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Local Guide to Waste-Free Shopping

November 2, 2020 No Comments

Victoria Garofalo had been working as a biologist for almost ten years but felt like something was missing in her life. What she wanted was a job where she could help create a healthier world. Victoria has two young children and was worried about their futures. The problem was how to accomplish that. “I wanted to do more to not only reduce our family’s waste footprint but help others in our community do the same,” said Garofalo.

After months of research, Garofalo set up a business that sells eco-friendly products that reduce waste by reducing consumption and packaging. Welcome to A Greener Place in Waterdown, where all products are made of organic and vegan formulations and are respectful to the environment in that they don’t include carcinogens, parabens, phosphates, or sulfates. “The products we carry are meant to last, but they also carry a responsible footprint when they reach the end of their lifespan,” said Garofalo.

Cleaning products for the home include a toilet bowl cleaner that’s made from baking soda, citric acid, and peppermint essential oil. Her products for the body include a brown sugar body scrub and clay deodorant made of coconut oil. All packaging is reusable, refillable, or locally handmade.

For those getting into zero waste, Garofalo said the concept can be a little daunting which is why she suggests people start by simply replacing a single-use product with a reusable or plastic-free option. “Thoughtful and reduced consumption is a more realistic approach to reducing your everyday waste,” advises Garofalo.

When the pandemic hit, Garofalo introduced a mason jar deposit/refund program where customers pre-fill clean mason jars with refill products and people return the empty jars which are sanitized and reused.

A Greener Space is one of a handful of zero-waste stores that have popped up recently in response to the public’s growing desire to preserve and respect the environment.

At EcoFillosophy in Bronte, the goal of co-founders, Thanh To and Renata Darling, is to encourage people to live more sustainably. They sell all-natural home and personal care products that come in packaging that can be reused, refilled, or recycled. “We aim to keep our footprint small by targeting small-batch makers from across Canada,” said To, who launched the full-service refillery shop in July.

Their products include laundry detergent, dish and hand soaps, shampoos, lotions, deodorants, toothpaste, and floss. They offer glass and aluminum jars and tins, as well as pumps and sprayers that customers can purchase or borrow. Customers can also bring their own empty, clean, and dry containers.

Since COVID-19 hit, they’ve been disinfecting all containers brought to the shop before and after filling.

While their customers range in age and backgrounds, To said their similarity is that “they are all trying to do the best for their families and the world around us.” “Some have been refilling for years and come with well-loved containers to cart their goods home,” said To.

Koby Hicks’s inspiration to open the Refillery Market came to her while she was throwing out an empty laundry detergent dispenser. “I stopped in my tracks thinking, Why can’t I simply refill this bottle and continue to use it?”

As owner/operator, Hicks said Refillery Market offers Canadian-made products that are free from harmful chemicals to protect people and the environment. They offer home essentials in bulk along with zero-waste goods like shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, mouthwash and lotion, detergents, cleaning vinegar, and dryer balls. Eliminating plastic waste is their end goal so they buy in bulk. Once the product has been used, they take the packaging back to sanitize and reuse.

Hicks normally sells their products at the Burlington Farmers’ Market and The Civitan Farmers Market in Oakville, but has switched since the pandemic to focus more on home delivery within the local area. Orders are now delivered in 3 sizes of mason jars, with a $2 deposit fee. Once customers are ready to refill their jars, they leave the empty ones on the doorstep on the delivery day, and they are swapped with the full ones!

Besides their love of the environment and clean-products, each of these forward-thinking establishments has another thing in common, “We’re bringing back the milkman method,” said Hicks.

Written By: Denise Davy

Local Links

A Greener Place, Waterdown
EcoFillosophy, Oakville
Refillery Market, Burlington

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Every Day I’m Muscle’n

October 20, 2020 No Comments

While the new year is usually when we kick-start our fitness regime, there’s never a ‘right’ time to begin your personal journey with the gym. Having said that, many personal trainers believe “there’s no better time to get started than today”.

Regardless of your experience, going to the gym can be intimidating as heck. But, if you work up the courage to jump (or lunge) in, stay committed and focused, you’ll come to learn there’s a little something for everyone.

A Beginner’s Guide to Personal Fitness

A gym is a great option for many – but Alana Connell, owner and personal trainer at Barbella Studio in Burlington, stresses four walls and equipment will not create a lasting change.

We’ve seen it before, maybe we’ve done it before: set new year’s resolutions, purchase a gym membership, maybe try a workout or two….and then never step foot in the gym again. Why is this? Alana says, “We purchase a gym membership with a vision to be the best version of ourselves. But motivation is temporary. When it comes to working on our wellness and fitness, connection, community, and support are the key to success.”

At Barbella Studio, building a community is the key focus, and to maintain a connection, Alanna brings the gym online. “Not everyone is an online workout person, however, having constant check-ins, connection, conversation, support – those kick-in-the-pants messages – are a MUST.”

Jess Zawadowicz, owner and personal trainer at Bar None Fitness in Burlington agrees, saying, “Being motivated is important. Sometimes we need motivation from another person or thing – but ideally, internal motivation leads to long-term success. Though, it may not always start that way.”

