Green, ethical tips, food, products, services, travel
There are a lot of fake green and ethical businesses. As an ethical journalist, I take extra time to find real, green businesses, and I don't get kickbacks from anyone that I feature.
You have more power in voting with your wallet than you might think. New research shows boycotts and strikes often weaken a regime even more than mass protests. That link lists companies you might want to boycott. (Whether or not you protest, please protect yourself and your contacts on your devices.)
Also, be f***able: a report shows that if you want to get some action, you might want to take some environmental action!
I update this list regularly, often with my articles in Sierra magazine.
Repair, reuse, donate, recycle, or downcycle almost everything
People will happily pick up and enjoy your half-eaten cake or used ice packs! But after I wrote those articles in the previous link above, it became harder to find neighbors because the Buy Nothing Project banned Facebook groups called "Buy Nothing." Here's how to find people who want your junk. Search on Facebook for groups with names like:
You might experience more long-lasting change if you decide what to donate or recycle, instead of paying me or others to do that. But if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area and need support, I can help. Also, I won't be like some thrift store staff, personal organizers, home improvement contractors, or waste haulers who dump toxic things like plastic and electronics.
Whatever you do, try to avoid wishcycling when you put things in your recycling bin. Cities that collect plastic sometimes can’t find buyers to recycle it. But if you can't avoid "recyclables," at least keep putting them in the right bins.
Banks
Cell phone carriers
Internet service providers (ISPs)
According to the New America Foundation, Americans pay the most for broadband internet in any of the 38 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). There is no reason why costs are this high. It's entirely price-gouging.
If you need web access for your home or organization, maybe avoid ISPs that are:
Here are alternatives:
California Bay Area:
Rest of USA (search in this order):
Worldwide:
Drinks, food, foodware, grocers, delivery, caterers, zero waste event tips
Personal care
More tips, products, and services
More products and services for your home, or small or large organization
If you need help with products below without a link or ones not mentioned, I can research for you. Just schedule a session. Or if you can wait a few months or forever, ask me to write about it in Sierra magazine. It's not personal. I'm just busy!
One-stop shops: I haven't researched thousands of products in that link. But I went above and beyond to research products below.
More tips, products, and services for homes, small or large businesses
Travel
Legalese
Jessian Choy's website and communication with you are not meant to treat or diagnose any condition or situation (e.g., medical, legal) and are not a substitute for medical or other services. By using this website, you acknowledge and agree that you do so at your own risk. Jessian Choy, employees, and agents shall not be held liable for any damages or losses of any kind arising from or in connection with your use of this website. You agree to hold them harmless from any claims, liabilities, or expenses arising from your use of this website, including but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages.
Updated July 18, 2026
This content is not available for artificial intelligence (AI) training. All rights reserved. Copyright © Jessian Choy 2022-present
There are a lot of fake green and ethical businesses. As an ethical journalist, I take extra time to find real, green businesses, and I don't get kickbacks from anyone that I feature.
You have more power in voting with your wallet than you might think. New research shows boycotts and strikes often weaken a regime even more than mass protests. That link lists companies you might want to boycott. (Whether or not you protest, please protect yourself and your contacts on your devices.)
Also, be f***able: a report shows that if you want to get some action, you might want to take some environmental action!
I update this list regularly, often with my articles in Sierra magazine.
Repair, reuse, donate, recycle, or downcycle almost everything
People will happily pick up and enjoy your half-eaten cake or used ice packs! But after I wrote those articles in the previous link above, it became harder to find neighbors because the Buy Nothing Project banned Facebook groups called "Buy Nothing." Here's how to find people who want your junk. Search on Facebook for groups with names like:
- Being Neighborly [Your Neighborhood or City]
- Buy Absolutely Nothing SF
- Bay Area free gifting group
- BNMD, San Francisco, CA (formerly Buy Nothing Mission District)
- Free Stuff In San Francisco
- Gift Everything 🚫 No Rules San Francisco
- Hella Free Stuff Bay Area
You might experience more long-lasting change if you decide what to donate or recycle, instead of paying me or others to do that. But if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area and need support, I can help. Also, I won't be like some thrift store staff, personal organizers, home improvement contractors, or waste haulers who dump toxic things like plastic and electronics.
Whatever you do, try to avoid wishcycling when you put things in your recycling bin. Cities that collect plastic sometimes can’t find buyers to recycle it. But if you can't avoid "recyclables," at least keep putting them in the right bins.
Banks
Cell phone carriers
Internet service providers (ISPs)
According to the New America Foundation, Americans pay the most for broadband internet in any of the 38 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). There is no reason why costs are this high. It's entirely price-gouging.
