The Blog

Value of the Low Waste Journey
Protea is a place for everyone, no matter where you may be along your low waste journey. We realize transitioning from your ol’ reliables can be a scary thought, and choosing to pursue a truly sustainable lifestyle doesn’t just happen...
Value of Community Connections
As a small business it is important to us here at Protea that we highlight our values and celebrate the people and places that inspire them! With that, we are continuously reminded of the power of community connection and the...
Your style guide for a green wedding season
Eco-friendly weddings are growing in popularity. We created a style guide using our boutique secondhand collection to inspire you to thrift your own wedding season outfits.
Zero Waste Hero Feature: Elizabeth
Give us a little background on yourself! Where are you from, what are your hobbies/passions in life? “I was born and raised on the Windward side of Oahu. I graduated from Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Campus in 2004 (I know all...
Earth Month: Get Involved With Your Community
This month is Earth month! We're always excited to celebrate and honor the earth with our community. While we strive to take care of our Earth everyday, Earth Day provides us with an opportunity to get involved with the community - to come together, spread awareness, and work to preserve our local habitats.
Join the Quit Plastic Movement: 3 Organizations we're Giving Back to
Our “Quit Plastic” T-shirt series is a tribute to the animals in Hawaii that are severely impacted by plastic pollution. We love the T-shirts as a way to bring awareness to the issue, as well as to give back to organizations on island who are actively working to protect wildlife from the harmful effects of plastic pollution. For each shirt we sell, we donate a portion of the profits to local wildlife and environmental protection organizations.
Women's History Month: Women in Sustainability
March is Women's History month, and we want to highlight a few of the many inspiring female leaders in the sustainability and conservation movement. Women are at the forefront of the movement. Women are making change, and we need to talk about it more and celebrate it!
Sustainability in Your Closet: 5 Facts About Fast Fashion
The massive amount of clothing we are buying and discarding each year has had a huge impact on the environment. Here are some facts about the fashion industry’s impact and what we can do instead.
10 Products for a Lower-Waste Lifestyle in 2023
When it comes to reducing our waste to help the planet, even small changes add up to make a big difference. If you're looking to live more sustainably in 2023, here are 10 easy zero waste swaps to help you reduce your waste this year.
Zero Waste Hero Feature: Making Change with Kiana
Meet Kiana Otsuka, an O’ahu local, resident of Moanalua, and our Zero Waste Hero community member of the month! Kiana works with the Hawai’i State Energy Office to reduce the energy intensity of our transportation system. She was recently confirmed...
9 Sustainable Mother's Day Gift Ideas
From the Protea Team to you and yours, we want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all of the wonderful mothers out there! If you’re someone who’s looking for gift ideas for a special mom, we’ve put together a list of 9 sustainable & fun gift suggestions! Give the mothers in your life something they’ll love that’s good for the planet, too!
Refill Store Closing the Loop: Giving plastic barrels new life.

In our effort to provide refillable options for our customers, we do our best to close the loop and create as little waste as possible. This means that we bring some of our products to the store in 30 and 55-gallon barrels. The large barrels allow us to use fewer containers and to save reduce our carbon footprint through fewer shipments. 

We've been coordinating with local organizations, farms, and other businesses to give these plastic barrels new life once all of the product inside has been used. Here are some of the ways these barrels are being put to use!

Witch Hazel: 13 Skincare Uses & Benefits
All about the natural skincare product Witch Hazel, it's uses & benefits for your skin.
Zero Waste Heroes: Chelsea & Stephanie
If there's one thing we've learned here at Protea Zero Waste, it's that everyone has a different journey to a lower-waste lifestyle, and living more sustainably can look different for everyone. That's why we love to share these Zero Waste Hero features, so we can show off some of the awesome people in our community, and the ways in which they fit zero waste practices into their everyday lives!
Zero Waste Hero: Charnelle
Welcome back to our Zero Waste Hero series, where we feature one of our community members and the ways they incorporate zero waste practices into their daily lives. We truly believe that each of you are everyday heroes because: "We...
Environmental Documentaries Everyone Should Watch

With Earth Day just around the corner, we put together a short list of some of our favorite environmental documentaries that everyone should see!

Zero Waste Hero: Heather
Welcome back to our Zero Waste Heroes series, where we feature REAL people just like you and their transition to a lower-waste lifestyle. This month, we are so excited to feature Heather, also known as EcoMamaMade! Heather is a mother, a teacher,...
Zero Waste Heroes: Laura & Lance
Welcome to the first of many features about real-life, everyday Zero Waste HEROES! We're talking about real people just like you, who find ways to incorporate zero waste practices into their daily lives.
Read about Laura & Lance - the scuba divers, gardeners, and DIY-ers on a zero waste journey here on Oahu! 
No Refill Store? No Problem!
If you're someone who's on a journey to reduce their household waste, but doesn't live near a refill store, then this blog post is for you! Luckily, there are still a lot of great zero-waste options you can use to reduce your household waste without going to a refill store!
Sustainable Valentine's Day Gift Guide

On the Day of Love, don't forget to show our Mother Earth some love, too!

Here's a list of some of our favorite sustainable V-Day gift ideas, both from Protea and some of our other local favorites.

Plastic-Free Period
This blog post is for those of us humans who menstruate. If you've been on the fence about whether or not to make the switch to reusable menstrual cups and/or pads, we're about to get into the nitty gritty! Hopefully this blog post can provide a little insight.