

But what about everything else? When the lockdown first happened it forced us all home. Many of us lost our jobs. Many of us never found new ones. We’ve had to process and overcome so many different tragedies, letdowns, and forms of grief over these past few months.

What happens when you can’t pin your identity to a job anymore? Or a university? Or even a career aspiration, because it’s impossible to know absolutely anything with certainty anymore?

I think what happens then is you look inwards. This has been an opportunity to reevaluate all of those five-year, ten-year plans. Toss them out and actually just look at the now. Pause. Take off every single hat we were and focus on ourselves. Because if we didn’t (and don’t) do that, we can’t stay afloat. Not right now.

So we cling onto the small joys. We order the food, we eat the ice cream, we give ourselves the leniency of not finishing that thing that day, or maybe not finishing it at all. We take longer breaks. We sleep more. We go on gentle walks and we don’t punish ourselves. Because we can’t right now. And we have a built-in excuse not to.

Many people have started craving connections. Meaningful ones. We need support, love, and affection now than we’ve quite possibly ever needed it before. We’ve started dating more, or at least figuring out what we’re looking for. What love looks like to us, means to us, and what it’s lacked in the past. Again, looking inward and trying to understand what would make us happy in this moment, rather than five or ten years from now. But also doing the hard emotional work.

We’ve been holding onto each other, unfurling our trauma and grief together, carrying each other through the best that we possibly can. And I’ve come to the conclusion that there is absolutely nothing more important than all of these connections and relationships. Life is entirely, inextricably meaningless without them.

the: from now on.

Before the lockdown happened, I was the busiest I had ever been. I would wake up every morning completely exhausted, just barrelling through the best that I could. I’d check my Google calendar once, twice, thrice, infinitely because I couldn’t even remember what was next. I was, I think, happy — I felt accomplished in this time. I was working hard and achieving big goals. I was working on the things I felt passionate about. And then, one day, everything...stopped.

The articles on this website that I am the most proud of, out of anything else I’ve written during my time as the host of this URL, are my Empathetic Academic piece and my Sustainable Dinner Party piece. Both are well-researched, informed by lived experiences, and written and published to evoke some kind of emotion from the reader. Although they aren’t necessarily my articles that have the best SEO, the highest numbers of clicks, the greatest social media engagement, the ones that appear repeatedly on my Google Analytics dashboard, I could not care less. They are my best articles. Because they are the best quality, not the ones that simply “cracked the online code”.

I don’t give a shit anymore about that stuff. Because focusing on the numbers and the data overwhelmed me so much that it stopped me from creating actual good, important content.

So I’m done, mostly, with the listicles. You can expect things to get a little bit more personal over here. I don’t want to fall into the same traps I fell into before.

I want to be vulnerable and as gentle with myself as I try to be with everyone else.
I want to write the things that come to me in the middle of the night.
I want to publish quality content, but I don’t want it to be the same listicle-style stuff that I started out doing.

I will, of course, still share about wonderful brands because it’d be a shame if I didn’t. I’ll still recommend things. But for me, this website was born out of a pretty hard time in my life, and here I am now, about two years later, in maybe an even harder time. I need this outlet, but it needs to evolve as I do.

I’m changing all of the time, but something that will absolutely stay the same is my desire to share what I believe is right and good in the world. That is something I have pretty strong opinions about, and i am sticking to it.

I find myself in another phase of learning, growing, and hardship, from which I can draw many similarities of my pre-second year self. As I enter my final year of university, however, this phase is very different. I’ve grown so much since then, and so too has Ethigirl. Therefore, this platform has to evolve alongside its owner. I am excited to see what the future has in store for this website, and I hope to bring you much more content that I am proud of and that moves you.

With all the love in my heart, and the sustainability to continue in the long run,

Ethigirl.

How to Host a Sustainable Dinner Party (in a Pandemic)

April 10, 2020 Aspen Murray

I originally produced the following essay and community cookbook for a university course taught by Dr. Alex Ketchum titled GSFS 401: Food, Gender and Environment.

Introduction

As someone with a passion for sustainability, which has taken specific root in food studies over the course of this semester, I began my project with a clear research question in mind: what does “perfectly sustainable” food and cooking look like, and can I represent that through the medium of a dinner party? I chose a dinner party because I wanted to harness the power of a social gathering among friends and food to cultivate a collection of experiences with sustainability and food. I believed hosting an experiential learning opportunity was the best way in which to do so. Therefore, I contacted a group of friends and instructed them all to bring a dish they felt was sustainable, along with the promise of an evening of discussion, meal sharing, and photo-taking. On March 16th, however, as COVID-19 social distancing measures started to take serious effect, I had no choice but to cancel my event and brainstorm a new plan. I opted to host the same event, instead over video call (specifically via Zoom). To my gratitude, my friends agreed, and my research question then evolved just as my plans had. Not only did I now wish to understand what a sustainable dinner party looked like, but I also had to manage this new factor of doing everything remotely.

The experience of a Sustainable Zoom Dinner Party taught me many things, even if I learned them differently than I originally expected to throughout the exercise of this assignment. My essay will relay those findings as follows: first, I will discuss the three parts of my methodology — the dinner party experiment, my community cookbook, and a literature review. Next, I will present my results and a discussion, and come to a conclusion of what someone must consider when wishing to host an event like mine. My scientific research-inspired essay framework was greatly influenced by “Mishkos Kenomagwen: The Teachings of Grass”, a specific chapter in Indigenous botanist Robin Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass, which describes her work understanding and arguing in favour of the importance of Indigenous knowledge. Her chapter is profoundly compelling and makes a strong case for experiential learning. In sum, in this essay I argue that in order to host a sustainable dinner party in a pandemic, you must incorporate three tenets: gratitude, accessibility, and environmentalism. Through the lens of each tenet, you must also specifically consider the food, the dinner party itself, and the impact of COVID-19.

Methodology

The Dinner Party Experiment

The idea behind hosting a sustainable dinner party stemmed from my belief that I could only successfully come to conclusions on such overwhelming terms by consulting with other people. Similar to a scientific experiment, more participants leads to more inclusive research that accounts for as many factors as possible. As such, I created an event and invited a group of my friends to help with my research by preparing a meal they personally felt was sustainable, and then responding to a series of discussion questions during the (virtual) event. A shortcoming of my sample was its lack of diversity. All participants are in their early twenties, study social science-based undergraduate degrees, and live in major Canadian cities. However, for my purposes, I contacted individuals who I believed would be most likely to participate.

A Community Cookbook

Following the Zoom Dinner Party, I had each participant provide me with several materials: the recipe they cooked, their rationale for its sustainability, and some photos. I compiled all of these elements, along with my own personal submission, into a sustainable community cookbook titled Defining Sustainable Food: A Cookbook (Appendix A). This visual component of my research represents how eight students living and studying in urban areas responded when asked to represent their ideas of sustainable food and cooking.

You can view the cookbook below:

Literature Review

The third component of my research was to consult a diversity of other research on my topic, including peer-reviewed articles, journalism, and other texts like blog posts and interviews. This element of my methodology recognizes the value of past work on this subject, much of which required emotional labour to produce. It also seeks to make up for shortcomings in diversity in my experiment, since there were other groups and issues I wished to represent and discuss.

Results & Discussion

Tenet 1: Gratitude

The first of the three tenets I argue one must consider when planning a sustainable dinner party (while social distancing) is gratitude. My initial inspiration for including this tenet was my realization of how grateful I am to my participants for contributing their time and labour. I feel more than honoured to be close to so many individuals who were willing to go above and beyond to participate in a friend’s class assignment, particularly during times like these. Through this project I have discovered the true strength, depth, and meaning of the relationships I’ve developed throughout the past several years. Additionally, however, I wish to argue that gratitude in relation to a sustainable dinner party during a pandemic only begins with a recognition of how valuable it is to have friends who will share a meal with you. An understanding of gratitude is incomplete without concrete efforts toward justice. We may be grateful for the farmers who produce our food, as well as the essential workers who process our grocery order, but we must also support their fair treatment by advocating for living wages and by purchasing ethically-made products.

