The Blog

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.
13 Tips for a More Sustainable Holiday Season
It’s the season of giving, celebrating, and spending time with our loved ones. It’s also the season of shopping, wrapping, parties, and decorations. If you’re trying to live a lower waste lifestyle, you might be wondering how to make it through this holiday season without contributing to the most wasteful time of the year. Here are 13 of our favorite tips for a more sustainable holiday season.
DIY Natural Insect Repellant
Here on Oahu, the rainy season is picking up and the mosquitos are OUT. Here's a simple, DIY insect repellant with all natural ingredients and essential oils that's super easy to make at home!
Why Zero Waste? 10 Eye-opening Zero Waste Facts

In today's society, our lives are inundated with single-use plastics and convenience is the name of the game. To live a lower-waste lifestyle takes extra effort, and more time. So why do we do it? Here are 10 eye-opening facts about our planet and our waste as a species to help answer the question "Why Zero Waste?"

Plastic-Free July Recap
We just wrapped up Plastic-Free July, during which we ran a giveaway throughout the month of July and asked YOU to show us the zero waste changes you made during the month of July. You did not disappoint! Here are some of our favorite posts from last month, read on to get inspired:
10 Simple Ways to Help Save Our Oceans
Saving the ocean may seem like a daunting task, and we know that some people have more time and resources to dedicate to it than others, so we've compiled a list of 10 simple things that anyone can do to make a difference!
What is a Tiffin? Introducing the To-go Container you Didn't Know you Needed
A tiffin is a kind of lunch box that originated in India, and is also widely used throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. If you've never heard of this nifty food storage system before, you're in for a treat - and maybe a new way to store & carry your treats, too!