3 Calgary businesses that make sustainability easy

Sustainability is a growing trend, and several Calgary businesses are here to help those trying to make their footprints a little smaller. Photo courtesy of Unsplash

By Alaina Shirt, Contributor

I became interested in the environment in elementary school, when for a couple of formative years, I was a passionate member of the ‘Recycling Club.’ My role involved walking between classrooms and combining the contents of each recycling bin into one larger bin. It was a simple job that felt heroic.

Unfortunately, my dedication left me with nothing more than slightly above average recycling skills. These have mostly led to judgement from my roommate as I root through our garbage, making sure that everything ends up in its rightful home: the recycling bin.

Recently, I have become aware that despite what my younger self believed, recycling is only a moderately heroic act. When late this summer, Calgary news outlets reported that 2,000 tonnes of plastic had been buried in the landfill because there was no viable way to recycle it, I started to wonder whether my garbage sorting habits were all for nothing.

While recycling isn’t an environmental cure-all, one way to make less of a dent on the planet is by shifting towards more sustainable products. This includes items that are made with little to no packaging, or containers that can be refilled and re-used rather than thrown out after one single use.

The idea of shifting towards a zero-waste lifestyle may seem impossible, but there are a few spots opening up around the city that take out the guesswork. Consider checking out one of these three Calgary businesses for all of your eco-friendly needs.

nudemarket

nudemarket is a zero-waste option in Calgary that carries a range of products. The company works only with suppliers who are able to clean and reuse their containers, so nothing ends up in the landfill. Under the nudemarket umbrella is nuderefillery — a delivery service where customers have the option of getting refillable containers of home and body products delivered to their homes or for pickup.

Canary Goods

This Kensington refillery and zero-waste market carries a range of sustainable lifestyle products. There is also the option to refill containers with products like cleansers, soaps, toothpaste and deodorant.

Canary Goods also has other products like dryer balls, reusable brushes and stainless steel straws.

The Apothecary

If essential oils are your jam, then you will love this Inglewood store. Beyond aromatherapy, customers can bring their own containers to be filled and refilled with items ranging from cleaning products to bath and body. Along with the usual zero-waste items, the store carries some different ones too: unique eco-friendly products like menstrual products, bandaids and stain remover.