Hosts must consider where the food on the dinner party table will come from, and understand that sustainable food is fair trade. According to scholar Michael K. Goodman, who cites Barrett-Brown and Raynolds, the fair trade movement works both “in and against the market” and seeks to improve the living and working conditions of Global South farmers and producers. Goodman also mentions that, according to Oxfam, fair trade promotes “trade, not aid” and challenges the “ways of trading that keep people poor.” Concretely, these elements may look like purchasing products made by people with the right to unionize who work in safe conditions and are paid enough to support both themselves and their families. Sustainable food, therefore, supports sustainable livelihoods. Finally, when considering gratitude in regards to the dinner party itself, participants should recognize it not only in the context of their relationships with those around the table, but of their relationship with the land they eat upon. Many sustainable dinner parties will be held on unceded Indigenous territory, meaning it was stolen by colonizers who caused the violent loss of cultures as well as hundreds of thousands of lives. Many event hosts represent this issue through land acknowledgements. However, as scholars Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang wrote in their article “Decolonization is Not a Metaphor,” acknowledgement is not sufficient. Many scholars and activists use the term “decolonize” as a verb to describe the accommodations they are making in colonized spaces, without realizing the very real implications of the word itself.

Finally, creating space for gratitude at a dinner party in a pandemic must not only acknowledge the role of grocery store employees, cleaners, healthcare workers, and public transit drivers and maintenance workers in making it happen, but it must also fight for their fair treatment. As journalist Owen Jones argues, the movement during COVID-19 toward celebrating essential workers as “heroes” is necessary, but incomplete without advocacy from the privileged. Jones writes that “no floor can be cleaned remotely,” and yet those risking their lives to provide services like these are systemically underpaid and unfairly treated. Sustainable dinner party attendees who can (and should) work from home during this pandemic should spend time fighting in favour of normalizing essential workers’ higher wages and safer conditions, including access to personal protective equipment and sufficient distance from customers. It is additionally important that we extend our action-based gratitude during this time to our favourite establishments, such as restaurants, cafes, and bars. Many businesses still offer zero-contact delivery, and others provide the option of purchasing gift cards or merchandise online. Food writer Alicia Kennedy cites vegan business owner Chris Kim, who states that small businesses are relying on limited income during this time to prioritize their staff’s needs, like job security and reliable income with which to support their families. We owe those who keep these valuable establishments running the ability to do so. Therefore, sufficient gratitude while hosting a sustainable dinner party in a pandemic extends beyond recognition and into concrete action.

Tenet 2: Accessibility

Some experiment participants discussed the many costs associated with trying to live more sustainably, such as sacrificing additional income, time, or waste-intensive products, which can make participation in the movement exclusionary. Thus, a consideration of accessibility when preparing for and hosting a sustainable dinner party must encompass the many challenges and barriers that marginalized community members face on a daily basis. A sustainable dinner party during social distancing should still allow and encourage the participation of everyone, regardless of their situation.

First of all, sustainable food itself evokes many accessibility issues. As dinner party participant Anna suggested, many grocery stores simply do not offer sustainable options, and access to grocery stores differs greatly depending on where you live. For example, scholar Adi Segal discusses food deserts, a term which describes lack or difficulty of geographical access to healthy and nutritious food establishments, usually in lower-income areas. In New York City, small grocery stores (known as bodegas) are far more likely to exist in the neighbourhoods of East and Central Harlem than in the Upper East Side, and these bodegas are less likely to offer nutritious food options than those in the latter neighbourhood. Moreover, while many restaurants exist in all three neighbourhoods, those in East and Central Harlem are more likely to be fast-food establishments. Food deserts therefore limit access to healthy food options and further curb sustainability efforts. Additionally, disability rights blogger Crippledscholar argues that some things environmentalists tend to label as unsustainable, like straws or single-use packaging, make the lives of disabled folks easier. For example, when able-bodied environmentalists advocated for removing peeled, packaged oranges from supermarket shelves, it was harmful to the agency of disabled individuals for whom these products are incredibly valuable.

Moreover, as dinner party participants Husayn and Juliette discussed, movements such as the zero waste one require additional labour for things like remembering to bring reusable bags and selecting more sustainable products at the store. This topic should be kept in mind in regards to accessibility because according to journalist Alden Wicker, this additional labour disproportionately falls on women since it has become included in domestic labour responsibilities. For these reasons, sustainable parties should adopt a BWYC (Bring What You Can) policy, both physically and intellectually. Participants should not be worried about preparing a perfectly-sustainable dish if it is not within their means to do so, and this experience should be a learning opportunity for everyone. No one should feel gatekept, or as though they do not have the knowledge or resources that qualify them to attend.

Finally, in regards to accessibility and Coronavirus, one positive point to hosting a dinner party remotely is that it increases access to those who might not otherwise have been able to attend. For example, if I had held my event in my home, those who could not access stairs would have been excluded. Dinner party participant Juliette also addressed the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, stating how finding the motivation to eat and to cook has become more challenging with these new measures. As Ed Yong of The Atlantic wrote, human contact is a coping mechanism for many and social distancing has greatly reduced it. The effects of Coronavirus also negatively impact those with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, elderly people, those living in abusive homes, and Asian people dealing with an increase in racism. There is, evidently, no shortage of accessibility concerns one must consider when hosting a sustainable dinner party during the coronavirus. The host and participants should do their best to address as many as possible.

Tenet 3: Environmentalism

No discussion of sustainability is complete without addressing issues of environmentalism, and rightly so. Although a sustainable dinner party must mitigate its impact on the environment, there are aspects of western environmentalism that override social sustainability in negative ways. For instance, in regards to food, environmentalists usually advocate for reducing or eliminating consumption of animal products, which is certainly important since up to 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from meat. However, as dinner party participant Delphine pointed out, being vegetarian does not necessarily mean being sustainable. Junk food, for example, is often vegetarian, but it creates packaging waste. The food sovereignty movement also reminds us how meat is significant to many cultures, and can be farmed and eaten in less carbon-intensive ways. Additionally, while an in-person sustainable dinner party event should encourage those involved to reduce their footprint through low-carbon transportation and low-waste dinnerware, holding the event remotely mostly eliminates these concerns.

Finally, in regards to the relationship of COVID-19 to environmentalism, dinner participants Mariam and Husayn argued that sanitation concerns have increased waste. According to Mariam, products such as bunches of bananas are now wrapped in plastic, and Husayn shared that some grocery stores no longer allow shoppers to bring reusable bags. As a broader social dialogue, many social media posts have gone viral discussing how social distancing measures have decreased pollution, and how we should then conclude that “humans are the virus.” However, as writer Sierra Garcia argues, the negative social impact of the pandemic more than reduces a cause for an “environmental win.” This sentiment is also reminiscent of ecofascist, overpopulation-based environmentalism arguments, such as the one in Paul Ehrlich’s famous book The Population Bomb. Theories like Ehrlich’s blame Global South women for causing environmental problems through their role in increasing populations. To avoid unjustly blaming already-marginalized groups, a sustainable dinner party in the time of quarantine should discuss the systems which foster climate injustice, such as capitalism, globalization, mass industry, and corporate greed. Our learnings from COVID-19 should be less about reducing overpopulation and more about overhauling our systems to accommodate everyone, because it is possible.

Conclusion

This essay provides a framework in regards to how one might host a sustainable dinner party during a pandemic. It has discussed the varying issues and considerations related to food, the event itself, and the impact of the Coronavirus on planning such an event. The community cookbook attached also represents a meaningful visual representation of this essay’s findings and should be read alongside it. Together, these elements conclude that hosts must incorporate three main tenets: action and justice-based gratitude, diverse considerations of accessibility, and environmentalism through an intersectional lens. Indeed, it discussed many considerations within the realm of each tenet, and hosts and participants should do their best to incorporate as many as possible. Future research should prioritize hosting such dinner parties with more diverse participant samples, therefore incorporating as many concerns and uplifting as many voices as possible. Moreover, sustainable dinner parties held following the COVID-19 pandemic that may not be forced to exist remotely might still consider including this as an option for participants who are unable to attend in person.

