Tag Archives | eco

Why Every Family Adventure Needs a KEEP>GOING First Aid Kit

Let’s be honest, family adventures are equal parts magic and mayhem.

One minute, you’re hiking through wildflowers with snacks packed and spirits high. The next, someone’s tripped on a rock, Olive’s (my Frenchie) stepped in a mud puddle, and Mr. Sweet Greens somehow managed to get a splinter through his glove. (True story.)

That’s exactly why I’ve fallen head over hiking boots for the KEEP>GOING First Aid Kit, a total mom-level lifesaver that’s now permanently packed in my bag, car, and RV.

Created by a fellow mom of four (so you know it’s the real deal), this kit is the perfect mix of smart design and stylish practicality. It’s TSA-approved, water- and stain-resistant, and comes with 130+ first aid essentials like burn relief, bandages, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, and even those tiny little scissors you never have when you need them most.

Basically, it’s peace of mind, zipped up in a cute case.

🌿 Why I Love It

💚 Mom-designed + travel-ready: Because no one understands family chaos better than a mom who’s lived it.
💼 Compact, stylish case: Water- and stain-resistant with trendy patterns like Tie-Dye, Woodland (my favorite!), and Tropical Blooms.
🧳 TSA-approved, Fits right into carry-ons, glove compartments, and diaper bags without taking up valuable snack space.
🩹 Loaded with 130+ essentials, From mini bandages to burn cream, it’s like having a nurse in your backpack.
🚗 Four sizes to choose from, Mini (60 pieces) to SuperKit (270 pieces), so there’s one for every adventure.

✨ 7 Everyday Adventures KEEP>GOING Was Made For

Because life doesn’t happen inside the house, it happens on the go, with messy, beautiful, unpredictable moments.

1. Mountain Hikes + Muddy Trails ⛰️

If you’ve ever hiked with kids, you already know, someone will fall. Someone will whine. Someone will ask for snacks (again and again). With the KEEP>GOING kit in your backpack, at least you’re ready for scraped knees, bug bites, and whatever nature throws your way.

2. Farmer’s Market Saturdays 🍓

Between berry sampling, lavender bouquets, and bumping into everyone you know in Banner Elk, it’s easy for small cuts or bee stings to sneak in. I keep the MiniKit in my tote, it’s adorable and functional.

3. Road Trips + Rest Stop Chaos 🚙

We’re a road-trip family. From the mountains to the coast, our glove compartment is basically a survival zone, snacks, sunscreen, hand wipes, and now the KEEP>GOING kit. Because when someone manages to get a paper cut from a map (yes, it happened), you’re prepared.

4. Picnics + Paddleboards 🏖️

Sun, water, sandwiches, and somehow… minor injuries. Between paddleboard dings and stepping on rocks barefoot, this kit saves the day every time. Bonus: it’s water-resistant, so it’s perfect for lake days.

5. Backyard BBQs + Bonfire Nights 🔥

No one plans on blisters from new sandals or mosquito bites that swell like golf balls. I set the kit on the picnic table next to the marshmallows, because s’mores and safety can totally coexist.

6. Kids’ Sports + Weekend Tournaments ⚽

Between turf burns, bee stings, and “mystery splinters,” I’ve learned it’s not if you’ll need a first aid kit, it’s when. KEEP>GOING is the MVP of the sidelines.

7. Glamping, Camping, or Cabin Weekends 🏕️

Our adventures in the Blue Ridge often come with campfires, hikes, and unexpected “ouches.” Even though Eben is grown and doesn’t camp much with us anymore, it never fails that Mr. Sweet Greens or I hurt ourselves in one way or another. OR, there’s Olive, I had to use my kit to get a tick off her on our last trip and then clean her up afterward! I love knowing I can grab my kit, unzip, and instantly find what I need (no rummaging through random Ziploc bags).

💚 A Mom-Approved Must-Have

What I love most about KEEP>GOING is how intentional it feels. Every item is thoughtfully included, the quality is top-notch, and it’s all tucked into a design that makes you want to actually use it.

And as someone who lives in a small mountain town where adventure (and nature’s surprises) are never far away, it’s become one of my favorite travel companions.

If you’ve ever found yourself with a splinter mid-road trip, a scraped knee during a family hike, or a surprise bee sting at a summer picnic, you’ll totally get why I won’t leave home without mine.

🛒 Where to Get Yours

You can find these lifesaving kits directly at keepgoingfirstaid.com or on Amazon.

They come in several sizes and a variety of stylish prints, so you can grab one for your car, your hiking bag, your diaper bag, even one for Grandma’s house.

Because life’s little adventures are a lot more fun when you’re ready for them. 🌿

So go ahead, pack your snacks, fill your water bottles, and don’t forget your KEEP>GOING First Aid Kit, your future self (and your kids’ scraped knees) will thank you.

These Portable Bluetooth Speakers Are Absolute Garbage (Literally)

For many of us, the allure of technology and convenience has caused us to ignore the preservation of the planet. But now, one startup is attempting to be more sustainable — without sacrificing connectivity.

Gomi, a UK-based design studio, has based its entire ethos on producing beautiful technology from things we throw away. Although plastic wasn’t even invented until the late 19th century and widespread use didn’t occur until approximately 1950, we’ve managed to do a lot of damage in that time. Data from 2017 revealed that 6.9 billion tons of plastic has become waste, with 6.3 billion tons of that waste never ending up in a recycling bin. Trash dumpsters are already serviced at 60% fullness or less, on average, meaning that we’re wasteful in a multitude of ways.

