• Blog

    Harm Reduction and Environmentalism for Pet Owners

    How can the pet industry help the environment? How can pet owners take small steps that make a big, positive impact–without feeling guilt, overwhelm, strain, or stress? Let me introduce to you a topic I’m learning about: harm reduction. Before we dig into the pet industry and our role as pet owners, let’s take a big leap backwards and unpack the concept first. What is harm reduction? Because I can’t say it any better, here’s the intro to a paper published in Harm Reduction Journal (bolded text by me): Harm reduction refers to interventions aimed at reducing the negative effects of health behaviors without necessarily extinguishing the problematic health behaviors…

  • Blog

    Zero-Waste Tips for Pet Owners: Simple ways to love an eco-friendly dog or cat

    Earlier this month, I wrote about where we are in 2021 after the *ahem* legacy of 2020. You can find that post here. While it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year for many reasons and for many people, the reality is that it wasn’t so bad for the environment. So, how do we keep that positive momentum going? We all know it’s not practical or reasonable to stay home forever. Instead, we need to shift our attention to taking regular action to mitigate our impact on the environment–without having to shelter in place forever. The flip side of that, radical action that upends your lifestyle isn’t necessary…

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    Sustainability in 2021: What does it look like for pets and their people?

    Welcome to a new year! The year ahead is full of massive challenges, that’s for sure. Thankfully, unlike last year, many of the challenges are known. I think many of us were completely blindsided by much of 2020, and the legacy of that year will greatly inform our progress in 2021. They might even deliver us a few silver linings… In the meantime, let’s take a look at where we’ve been and where we’re going for sustainability in 2021 for pets and their people. The Impact of the Pandemic Rightfully so, we shifted our attention to the health and safety of ourselves and our fellow citizens. At the same time,…