Works Cited

Broaders, Anna, Juliette Escande, Delphine Polidori, Mariam Grigoryan, and Husayn Jamal, video call with the author, April 04, 2020.

Coté, Charlotte. “‘Indigenizing’ Food Sovereignty. Revitalizing Indigenous Food Practices and Ecological Knowledges in Canada and the United States.” Humanities. Vol. 5, no. 57 (2016): doi:10.3390/h5030057

Crippledscholar. “When Accessibility gets Labeled Wasteful.” Crippled Scholar, March 4, 2016. https://crippledscholar.com/2016/03/04/when-accessibility-gets-labeled-wasteful/

Derfel, Aaron. “Montreal public health scrambles to avoid community spread of COVID-19.” Montreal Gazette, March 17, 2020. https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreal-public-health-scrambles-to-avoid-community-spread-of-covid-19/

Garcia, Sierra. “‘We’re the virus’: The pandemic is bringing out environmentalism’s dark side.” Grist, March 30, 2020. https://grist.org/climate/were-the-virus-the-pandemic-is-bringing-out-environmentalisms-dark-side/

Goodman, Michael K. “Reading fair trade: political ecological imaginary and the moral economy of fair trade foods.” Political Geography. Vol. 23 (2004): 891-915. doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2004.05.013

Jones, Owen. “The undervalued heroes of the coronavirus crisis need our thanks - and our support.” The Guardian, March 21, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/21/undervalued-heroes-coronavirus-crisis-cleaners-supermarket-workers

Kennedy, Alicia. “Vegan Business Owners Share Coronavirus Challenges and Hopes for the Future.” Tenderly Magazine, March 31, 2020. https://medium.com/tenderlymag/vegan-business-owners-share-coronavirus-challenges-and-hopes-for-the-future-4aaee234f459

Kimmerer, Robin. “Mishkos Kenomagwen: The Teachings of Grass.” In Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 2013.

Segal, Adi. “Food Deserts: A Global Crisis in New York City - Causes, Impacts and Solutions.” Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development. Vol. 3, no. 1 (2010): 197-214. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26167795

Tuck, Eve and K. Wayne Yang. “Decolonization is not a metaphor.” Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society. Vol. 1, no. 1 (2012): 1-40.

Van de Kamp, Mirjam E., S. Marjie Seves and Elisabeth H. M Temme. “Reducing GHG emissions while improving diet quality: exploring the potential of reduced meat, cheese and alcoholic and soft drinks consumption at specific moments during the day.” BMC Public Health, vol. 18, no. 264 (2018): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5132-3

Wicker, Alden. “The complicated gender politics of going zero waste.” Vox, May 9, 2019. https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/5/9/18535943/zero-waste-movement-gender-sustainability-women-instagram

Yong, Ed. “How the Pandemic Will End.” The Atlantic, March 25, 2020. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-will-coronavirus-end/608719/

Clay Jewelry from a Queer-Owned Small Biz: Gentle & Kind

March 20, 2020 Aspen Murray

No matter what it is you’re putting on your body, there’s a way to do it more ethically and sustainably. That’s the attitude I’ve been adopting as of late, as I try to tackle more aspects of my fashion and purchases. So, when I came across Hailey Watson’s Depop shop, Gentle & Kind, I was more than elated! Hailey offers the gorgeous geometric clay and metallic jewelry you have always wanted (even if you didn’t know it until now).

As you may remember, I also featured Gentle & Kind in my 2019 holiday gift guide! However, after receiving some of her pieces and being even happier about how gorgeous they are in person, I knew I had to do a full-length article all about Hailey’s business. So, that’s this post! It’s been a long time coming, and I’m very excited to finally be getting it up.

the origin story

Hailey has been passionate about sustainability and conscious living since she was sixteen. Since that point, she’s gone back and forth between living a vegan and a vegetarian lifestyle. Thrifting is one of the other ways in which she has managed what she’s put into the world. It allows her to avoid waste and to avoid new production!

woman in field wearing moon-shaped earrings

After getting into thrifting, Hailey discovered the slow fashion movement. She also saw the trend of clay earrings arising quickly, and wanted some for herself. As a college student, though, they were incredibly pricey. These elements together led her to start creating earrings for herself in order to avoid buying them new! Suddenly, Gentle & Kind was born!

There were a few key things which Hailey knew she wanted to prioritize as she built this new business. First and foremost, she wanted sustainability and slow fashion to be accessible to everyone, regardless of their income or what size clothing they wear. More than making money, Hailey was concerned with getting people to care about the issue, and providing a good that everyone would be able to access. She never wanted customers to have to choose between her products and those of a fast fashion brand, and although she knew it wouldn’t be possible to make the prices exactly equivalent, she wanted to make them at least comparable.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gentle & Kind (@gentle_kind) on Mar 14, 2020 at 1:13pm PDT

hailey’s small biz experience

As Hailey states in her Instagram bio, Gentle & Kind is a queer-owned business. She told me that she’s gotten a ton of support from both the queer and the women creator communities. In her experience, she wouldn’t say that being a queer woman has adversely impacted her work. Instead, she believes including this part of her identity in her business has allowed her to reach people within these communities online. Social media has allowed her to connect with queer folks who are looking to support other queer-owned businesses.

the style identity

Hailey designs and creates pieces based on what she personally finds to be beautiful. The colours and shapes that you see in her earrings and necklaces are ones she has always been drawn to. She enjoys muted or neutral tones which allow her pieces to be worn with everything.

She also often gets inspired by her own clothing! A favourite piece or outfit will lead her to design a new product based upon it. Although Hailey says she plans to stay in a similar colour scheme to what she offers now, she did tell me things will always be changing and she plans to try types of jewelry other than what she currently offers.

the broader goal

selfie of girl with curly hair wearing green earrings

Another big part of the reason why Hailey started Gentle & Kind was to put herself through university debt-free. This in and of itself is an incredible goal; however, her aspirations extend past this. Hailey strongly identifies as a feminist, and is incredibly passionate about women’s education. She believes education is beautiful and an important platform for absolutely everything. For these reasons, she is planning to become a teacher and to instruct women in the Global South after she graduates. These are the motives behind the brand that you should keep in mind when deciding whether to go support Gentle & Kind...just saying.

Hailey said that although she’s not totally sure what the future of Gentle & Kind will look like, as she launched it with a few broader goals in mind, she plans on continuing it indefinitely. She absolutely loves what she does and doesn’t see that going away after she finishes college. For my part, I can’t wait to see what Hailey creates next.

With love and sustainability,

Ethigirl

Do you follow me on Instagram yet? If not, check me out at @ethigirlblog!

We have SHORTS WEATHER! 😍 excited to wear these out to my fire escape 😂 appreciating the little joys in these times is super key!

My face as I try to balance two jobs and a summer course 😅✌️but really, I am so thankful for the opportunities I have right now! I’m working with two amazing sustainability organizations and feeling super fulfilled 💚

Feeling settled in my new apartment and ready for the Summer of Isolation 😅 hoping to get some new content out for you folks soon, so stay tuned!

I am so honoured that my good friend Jan Lim had me on the latest episode of her podcast, Dialogical Humanism! It was a lot of fun to get to speak with Jan about things including the Ethigirl manifesto, my problems with the Zero Waste movement, and m

I’ve come to the realization that there is nothing more reassuring than having an iced coffee waiting for you in the fridge 😍

A little confession: this is leftover Tim’s coffee! Of course, not the most sustainable, but why waste what I

Who wouldn’t pass up an iced coffee and a Montreal bagel with cream cheese while finishing a take-home final? 😍✨

Isn’t she lovely?! Fresh local bread & chia seeds from @lufafarms and fair trade bananas from @equifruit — the happiest of breakfasts. (I slept in today, no shame!)

My newest post is an essay and cookbook I created for a final class project. It discusses environmentalism, accessibility justice, financial limitations, mental health, food deserts, vegetarianism, and so much more. A big thanks to all my wonderful f

Today’s reminder to get outside for your daily government-sanctioned exercise ✨ recently on my stories I asked you all what kind of content you’d like to see during this time of #SocialDistancing and I’m looking forward to producing

thoughts & resources re: covid-19

March 18, 2020 Aspen Murray

Hello to all! I’ve missed you so much.