If you need web access for your home or organization, maybe avoid ISPs that are:
- ICE contractors: AT&T, Comcast (and its brand Xfinity)
- Elon Musk's Starlink
Here are alternatives:
California Bay Area:
- One of the most affordable: Monkeybrains. They're net neutral, unlike Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T where you pay extra to get Hulu and Netflix to stream properly.
Rest of USA (search in this order):
- Free or more affordable ISPs that are publicly owned networks, including Indigenously owned networks and telephone and electric cooperatives in Community Network's Map
- Search online for "local ISP" and the name of your city. That search resulted in more local businesses than the search function in this article, which CNET constantly updates.
Worldwide:
- See certified B Corporations. (I have yet to find a certification for any product or service that does surprise visits to verify they benefit people and our planet though).
Drinks, food, foodware, grocers, delivery, caterers, zero waste event tips
- Certified regenerative food that doesn't use pesticides. Some do!
- Day old fancy food
- Drinks, food, foodware, delivery, caterers, zero waste event tips
- Bins, signs
- Food waste prevention
- More food deliveries:
- San Francisco area: Plentiful Kitchen, Three Stone Hearth, Vita Kitchen
- Canada: Crisper
- More cafes that serve in your or their reusables: maps by EcoRate and Plastic Free Future
- Foodware (to-go ware) and partyware (reusable and single-use)
- Grocers that have bulk bins, or take back and reuse packaging. Bring reusable containers and bags to:
- Worker-owned grocers
- National Co+op Grocers
- San Francisco, CA: Rainbow Grocery Co-op, Other Avenues
- Bulk bin grocers in maps by EcoRate and Plastic Free Future
- Deliveries that take back and reuse some packaging
- Canada: Mama Earth in the Toronto area
- Worker-owned grocers
- Vegan food that's carnivore-approved
- Alcohol
- Chocolate free of slave labor and plastic
- Events, restaurants, pop-ups, food delivery, caterers
- Groceries that are organic and have no plastic, gluten, soy, or palm oil. (Palm oil is often listed as an ingredient that don't sound like palm oil):
- Out of all brands in my Sierra article (that also includes easy recipes for staples), here are the ones that are still in business:
- Butter: Miyoko's
- Cheese and condiments: Primal Kitchen
- Hummus: Obour Foods
- Ice cream: So Delicious
- Mayonnaise: Fabalish
- Jerky: Far West Fungi shiitake mushroom from bulk bins
- Pudding: Petit Pot
- More vegan cheese: La Crémerie Crue, Seasons
- Out of all brands in my Sierra article (that also includes easy recipes for staples), here are the ones that are still in business:
- Omega-3s
- Supplements and vitamins, truly food-based:
- Elderberry syrup with no sugar by Garden of Life (organic, glass jar, has a plastic cap though)
- Multivitamins by Whole Earth and Sea (some bottles are almost plastic-free)
- Vitamin C by Healthforce Superfoods (organic, no plastic packaging)
- Zinc by Megafood (organic, glass jar, has a plastic cap though)
Personal care
- Throat and chest rub for coughs: Taylor’s Naturals, a company that refills some products
- Pregnancy and postpartum products, and those in San Francisco, CA
- Sunscreen
- Sexual wellness
- Toothbrush: Brush with Bamboo. Their bristles are not certified compostable.
More tips, products, and services
- Air fresheners, candles, incense. (Burning candles, incense, or herb bundles can affect your lungs though).
- Crystals that are less toxic, locally grown, and more ethically mined. Also, here's why I avoid crystal-infused elixirs and skincare.
- Flowers
- Potted, native, locally-grown by LGBTQIA and BIPOC worker-owners, or unhoused, formerly incarcerated people paid living wages on veganic, organic, no-till, or permaculture farms with no toxic dyes
- Cut flowers aren't as green as potted ones. But you can ask sellers of arranged flowers to replace toxic foam blocks with pebbles and twigs. Or get ones from that link that offer:
- Food waste like artichokes
- Non-endangered, foraged, or wildcrafted flowers. Some wildcrafters harvest without permission or leave enough for Indigenous people.
- Delivery
- USA: US-grown, no pesticides or plastic packaging, solar-powered farm
- Los Angeles, CA, and Auburn, WA
- Herbs
- Loose and package-free or dried herb bundles from locally-grown mugwort, rosemary instead of overly wild-harvested sage or palo santo:
- Bring reusable containers and bags to places like worker-owned National Co+op Grocers, BIPOC apothecaries, freedom schools, and healing spaces, such as those in the Bay Area like The Sanctuary, Rainbow Grocery Co-op, Temple of Earth Apothecary, and Freedom Community Clinic.
- Chinese medicinal herbs: Clear Source was the only company I could find that sells retail USDA-certified organic herbs.