So, you’re ready to be motivated but what kind of fitness regimen works best? Both Alana and Jess say it depends. There is no one workout that’s perfect for everyone and everyone’s goals are different. What people do need, however, is consistency and to find joy in what they’re doing. Most people find that working with an expert will help you get to a place where you actually look forward to your daily fitness rather than loathe it.

Jess says before hitting the gym, it’s important to figure out why you’re seeking the gym out in the first place. Do you want to get in shape? Find a community? Do you need to get your health under control? These are all questions to ask yourself. Then, you can take it from there and it helps to have a professional guide you, especially in the beginning.

Alana says “When you work with an expert, they can support you and adapt your workouts to your current needs, because we’re all human. Our energy, mood, and life changes day in and day out.” She also adds, your workout should never be the same from week to week. You aren’t the same week to week and your workouts should reflect that.

Alana and Jess would agree that you get what you put into it, and they believe that – even if you’ve been working out for a while – hiring a personal trainer is a great way to challenge yourself. “People need a mentor, someone to push them (we all need the push), someone to work with you on nutrition ideas, someone to help you when you hit a plateau or roadblock, someone who cares as much about your success as you do,” says Alana. Which is why, at Barbella, Alana makes herself available in many forms – group setting, private, and online coaching, allowing users to schedule their fitness into their life rather than around it. Jess adds trainers aren’t just for beginners.

Do you want to jump higher? Be stronger? Have shredded arms? Or toned abs? Whatever it is, a personal trainer is in your corner – encouraging you and hyping you up. And that almost feels as good as slipping back into your favourite pair of high school jeans.

Written By: Anneliese Lawton

Local Links:

Barbella Studio, Burlington
Barbella.ca

Bar None Fitness, Burlington
Barnonefitness.ca

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Happier Together – Celebrating The International Day of Happiness

March 17, 2020 No Comments

Behavioural scientists have spent a lot of time studying what makes us happy (and what doesn’t). While our culture and society have marketed material things (and money) as the key to happiness, scientists have found happier people have similar things in common: strong, close relationships, making time to have fun, and spending time with friends are just a few of the things that contribute to a happier, more fulfilling life.

Brenda Jasmin, a certified positive psychologist and life coach in Oakville, says there’s a formula for happiness. We all begin life with a baseline of happiness – a genetic predisposition which roughly accounts for half of our overall happiness. While some of us win the genetic lottery and have a high predisposition to happiness, some of us fall a little lower on the scale. However, the good news is that we’re in complete control of the other fifty-percent. Our external circumstances, such as job, money, the car we drive and the house we live in, all account for only 10% of our total happiness – proving that material things don’t truly make us happy. The remaining 40% of our happiness is based on our internal state of mind, such as our attitude and optimism.

Therefore, happiness comes from within. It isn’t just something that happens to you, it’s something you have to work towards.

In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that recognized happiness as a “fundamental human goal.” And in 2012, the first-ever UN Conference on Happiness took place and the UN General Assembly decided that the International Day of Happiness would be observed every year on March 20. It was celebrated for the first time in 2013, and all 193 United Nations Member states have adopted a resolution calling for happiness to be given greater priority.

This campaign is a global celebration, co-ordinated by Action for Happiness, a non-profit movement of people from over 160 countries and supported by like-minded organizations.

The Art of Living is one of those organizations. Founded by Sri Sri Ravishankar, the goal of The Art of Living is to help people create a stress-free society with a trauma-free mind through a 3-day workshop called The Happiness Program. The Happiness Program, which runs globally with upcoming workshops in Oakville and Burlington, was developed to help people live a happier, more stable life through the practice of yoga and rhythmic breathing, providing the skills to remain calm and mindful, even in the middle of a challenge.

So, what can you do to be happier? Brenda Jasmin says, “One simple yet effective tool to boost your happiness is an exercise called “Three Good Things”, developed by Dr. Martin Seligman, the founding father of Positive Psychology. You can practice this tool each evening by recalling three things that went well that day. For each thing that went well, take some time to journal or reflect on why that good event happened.” Research shows that implementing this simple technique for just one week can increase your happiness and decrease symptoms of depression for several months afterward. The effects can be even longer-lasting if this becomes a daily practice, which it does for many because once they start doing it, they see the advantages of remembering good events and not taking them for granted.

Other strategies include “intentional acts of kindness” – performing 5 to 7 acts of kindness in one day. You could also attend one of Brenda’s popular “Positivi-Tea Talks”. At these workshops, she teaches tools and strategies based on Positive Psychology that help people to live happier and more meaningful lives. Topics include everything from relationships, resilience, mindfulness, gratitude, purpose, strengths and managing mindset.

Even local schools see the benefit of teaching happiness. Amanda Bartucci, communications officer for the Halton Catholic District School Board said some principals will be working with Child and Youth Counsellors to develop activities during the month of March in celebration of International Day of Happiness.

This year’s theme on the International Day of Happiness is Happier Together, focusing on what we have in common, rather than what divides us. Everyone wants to be happy – and life is happier when we’re together. So, let’s celebrate our common humanity. Join the community and be part of this special day.

by Anneliese Lawton