I wanted to create a post today with the hopes of providing some comfort during these strange, uncertain times. I won’t pretend for a second that I’ve been handling any of this with more grace and calmness than I’m sure any of you have. In fact, it’s been a huge struggle to say the least.

However, I’m finally getting to a place where I feel a bit more settled with this all. I’ve been able to grasp onto some sort of familiarity and certainty in the chaos occurring outside my apartment walls, and for now, that’s enough. Therefore, in case you’re not quite there yet, I wanted to put together what’s sure to be a not-very-organized collection of thoughts, feelings, ideas, and resources that might be useful during this time.

advice

Let me begin by saying that I’m not a medical professional, nor do I have any sort of expertise in any areas related to COVID-19 that could be helpful right now. I’ve been seeing some influencers adopting that tone, and that’s fine as long as they actually know what they’re talking about. One Instagram account I have really been following throughout all of this is Two Dusty Travelers, which is run by a couple who tries to travel ethically and sustainably. However, Emily is also a nurse who worked in the Global South during the height of the Ebola outbreaks. During all of Coronavirus, she has been posting stories filled with useful resources, facts, and reputable content. I highly recommend checking this account out if you’re looking for a facts-based approach to all of this.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emily & Aaron • Ethical Travel (@twodustytravelers) on Mar 3, 2020 at 9:16am PST

This is going to certainly come across as a hypocritical, preaching-to-the-choir sort of moment, but try and stay off the internet as much as possible. Updates are important, obviously, but other than that, mindless scrolling is a recipe for anxiety. I’m writing this as a reminder to myself as much as to you. The commentary, the articles, and even the memes are all getting to be a bit too much.

my thoughts on productivity

A lot of folks (who are privileged to be able to do so) are currently working from home. That goes for me, too. Along with being a student, I have a part-time job at my campus’ sustainability office. However, my entire university has moved online for the remainder of the semester. We have this week and next off of school, and then it’s back to digital class for what’s left of the year.

I’ve spoken before about my opinion on hustle culture, Instagram entrepreneurs, and more. It is a topic that I will never not go on for too long about. People have mental illnesses! People have disabilities! People work overtime hours at jobs they’re not paid enough to do! People are oppressed every single day! Not everyone can wake up at 4am everyday and suddenly become a billionaire, or whatever their goal is. There are real, systemic barriers that many people face every single day, and making them feel bad for “not hustling hard enough” doesn’t do anything to help. Instead, it actually incites more guilt and exhaustion.

This may seem off topic. However, I’ve already noticed a lot of online content (when I should’ve been limiting my scrolling, I know) about peoples’ “quarantine projects”. Yes, I’m truly happy for you if this time off has allowed you to put more time into your business or to finish writing your book or even to reorganize that closet you’ve been meaning to get to forever.

But we’re not under any obligation to be more productive right now. This, of course, comes with the caveat that those of us who are working from home right now have jobs that allow us to. I can’t say enough about healthcare workers (my mom and my sister-in-law, for just two examples: you are the greatest human beings alive, as far as I’m concerned). I can’t say enough about all the other folks who still have to go to work right now or risk losing paychecks.

For those of us who are home, though, some of the best ongoing commentary I’ve seen is that all you need to do right now is get through this. Personally, I’ve just been trying to get through these recent days without crying, or laying in bed and staring at my ceiling for way too long, or watching too much Netflix. All I’m trying to say is that if you’re not simply taking this in stride and celebrating at the opportunity to put this new time at home towards personal projects, you don’t need to feel bad or compare yourself negatively to those who are.

But when you feel yourself starting to calm down and gain a sense of control, act on it gently. Get outside. I’ve been going for runs, but with no expectation of how fast or how far I’ll go. I just put on my favourite music and enjoy the nice weather. That’s self-care. Or bake or cook a favourite meal! Make it nutritious and fulfilling if possible, but don’t set your expectations sky-high. That’s self-care. Or write something! Or draw something! Just try to limit your expectations. There is no expectation right now that you’ll do anything groundbreaking.

As a matter of fact, some of the best advice I have received throughout COVID-19 is this. My roommate told me that there’s no expectations on me to help everyone around me, to be an extraordinary activist, or to otherwise contribute incredibly to society. Instead, the best thing I can do for those around me is to stay home and take care of myself. And more broadly, we have to remember that this is the best thing we can do in general! Social distancing, remember? This is the only thing (aside from handwashing) that healthcare workers, who are working harder than ever, are asking of society. So we should probably listen.

mental health

I am intimately aware of how harmful social distancing is (and will continue to be) on mental health. Sometimes, getting out and going somewhere new, seeing a friend or meeting someone new is the only thing that’ll pull me out of some really bad anxiety. But there are ways to show up for yourself that don’t require breaking your quarantine. The first one might actually be not calling it a quarantine, because that’s a terrifying word.

Otherwise, just do small acts of self-care. Take a shower! Put on some makeup and take some selfies! Go running or walking if you’re able (I cannot recommend this one enough)!!! Get some sun on your face! Open a window and stick your head out! Eat a favourite food or snack! Video chat with a friend you haven’t talked to in awhile! Buy a gift card from your favourite cafe or restaurant! The list is truly endless.

I personally plan on creating a “Want To-Do” list. I’ll put all of the tasks that I’d like to complete during this period of social distancing, but I won’t punish myself if I don’t get to them. I think this will be a powerful way of reducing the pressure I have a tendency to put on myself to be creative. The best art and fun comes out of the most spontaneous acts of creativity, in my opinion. If you decide to adopt a similar approach, let me know! I’d love to do it together.

resources!!!

I could write forever and still not get to all of my favourite things. So, here is a collection of music, shows, recipes, and whatever else that you might feel like perusing during your time at home. I AM KEEPING IT FUN! No productivity necessary.

recipes

Some vegetarian cooking and baking I’ve tried or am planning to try! I’ve talked in a past post here about why I love cooking as self-care so much.

Easy Roasted Tomato Soup
Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Meatballs
Vegan Mashed Potato Bowls
Vegetarian Lentil Tortilla Soup (I’ve made this tons of times, it’s so easy and so good)
Sugar Cookie Bars
Sandwich Brownie Cookies with Cookie Dough Frosting
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Crack Pie Cookies (an ode to Milk Bar’s crack pie!)
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Marshmallow Cookies
Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies with Caramelized White Chocolate (I made these with golden oreos instead of the white chocolate and they were Very Good as well)

music

Here’s a playlist of some favourite music I think you should listen to (it’s a bit of everything):

tv shows

Some different things I’ve watched and enjoyed, linked to their websites/descriptions:

Love is Blind (sometimes, cheesy reality TV is exactly what you need, even if you don’t think so)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (no spoilers, I’m only on Season 9!)
Next in Fashion (this one’s really bringing out my inner fashion nerd)
Veep (US political comedy, you won’t be able to stop once you start)
How I Met Your Mother (yes, I prefer it over Friends)
Gossip Girl (I just finished it and I wish there was more)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (there really aren’t enough good things to say about this wholesome show)
I Am Not Okay With This (a very entertaining and quick watch)
Atypical (I love it, just watch it, that’s all)
Jane the Virgin (I cried so much and I’d do it all again in a heartbeat)
You (you won’t be able to not binge it)
Love (complicated and wonderful)
Patriot Act (we love some good political comedy - and there’s a great episode about Fast Fashion!)

youtube

Here’s a playlist featuring videos from some of my all-time fave channels!

Stay home, take care of yourselves, and wash your hands.

Love you so much,

Ethigirl

sustainable 2020 resolutions: my choices + recommendations

December 30, 2019 Aspen Murray

Happy almost new year, everyone!

Today is New Year’s Eve, the time when everyone starts to question the ways in which they’ve been spending all of their time over the past year. It is also the time when they make unrealistic goals to try and make themselves feel less guilty after they’ve finished questioning the ways in which they’ve spent their time. And let’s not forget that we’re hitting 2020 this year, which isn’t just another year — it’s another decade.