- Mugwort moxibustion (moxa): It can help with many issues, such as asthma, cancer, immunity, fatigue, fractures, muscle, ligament, and tendon injuries, menstrual pain, and knee osteoarthritis. First, see a medical doctor and ask an acupuncturist how to use it for your issue. The only organic mugwort moxa sticks I could find are at Pure Land Farms. Ventilate while burning moxa because it releases significant toxics.
- Mugwort topical oil that's not a potentially unsafe essential oil: The only vegan, home-grown, organic, and biodynamic one that's shipped plastic-free that I found is from Sensitive Earth. (You can select the bottle type with no dropper. If you get a bottle with a dropper, the dropper is not easily recyclable, if at all). The seller, who is an herbalist, says that mugwort's pure, distilled essential oil is not safe for topical use. Their process maintains vitamins, antioxidants, phenolic compounds, and whole-plant extracts that get lost in the process of distilling essential oils. My acupuncturist suggests applying it with heat, such as a hot pack.
- Loose and package-free or dried herb bundles from locally-grown mugwort, rosemary instead of overly wild-harvested sage or palo santo:
More products and services for your home, or small or large organization
If you need help with products below without a link or ones not mentioned, I can research for you. Just schedule a session. Or if you can wait a few months or forever, ask me to write about it in Sierra magazine. It's not personal. I'm just busy!
One-stop shops: I haven't researched thousands of products in that link. But I went above and beyond to research products below.
- Air purifiers
- Art and school supplies
- Bathroom supplies
- Toilet paper that I also use as tissue. A bum gun is cleaner and greener for your bum though!
- Batteries
- Books, music, videos
- Public libraries, many of which also rent e-books. Borrowing from the library and attending their events helps them get grant funding.
- Independent bookstores, such as those in I Heart Bookstores' map
- For ones for kids, see the "kids" section below.
- Building contractors, product certifications, supplies, and tool libraries
- Almost anything
- Gently used things with lots of character
- How to salvage cabinets and other things during remodeling so someone can reuse them
- Recyclables that contractors sometimes don't follow the law and recycle
- New, less-toxic or greener products: Green Building Supply. (I haven't researched thousands of products there though.)
- Appliances
- Carpet and carpet cleaners for homes
- Countertops
- Flooring
- Paints and primers (interior and exterior)
- Tiles
- Wood finishes (interior and exterior)
- Wood that’s reclaimed or salvaged
- Water purification and conservation
- Filter for the whole building
- Money-saving tips and greywater systems
- Almost anything
- Cleaners and supplies
- Christmas trees
- Compost without getting critters
- Electronics
- Funeral products
- Furniture
- Foam furniture (mattresses, couches, etc.)
- Outdoor furniture protection
- Hangers
- Ice packs
- Kids
- Books, games, songs that are green, not sexist, or promote compassion for yourself and others
- Car seats, strollers
- Green a toddler or preschooler
- Kitchenware
- Lighters
- Landscaping contractors, supplies
- Rain barrels
- Moving
- Office supplies
- Packaging
- Printing companies that use the following (if you ask): 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper (processed chlorine free) with low-VOC vegetable inks: GreenerPrinter (a certified B Corp), Autumn Press, and Evergreen Printing. The last two are unionized and certified green businesses.
- Patio products
- Pest management
- Propane gas cylinders for cooking
- Sports
- Textiles: Toxic and certified "sustainable" fashion and linens could be the culprit of surprising physical issues.
- Certifications
- Products
- Fashion, linens, fabric, yarn, and sewing supplies that go beyond certified "sustainable" ones (plant dyed, certified organic and PFAS-free, truly plastic-free, and locally grown)
- Clothes and yarn: organic, some plastic-free
- Masks for COVID and wildfire smoke: They seem to only be available at these online sellers now.
- Menstrual underwear, which can be safer than silicone cups
- Yoga mats
- Services
- Dry cleaning
- Recycling
- Web hosting from a worker-owned co-op: Electric Embers
- Other products: shop more affordably from sellers other than Amazon
- Search on Google Shopping and sort by price from low to high. Some sellers of new and used items don't seem to show in their searches unless you type sellers like Depop, Mercari, Poshmark, or Thredup.
More tips, products, and services for homes, small or large businesses
Travel
- Animal sanctuaries that don't exploit animals
- Green and healing guides
- Lodging that's less likely to cause a housing crisis
- Tips and products, such as water purifiers
Legalese
Jessian Choy's website and communication with you are not meant to treat or diagnose any condition or situation (e.g., medical, legal) and are not a substitute for medical or other services. By using this website, you acknowledge and agree that you do so at your own risk. Jessian Choy, employees, and agents shall not be held liable for any damages or losses of any kind arising from or in connection with your use of this website. You agree to hold them harmless from any claims, liabilities, or expenses arising from your use of this website, including but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages.
Updated July 18, 2026
This content is not available for artificial intelligence (AI) training. All rights reserved. Copyright © Jessian Choy 2022-present