And then, of course, there’s the plastic that cannot even be recycled. In many countries, including the UK, many flexible plastic products are not accepted for recycling. As a result, plastic bags, bubble wrap, and other items end up in landfills — or worse, become beach pollution. That’s where Gomi’s idea really came from: the plastics that cannot be recycled. With the startup’s vision, they’re now being repurposed as stunning Bluetooth speakers.

Each one of these speakers is made from approximately 100 non-recyclable plastic bags in multiple hues. Therefore, they have a unique and modern visual appeal. Not only is today’s consumer drawn to sustainability, but they also tend to like modular options, which provide more versatility. Gomi designers kept this in mind when creating their speakers, as they’re meant to adapt to the customer’s needs. Modular construction reduces construction time by up to 50% while improving cash flow, but modular design isn’t limited to industrial structures or residential buildings, like Downtown Container Park in Las Vegas–which spans 19,000 square feet with a mix of 30 shipping containers and 41 multifunctional modular cubes forming its perimeter. You might have modular storage in your home, for example, which can be rearranged to adapt to your needs. Many of these plastic storage components are made via the reaction injection molding process, where two liquid components are mixed and injected into a mold to chemically react and cure.

Gomi’s speakers aren’t made in the exact same way, but they’re constructed by melting down the plastic bags, compressing the material, and then molding the plastic into its final shape. Gomi has partnered with local wholesalers to source the plastic waste that might otherwise end up as pollution. The internal components, unlike the speaker housings, are comprised of wireless streaming technology that provides 18 hours of superior listening on one battery charge — a successful hybrid of both old and new.

As Gomi co-founder Tom Meades noted in a statement, “We were inspired by the cradle-to-cradle design process, thinking about our products full-lifecycle right from the beginning of our design process… With our Bluetooth speakers, we want to intercept a waste stream that would otherwise be landfilled or incinerated. Flexible plastics/LDPE is widely regarded as non-recyclable by UK councils, and so we thought this would be the perfect material to harness and show that through innovative design this can be valuable, and does not have to end up as waste polluting our environment. Instead, we can craft this material into desirable objects.”

The team is also working on a portable charging brick comprised of the same plastic materials and plans to offer free repairs and free recycling returns. The unique Bluetooth speakers are currently part of a Kickstarter campaign that’s made $15,000 of its near-$60,000 goal. That said, Gomi won a substantial grant from the Environment Now Programme last year for its project and has also received funding from the Santander Big Ideas Competition. Although not everyone will agree that a unique Bluetooth speaker is a necessary home accessory, one would hope that consumers would lend their support to an idea that utilizes otherwise discarded plastics and turns them into something far more beneficial than garbage: music.

Save Money this Summer on Terrific Summer Eco-Goods at Vitacost

summer

Summer is in full swing! With our summer schedule jam packed, we have been ordered a lot of our favorite supplies online. It’s just too easy to order whatever we need online and then spend the day at the beach. A couple of days later, everything we need has been conveniently delivered to our front door.

Lately I have been checking out Vitacost, they are a terrific online source for all sorts of eco-friendly and healthy products at discounted rates. Prices are up to 50% less than they would be at other retail shops. They have eco-friendly cleaning products, cosmetics, vitamins, supplements, health foods, and a lot more. Here are some of the summer products that I think are too good to miss:

Summer sun protection is a high priority for my family and me. I’m really impressed by the savings of up to 39% that Vitacost is offering on a wide range of sun products. They have all sorts of the natural product lines that I look for, like Badger, Kiss My Face, Alba, and a whole lot more.

Badger-SPF-30-Plus-Sunscreen-All-Season-Face-Stick-Unscented-634084472004I really like this All Season Face Stick from Badger. It’s certified natural, contains organic ingredients with non-nano zinc oxide and is biodegradable. Just look at the rave online reviews – I’m not the only one who loves this product!

Vitacost has just about any natural home cleaning product you could possibly think of. The selection is enormous, and the prices are all excellent. From laundry detergent, to dish soap, to all-purpose cleaners, the selection is endless and the prices are unbelievable.

Seventh-Generation-Natural-Dish-Liquid-Lemongrass-and-Clementine-Zest-732913227327Take this dish soap. I can’t believe the current sale price of $2.89 on this Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid. As most environmentally conscious people have learned, natural products are often more expensive than mainstream products but this website really proves that to be a fallacy.

Sunwarrior-Classic-Protein-Raw-Vegan-Superfood-Vanilla-718122514793I was browsing around the site and I realized that I had never taken the time to check out some of my go-to smoothie ingredients. It just hadn’t occurred to me to check. As a devoted green smoothie drinker, and I particularly enjoy a smoothie in the morning over the summer.

OMGoodness! My favorite raw powder, the Classic Vanilla Protein from Sun Warrior, more than $15 less than what I’ve seen it go for at some health food stores. The prices are really unbeatable.

Overall, I’m really impressed with this website. I’ve found several products that I use regularly that will amount to hundreds of dollars worth of savings a year, while still being healthy and environmentally conscious. Not to mention that having these items delivered will save me both time and the cost of gas to drive around to several different stores where I used to go to get some of these hard-to-find products. You can find Vitacost coupons here.

Do you shop online for your eco-friendly and organic goods? What is your favorite website? If you discover any deals that you’re really excited about, let me know what you find!

This post was created in partnership with Groupon. All opinions are my own.