I’ll be honest: I don’t know how I feel about New Year’s resolutions. They’ve never really worked for me, and I think real personal change comes from other, more internal places. Plus, I’ve noticed they often come from a toxic, self-destructive place. They’re far too often related to weight loss, and maybe have to do with people feeling guilty after holidays filled with “indulgence.” Call me crazy, but my opinion is that you’re allowed to actually enjoy food and drinks and that you can relax some of the time.

Anyway, my only point here is that I think New Year’s resolutions can be healthy, but we need to be conscious about what we’re really trying to achieve, and how these goals make us feel inside. Can we find a way to be happy throughout the journey of achieving our resolutions? Do we have to punish ourselves until we do?

Here’s one of the Instagram posts that got me thinking about all of this:

. . No matter what or how much you ate. No matter what or how much you drank. No matter if you sat all day long. No matter that diet culture will line the shelves and flood your inbox and invade your ear drums tomorrow. Nourish yourself as you would nourish a human that you adore. Practice the selfcare that you'd wish for a human you love. Be gentle. Be gentle. Be gentle. . . #Holiday #HolidayEating #Holidayculture #Diet #FuckDiets #FuckDietCulture #EatingDisorderRecovery #BingeEatingDisorderRecovery #BingeEatingDisorder #intuitiveeatingofficial #OSFEDRecovery #OSFED #Bulimia #BulimiaRecovery#Anorexia #AnorexiaRecovery #ARFIDRecovery #ARFID #intuitiveeating #Orthorexia #orthorexiarecovery #Selfcare #fatpositive #haes #healthateverysize #bodyautonomy #antidiet #intuitiveeating

3,192 Likes, 36 Comments - Anna Sweeney MS, CEDRD-S (@dietitiananna) on Instagram: ". . No matter what or how much you ate. No matter what or how much you drank. No matter if you sat..."

I wanted to begin with these thoughts to do my part in implementing a judgement-free mentality into New Year’s resolutions and sustainability culture. Far too often, we spend more time pointing fingers or trying to be perfect than we do just trying to get everybody to do some small things, whether those things be cutting out plastic water bottles or writing a letter to a fast fashion company asking them to treat their workers better. So, just keep that in mind here! There is no pressure to be perfect here, and if you mess up, nobody’s going to hate you. Good for you for trying at all.

Thus, this post is a write-up about some of the things I’ve been thinking about as we approach 2020. I included a couple of my personal resolutions, as well as a list that you as a reader (and me myself) might consider implementing in terms of leading a more sustainable lifestyle in 2020.

my resolutions

getting up earlier

I love sleeping in. I really try setting my alarm early on mornings when I don’t absolutely have to wake up early, to try and enforce a better habit, but I always end up staying in bed late anyway. And even when I do have to get up early, I’ll do anything for those extra ten minutes.

I know that getting up early just isn’t for everyone, and I don’t like guilting myself unnecessarily for resting my body and just being a normal person who likes sleep. I also struggle in the mornings because my bedroom gets hardly any sunlight. However, I do know I’d feel better about myself if I had those extra hours in the mornings, so it’s a resolution nonetheless. It’s also why I just purchased a wake-up lamp. I hope it works — I’ll keep you posted!

prioritizing exercise

This one doesn’t have to do with me wanting to make my body perfect. Though I have my struggles with accepting how I look, I never have and never will let it control me. Instead, I’ve chosen exercise for this list because of its mental health benefits. As a past avid runner and swimmer, I know from lived experience how important getting my exercise is to allow my mind to feel at peace — training for a half marathon a couple of years ago practically saved me from a tough breakup.

When I started university, my anxiety got worse than it had been throughout my childhood and teenage years. I think that was largely to do with how little time I now had to move my body. I’ve kind of struggled with making it a part of my life since, and have dealt with the mental consequences. So, this year, I’m really going to make a better effort to get some sort of physical activity whenever I can. The steps I’ve taken so far include already having a gym membership and joining an intramural dodgeball team with some friends.

reading more

Over the holiday break, I’ve come to terms with the fact that my pursuit of an Arts degree has made it damn near impossible for me to be excited about picking up a book that isn’t for one of my classes. But there are so many books I want to read! And though I’m sure I’ll have absolutely plenty of time over this coming summer and after I graduate in a year and a half, I’d like to integrate leisurely reading better into my life and hope I can find a way to do that effectively. Maybe with my newfound early morning time, after my wake-up lamp has worked successfully…?

making time to be creative and to have fun

Finally, although this one might seem like the easiest, I don’t know if it will be! The truth is, I am a creative person at heart, but I’ve occupied all of my time with other things and left very little for my creative projects. And when I do have the time, I’m far too tired or uninspired to make art.

But this year, I’m going to work to change that. I received a camera for Christmas, which I’m so excited to use to capture wonderful moments in the upcoming decade. Moreover, I used some of my savings to purchase an iPad and I’ve started drawing and painting with that. I can’t wait to see what I’ll be able to create using these new tools.

sustainable 2020 resolutions

Now, for a list of resolutions you might consider for 2020! I also wanted to let you know that I created two Instagram Story templates that you can screenshot and repost. The first will allow you to check off the resolutions in this post you’re going to focus on this coming year! The second one will allow you to pledge your personal boycott of fast fashion! The time has never been better to switch to secondhand and ethically-made clothing.

Check out my Instagram account to find these templates in my stories!

Eating fewer animal products
Reducing your food waste
Recycling and composting more
Cutting out single-use plastics
Boycotting or buying less fast fashion
Buying local, whenever possible
Engaging in activism
Learning about the climate crisis
Talking about issues you care about with friends
Spending time in nature
Supporting activists and activist organizations
Volunteering your time or donating money to charities, political organizations, and non-governmental organizations
Buying fair trade products
Buying fewer, but higher-quality items

conclusion

Have any questions about any of these resolutions — mine or yours? Let me know in the comments below! I’d also love to know if there’s anything you think I missed, or what else you’ll be focusing on in 2020.

Thanks for reading, as always!

Ethigirl

ethigirl's 2019 holiday gift guide!

December 3, 2019 Aspen Murray

blog banner - holiday gift guide post.png

Hi everybody!

The fall season has officially ended, and the snow has begun. It’s taken me a couple of weeks, but I’m finally starting to warm up to the stuff. For some reason, I had a particularly tough time letting go of the warmer days this year and embracing the colder ones. But here I am now: getting excited for the holiday season!

It could also be a product of my harsh reality that finals season is approaching and I just don’t want to deal with that.

But I’m just sticking on the bright side. And even though the winter holiday season is a whole mess of capitalism run wild, Ethigirl is bringing it down a notch. In this guide, I’ll feature some absolutely wonderful brands that I’ve gotten the chance to discover and work with recently. I’ll discuss their stories, their ethics and sustainability, and recommend some products. Some of these features even include discount codes…so get excited! Let’s start!

For the Sweet (or Salty) Tooth: Rosette Fair Trade

Bonus: 10% off with discount code ETHIGIRL until December 31st!

Lia Walsh founded Rosette Fair Trade in April 2019 after realizing there needed to be a one-stop-shop connection between the many small fair trade businesses across Canada and the consumers who want to buy from them.

Rosette Fair Trade’s Snack Box Subscription

Lia created Rosette for frustrated consumers like herself: people who truly want to buy all of their products fair trade, but struggle to access them. She wanted a place where everything she looked at was fair trade, so she never had to worry about the ethics or sustainability of the products. She wanted to shop small and support businesses whose missions she truly cared about. Everything that Rosette carries is certified or verified by a third-party organization. In time, it hopes to become the online hub for all fair trade products in Canada!

Now that’s something Ethigirl can get behind. When asked about what difference Lia’s customers make by supporting Rosette, she said:

“When they buy from Rosette, customers are supporting producers who are making things in the way they should be made. They’re growing food on land that isn’t full of harmful chemicals. They’re respecting the environment and natural habitat with their small, family-run farms. They’re working in factories that value them as employees, where they have a fair and meaningful job.”

Lia was also kind enough to send me a box of her delicious goodies to test out. Because of this, I can recommend Rosette’s products wholeheartedly, and can guarantee that anyone you’re giving a gift to this holiday season will be more than happy to have some of them.

One of the coolest things about Rosette is that it offers many of Oxfam’s fair trade certified products, which we normally can’t get here in Canada. So instead of just being able to buy fair trade chocolate, coffee, and tea like usual, you'll now be able to try out gummy bears, soft drinks, rice cakes, dried fruit, and many more amazing options.

My biggest recommendations from Rosette Fair Trade have to be the Sour Gummy Bears, the Belgian White Chocolate, and the Dried Pineapple.

For the Always-Accessorized: Birch Jewellery

Birch Jewellery’s Antique Brass Antler Gift Set

Bonus: 15% off any online order with code ETHIGIRL until December 8th!

Samantha Brazeau-Wilson is the designer and girl boss behind Birch Jewellery, a small-batch Ottawa jewellery boutique whose gorgeous, nature-inspired designs have been worn by the likes of Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the First Lady of Canada!

The jewellery is handcrafted in Ottawa, Ontario.

Born out of a late-night hobby, Birch has evolved into an up-and-coming brand that is loved by fashionistas worldwide. Samantha decided to found it after she moved from rural Ontario to Ottawa and wanted to keep a piece of nature always with her. As someone who can relate to the rural-to-urban transition, this story means a lot to me!

On why consumers should support Birch Jewellery over any other company this holiday season:

Birch Jewellery’s Juniper Branch & Pine Cone Necklace

“By supporting Birch Jewellery, shoppers are supporting a small local, woman-owned business. They're supporting their local economy, whether locally in Ottawa here in Canada, which creates a positive ripple effect.”

Once again, Ethigirl is happy to get behind this wonderful business!

Samantha also told me that some of her bestsellers include the pine cone necklace (which is the piece that Trudeau wore!), along with the juniper and pine cone necklace, wooden earrings, and the famous (and very Canadian) maple leaf necklace. I’m certainly looking forward to checking out and gifting some of these absolutely gorgeous pieces this year!

For the Colorful Creative: Gentle & Kind

Bonus: Free pair of marbled studs with any order from an Ethigirl reader!

I’m so excited to feature creator Hailey Watson’s gorgeous jewellery pieces! Gentle & Kind is a small, queer-owned business located in Chicago that handmakes and sells sustainable, zero waste clay earrings.

Hailey has always been someone who has needed a creative outlet. Gentle & Kind was born out of a small project that Hailey did outside her full-time job; however, once friends started taking interest in her creations she started selling to pay for her education! Sustainability was key from the beginning — Watson has friends give her leftover bubble mailers that she reuses in order to make her packaging as low-waste as possible.

She also doesn’t waste any of the clay she uses for the earrings. Anything that’s leftover is used to make new earrings that she’ll either sell or add into orders for free!

If you’re in love with these pieces like me, check out Hailey’s Depop here, through which Gentle & Kind is run. If you want to place an order, be sure to message her first and mention that you’re coming from Ethigirl — Hailey will include a pair of marbled studs for free!

Personally, I’m planning on grabbing these Green Banana Leaf Earrings and these Green Face Earrings.

For the Lover of Scents: Milk Jar Candle Co.

Hand holding candle in front of mountain

Bonus: 10% off your order with code ETHIGIRL until December 31st!

Something smells AMAZING! Anyone who knows me at all should be aware of my candle obsession. So when I was organizing this blog post, I obviously knew I needed to work with a sustainable candle company — and Milk Jar Candle Co., located in Calgary, AB, was the perfect fit!

Holly Singer is the owner and operator behind this gorgeous candle brand. She launched it almost three years ago as a passion project, and as a way to give back. Before entering nursing school, Holly had been working with families who had children with special needs, and she wanted to continue that during her education. Thus, she decided to sell her candles and donate a portion of sales to charities which helped the children she had been working with. With that, Milk Jar was born, and it took off pretty much as quickly as it began!

Milk Jar is the first Canadian candle company with a return program of the candles’ glass jars. When customers are finished with their candle, there are several locations around Canada that will accept them to be cleaned and turned into a new product!

Holly also told me:

“Our passion is in our craft, but our purpose is in our community. A soy candle is a wonderful item but my favourite thing about Milk Jar is that we have taken a simple home decor item, and turned it into a vehicle to give back to a community that holds a special place in my heart. $1 from the sale of every candle is donated to a not-for-profit program supporting youth with special needs.

Every year we have supported a different organization. The first year we donated $2200 to the Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing, last year we donated $8336 to Between Friends Club, and this year we are supporting Pacekids and have already surpassed last year’s goal with still two very busy months left! Our goal is $12,000 to help pay for 12 children to use their early intervention classrooms that give them the tools and empowerment to enter the public school system.”

Milk Jar candles make a great gift for anyone, and the company offers a line of 12 signature candles to choose from. Holly says her current best sellers for the holidays are Holly, Suede, and Harvest.

For the Beauty Guru: Lush Cosmetics

And of course, we can’t forget Lush: an absolute cult classic for any conscious lover of all things beauty. If you’ve ever been inside a Lush store, you can probably already smell it — and if you haven’t, I highly recommend that you do!

Lush was originally founded by two lovers of natural beauty in the UK. They made a huge splash right off the bat with their unique bath bombs and shampoo bars. They’ve also always worked hard on their rigorous ethics, including a ban on animal testing among their products, procuring ethical and vegan ingredients, paying fair wages at all portions of the supply chain, and reducing unnecessary packaging and waste. In fact, any of Lush’s products that come in black pots can be collected, and for every five returned for a free fresh face mask!

I have been a self-proclaimed “Lushie” for many years; in fact, it was Lush that played a pretty big role in initially introducing me into the ethical consumerism scene. I am happy to continue to support Lush and all of the amazing things that it does.

Currently, I’m using the Let the Good Times Roll face scrub, which absolutely smells like cake. I also use Dream Cream, which is a super smooth cream suitable for both face and body. However, if you’re looking for another guaranteed great gift idea, you can try out the Charity Pot! This product is an ethical cream that supports a grassroots charity or movement with every single purchase. There are tons of different options, so you can choose your Charity Pot based on the causes that your recipient cares about most!

How I Regained My Passion: Cooking as Healing

November 24, 2019 Aspen Murray

Hello all!

If you’ve been reading Ethigirl for awhile, or if you know me in real life, you probably know that I regularly struggle with my mental health and that burnout — more specifically, activist burnout — has played a huge role in my life.

Most of the time, it feels like I’m constantly surrounded and, frankly, suffocated by the issues which plague our world. In high school, I had a healthier work-life balance along with outlets like sports and art… but in university, the constant whirlwind of assignments and extracurriculars and pressure and struggle to succeed truly got to me, and I lost all of that.

Everything in my life orbited around its focal point: trying desperately, but always feeling like I was failing, to fix the problems of the world. And the worst of it all is that every problem was is so intertwined and entangled. You approach something as simple as single use plastics and are surrounded and caught inside and unable to escape the grips of capitalism and colonialism and environmentalism as an intersectional issue of social justice that affects some of the world’s most vulnerable people and species who have been oppressed and undercut for centuries.

Simply put, it’s difficult to approach an issue, to implement a solution, to see positive results, and to accept them for what they are without feeling defeated by what is left to do or what you cannot accomplish with what you’ve put in place. You’re always missing some component, or you can’t scale. And this tireless work — this chasing after some goal which is damn near impossible to reach — coupled with that constant discouragement breeds one thing alone: burnout.

I often feel that way with fashion, too. I fell in love with sustainable fashion because of how beautiful it is as a solution: sustainably-made clothes are better quality, more unique, and more exciting to wear. I thought that focusing on fashion would allow me to stay positive. It was fun and exciting. And although I certainly still often feel this way, there are some times when I don’t.

This past summer and fall, everything came to a halt: I just didn’t know how I could do it anymore. So I took a break from Ethigirl. I took a break from, well…everything. I was forced to leave a social action-oriented university extracurricular to which I’d probably dedicated hundreds of hours over the past couple of years. I dialed back entirely, leaving me to figure out who I was without activism and advocacy.

It was really scary. I came to terms with the fact that who you are isn’t based on what you do. You can do many, many wonderful things for the world and still hurt the people around you because you’re bad at keeping in touch, you hold grudges for too long, or you never properly learned how to resolve conflict. I learned that we are nothing without the people around us: being surrounded with those who make us feel whole are, well, what make us whole. And we need to take the time to genuinely and deeply foster those relationships for all that they are worth.

At some point during all of this self-learning, I revisited something many people had told me when I was in some of my hardest times: you really need to pick up a hobby. Something completed detached from activism. And that’s when I started getting into cooking. Though I had been meal prepping sporadically for about a year, I’d never put a lot of serious thought into it — probably because I was always so preoccupied with everything else I had on the go.

Vegetarian ramen with green onions, sesame seeds, and a ramen egg

But over this past summer and fall, thanks to the influence of Tyler (my boyfriend), I really started getting into cooking videos on YouTube. Big shout out to Bon Appetit in particular. And then, I started replicating what I saw. I started getting excited about buying my groceries every week. I wanted to learn every tip that I could. Every Sunday, I’d set aside (and still do) about four or five hours to prepare all of my meals for the week ahead. Tyler often helps me cook, and although sometimes he’s just as excited about the food as I am and takes over a little too much, I love having him around during the process.

Cooking has become a true form of self care for me: and not even just in the sense of having nutritious, prepared meals to eat for the week ahead (although that’s also a huge plus), but also because it’s an art form. When I am simply chopping up and simmering veggies for a delicious meal, I get so psyched about the process. It’s very reminiscent of my high school days, when I was doing watercolour paintings on the regular.

Tomato soup with parmesan and microgreens

It has helped me to relearn the simple art of creating something for myself that is just intrinsically good. I am not cooking to support any political or social cause. It’s something entirely detached from every other issue I have going on in my life, and I can just focus on it for those five Sunday afternoon hours while I play music, let some sauce bubble on the stove, and just allow myself to breathe for a minute.

Sick-day vegetarian curry with green onions and sesame seeds

About four months later, I feel deeply healed. I am not all the way better — nor will I probably ever be. But with deeply mindful cooking as part of my lifestyle, I have learned how to take even just five hours every week to take care of myself without any other concerns. And through this process, I know with some practice I can expand that five hours into an hour, or two, or more every single day. That’s something I’m pretty excited about.

With love and sustainability,

Ethigirl

(P.s. — let me know your favourite recipes in the comments. I’m hungry.)

How to Live Sustainably + Ethically in a Dorm Room

November 3, 2019 Aspen Murray

Hey there, folks! Today I’d like to talk about something which is very close to my heart: living consciously when where you live doesn’t necessarily make it the easiest. Specifically in this post, I’m going to start a conversation surrounding all the ups and downs of dorm living!

In my first year at McGill University — which was over two years ago now — I lived in residence. It was certainly a challenging experience for me. However, one of the wonderful upsides of my dorm experience was getting to learn all about sustainability! Coming from a small town, our dining halls’ compost and recycling bins were my first exposure into waste sorting, which sparked a larger interest for me and eventually led to me launching Ethigirl the following summer. What’s more, I actually worked in our dining halls this past September teaching this year’s residence students all about waste sorting!

Me working as a Waste Educator in McGill University’s dining halls, courtesy of this article!

So, needless to say, I think that residence can be an amazing incubator for sustainable living! You just need the right tools. And that, friends, is what I want to explore here! Keep in mind that many of these tips and tricks can be applied in all sorts of living situations, whether you’re still living at home with family, in an apartment, travelling a lot, or any other experiences you might be currently having.

Whatever your situation, what’s important is to remember to do your best. Nobody is going to be perfect: that’s just not the way our system is currently designed. However, if everybody does a little bit, we’re on our way to a much better system. So, let’s get into the suggestions!

Make a Reusables To-Go Kit

Something that has been a lifesaver for me in creating less waste is ensuring I carry around the proper tools that will allow me to do so. If I don’t have my reusables easily accessible to me, then chances are I’m going to do the convenient thing and take the disposable option.

The main things that I like to carry around are a reusable utensil, a water bottle, and a thermos. Of course, I also always pack my lunch or snacks in a tupperware, jar, or bento box, but I don’t carry these around on a just-in-case basis considering my back is only so strong and my bag is only so big! Bonus tip: I always save my empty pasta jars to store smoothies, drinks, or dried goods like beans or oats!

I feel so much more put-together and responsible when I have these things with me. I also think it’s important to recognize that although we often see these “reusable kits” as being aesthetically beautiful, complete with all kinds of bamboo and glass, this doesn’t have to be the case. Use what you have: whether that be a washed-out yogurt container or literally just a fork from your utensils drawer.

When I lived in residence, our dining halls actually provided us with reusable to-go containers, as well as coffee mugs that we could receive a discount on drinks with if we used there!

Choose Ethical and Sustainable Dining Options Whenever Possible

Every school is different, and I must say that I was spoiled with ethical and sustainable food options at my dining halls. However, there is a way to eat better regardless of your meal hall’s situation!

First up, choose Fairtrade products absolutely whenever you can. The most common Fairtrade products that you might see are coffee, tea, and chocolate. If you aren’t familiar with what Fairtrade is, as one word it represents a rigorous certification that companies and goods can apply to have their goods certified under. The holistic standards which are considered include the wages and conditions within which the employees work, whether companies can prove no child labour was used, and how sustainable the materials and practices used to make the goods are. If you’d like to read more about Fairtrade, you can here! As a long-time advocate and an involved member of the movement, I can tell you that I wholeheartedly support everything that it is.

Next up, choose locally whenever possible. My school occasionally offered fruits and veggies that were grown at on-campus farms and partnered with many other local producers. Local foods usually mean long-term partnerships and stronger connections with producers, as well as less “food miles”. The less distance the food has had to travel to get to your plate, the better this is for the environment!

Finally, choose meatless or animal product-less meals whenever you can. As a vegetarian, I’m very aware that this isn’t feasible for everyone to do all of the time, and I’ve had my own struggles with it. Many dining halls also do not offer nutritious or great-tasting vegetarian and vegan options for students. However, challenge yourself to eat a couple or even just one of these types of meals a week! You might even consider trying out Meatless Mondays, which are exactly what they sound like. If you want to read more about why reducing your animal product consumption is just so impactful, check out this article.

Reduce Your Energy Consumption (Even Though You Don’t Pay for It)

In first year, I lived in a really old building within an absolutely freezing city; therefore, I am not going to tell you to turn off your heat.

However, maybe just turn it down when you leave the house?

Try to remember to stop using passive energy, whenever it is possible for you. If your residence has common rooms that you use a lot like mine did, perhaps you can turn off the heat and lights when you’re not occupying them! Furthermore, remember to turn off all your lights when you’re not at home. Though certainly not anywhere close to the biggest factor in climate change, these are small, very mindless activities that can be negatively impactful. And when you don’t have to pay an energy bill, you have no individualized incentive to remember not to do them. So, here’s your reminder!

Get Involved!!!

Let’s shift to some more collective ways to make a difference.

University is the absolute best place to get involved with activism, charity, and politics, and you’d be crazy not to give it a shot. It’s a live-in hub of incredible people doing inspiring work and creating limitless movements on the daily. The people that I have met at university are the ones who inspired me to start Ethigirl, to become a vegetarian, to learn more about politics, and to generally be more open-minded, more passionate, and to learn every single day. You have access to a holistic world of education that extends far, far past the classroom and even challenges what you learn there. You can hold accountable large institutions because of the sheer mass of people who will support your actions.

Needless to say, I feel extraordinarily privileged to have the means to attend university and grow past the person I ever thought I would become. However, even if you’re not a university student, you can still join a club, an association, or an organization. Try to access a host of different offerings, such as charity, fundraising , or political clubs.

Our protest signs from the Montreal Climate Strike in September (which over 500,000 people showed up for!)

Some specific examples of events or initiatives you could become part of (or even organize!) could include clothing swaps, climate strikes for Fridays for Future (an excellent and incredibly timely thing to get involved in which I discussed here), or other environmental advocacy groups. Whatever you do, just try out as many as you can until you find one where you feel at home.

Conclusion

I hope some or all of these tips were helpful to you. Please keep in mind that even if you’re not a university student, or even a student at all, many of these things are just as applicable! Creating less waste, buying better, and getting involved in communities of organizers are all things you can do regardless of what you’re up to in life at the moment.

Got any other tips? Let me know in the comments below! Looking forward to hearing from you.

With love and sustainability,

Ethigirl

Why I’m Striking This Friday for Climate Justice

September 24, 2019 Aspen Murray

I checked Facebook on my way home from class yesterday and was immediately hit with a clip of Greta Thunberg’s speech at the UN today. Please take a moment to watch if you haven’t yet. I promise with my whole heart that these four minutes are worth it.

As I waited for the subway to arrive at my station, I began to tear up. And then, throughout my commute, I just sat and thought.

How is it fair that a school-aged young person is at the UN right now, explaining mass extinction to people who are supposed to be the leaders of our countries? How is it fair that the fate is in my hands, that people my age are the ones who lie awake at night worrying about the future while the more-than-wealthy CEOs of lucrative corporations sleep soundly? These people somehow thought it’d be okay to essentially toss the earth into the trash, and now the youth of the world have been left to rummage through the landfills they’ve created to try and dig up our last bit of hope for survival. How is any of this acceptable?

There have been some national and international responses. But they’re not enough. Take Canada, for example. This past June, over the span of one week, our government banned single use plastics, declared a climate emergency, and then turned around and closed the deal on a massive pipeline expansion. Yes, not a satire article. Though, there was one published on The Beaverton.

I am terrified. And I don’t know another person my age who is not. Indeed, the best way to know how upsetting something is to young people is to check social media and see how much it’s been joked about. And are there ever a whole lot of climate change memes and tweets. There are jokes about dropping out of college because we have all lost a justification for such an investment based on the way things are headed. More seriously, however, I cannot go through my Instagram explore page without stumbling across at least ten photos of starving polar bears or trash-covered beaches.

But we now have hope. Greta Thunberg has sparked an irreversible movement. Hundreds of thousands of people have decided, over and over, to skip school or work and take to the streets instead. People who have never attended protests are holding poster-painting parties, gathering their friends, and screaming “climate justice now” like their lives depend on it...because their lives do. This Friday, tens of thousands of people in Montreal will do the same, and we’re also really excited because Greta’s going to be in attendance for it.

I’ve spoken before about how individual actions are not enough. I am incredibly passionate about Ethigirl and its mission; however, I am deeply aware that it’s not the answer. We need policy, we need grassroots projects, we need resistance, and we need justice now for the people who have already suffered the dire consequences of climate change that will be hitting us down the road. Such as those who live in The Bahamas and must now put their lives back together after Hurricane Dorian. Or the residents of Tuvalu, an island nation that is sinking at this very moment. Or Indigenous peoples who live on land which was traditionally and is rightfully theirs across Turtle Island, and face a host of dire consequences.

So, this Friday, I’m striking on the streets of Montreal, Quebec. Because even though it shouldn’t be up to me and to my fellow ~ youths ~ clearly it is. Because, for now, those memes are correct: there *is* no point to going to school when our futures are being stolen from us by the very second. But us youths, through our anger of what is unjust, will change things, collectively, or (actually quite literally) die trying.

As Greta said so powerfully today: you stole our future for the sake of financial gain. HOW DARE YOU.

We’re coming for you, and there’s nothing you can do about it anymore.

One Year of Ethigirl: A Review!

September 19, 2019 Aspen Murray

Hey there! Happy September! Though it’s been a little while since the official anniversary, I wanted to take a minute to write a post that rounded up some of my sweetest moments from Ethigirl’s first year of existence.

Now Ethigirl is still very much a baby at this point. She’s got a lot of stuff she wants to accomplish in these coming years! That said, for a one year-old, I think it’s pretty amazing all that’s happened in 365 days on the Internet (and planet).

So, let’s take a little trip down memory lane!

August 2018: The Birth of Ethigirl

I started Ethigirl after a lot of thinking. I’d previously attempted a personal blog but didn’t have much direction and, therefore, failed to update it regularly. I had all of this knowledge on sustainable and ethical fashion, but nowhere to concretely direct it. However, I also lacked the confidence that I had any ~hot takes~ worthy of putting onto the Internet. That changed after a few of my friends contacted me for advice on getting started in the world of conscious consumerism: maybe I could be a resource. And so, I did a lot of research until I soon launched Ethigirl.com! She used to look a lot different: she started out with a different logo and a different platform, Wordpress.

August-October 2018: Getting Started

Those first two months, I wrote a lot. I was priding myself on posting very regularly, as I was excited and motivated to keep growing my audience. I also launched most of Ethigirl’s social media platforms, including (most namely) my Instagram and Facebook. However, my Insta didn’t start out very aesthetic as I lacked a lot of good pictures to use at that time!

I was lucky to borrow my friends and one of their cameras to get some great shots.

Some of my fave posts from that time period are my Fall Fashion Lookbook and Depop Shopping Tips. I’m really proud of these articles because of how hard I worked on them, and how unique I felt the content inside was.

Fall 2018: Discount Codes, Logo Redesign and More!

As the months passed and I kept writing, Ethigirl grew out of her initial logo. So, I knew it was time for a change. I needed to better define the brand and its story. After a lot of thinking, I came up with what we have now! You can read more about that here. Each element has a distinct purpose, and encompasses the intersectionality of ethical and sustainable fashion that I feel is so important.

I also started applying to some of my favourite brands’ ambassador programs to spread the word about them and to give people some sweet, sweet discounts! Some of the brands I work with include Dazey LA and Krochet Kids.

Winter 2019: Opening Up About Mental Health

At some point, it started feeling right to share some more personal thoughts about my mental health within the Ethigirl community. It turns out that they really resonated with people, because my Personal Pieces are some of my most popular posts of all time. I’m particularly proud of my Social Change Burnout article, which put into writing so many of the thoughts I’ve struggled to communicate for so long.

Winter 2019: Working With Erin From Vella Vintage!

One of my absolute top highlights from this past year has been all of the members of the ethical fashion community I’ve had the pleasure of meeting (both in person and online)! The first powerhouse that comes to mind is Erin, the creator of Vella Vintage. Vella is an online thrift shop made up of collections that Erin curates based on their theme. Erin also creates thrifted mystery boxes for her customers.

As part of our collaboration, Erin wrote an article about me for her Girl Boss Blog, and I wrote an article about her. We even worked to offer Ethigirl readers 25% off on Vella pieces with the code ETHIGIRL25.

Winter 2019: ethigIRL

Around late winter I started itching to get out there and talk to some people about Ethigirl in real life! So, I tabled at two events, and I even attended the Canadian National Fair Trade Conference in Ottawa in March. All of these things allowed me to have an excuse to print custom Ethigirl stickers and to grow our community a little more.

Woman in front of sign that says, “National Fair Trade Conference: Shaping Our Future”

May 2019: Podcasting!

In May, I recorded a podcast episode with Marjorie of A Sustainable Mind, a show on which she interviews environmental changemakers! I’m so excited about how this opportunity was able to spread my message to some new people. We talked a lot about accessibility in slow fashion, why screwing up is okay, and individual versus collective actions. You can listen to the episode here!

August 2019: A Site Makeover

Over the summer a number of things led me to decide to completely switch my CMS (Content Management System). I realized over time that Wordpress just wasn’t the right fit: it required a ton of constant maintenance that I didn’t have time for, and I was always unsatisfied with the aesthetics and overall user experience of the site at that time. So, after some research and consulting with the right people, I chose to take my business to Squarespace.

I created lots of wireframes and finally landed on the design I have now! I am so much happier with how things look, and I’m sure I’m going to keep changing it. What’s great is that Squarespace will allow me to do that extremely easily.

So, there you have it! Some of my favourite moments of Ethigirl’s growth into a toddler over this past year. As always, thanks for reading - and feel free to let me know what your fave Ethigirl post was from the year!

With love and sustainability,

Ethigirl