There’s an assumption that because you run an e-commerce business you’ll naturally be more eco-friendly, but nah. I've made a lot of eco-mistakes running the Rebel Women Lit store since we started last year. From practical things such as ordering books too frequently and in tiny quantities, to being apathetic about the need to build a clear & deliberate green philosophy for our bookstore. Yikes!

I've found the best way to combat a lot of my normalised poor environmental practices is by designing better habits for my everyday life. Here are 3 things I do differently in my everyday life that impacts how I function running RWL.

1. Slow Down & Plan

At one point we had an embarrassing amount of tiny book packages being imported weekly. 😫 This was great on the surface because our readers in Jamaica would get books super quickly and we felt like we could compete with local bigger (and older) brick and motor bookstores who already had a household name. But this is terrible for our carbon footprint as an org.

Now, even though I know we can do things very quickly, I try to practice slowing down. We now try to encourage pre-orders and slowing down to ensure our carbon footprint is a bit tinier.

In my personal habits I now have scheduled walks on post office days, I plan around walking when I have deliveries nearby, instead of calling a bearer, and I plan how often I order-in food from QuickPlate weekly just to cut down on my overall contribution to carbon emissions. (hot girl summer meets eco-chic! LOL)

2. Pack Cute But With Intention

I love cute and memorable packaging! My heart flutters every time someone mentions that getting books from us feels like a gift so they don’t open the books until they’re ready to start reading. Packaging is something I think a lot about because it’s Ike of the few ways I can create a tangible representation of RWL feels like until we get a physical store.

Most of our orders are wrapped in biodegradable twine and paper notes, while our Novel Tea packages all use reusable cloth bags made from recycled fabric. I spent months learning how to dry flowers and Furoshiki - traditional Japanese fabric gift wrapping- for our Mother's Day book boxes. I'm learning about other traditional packaging practices I can use (especially cute ones) in my personal life.

3. Read More (duh!)

I’ve grown up reading about saving the environment, but with very prosaic messages about recycling and not using spray cans. It became really easy to ignore these PSA campaigns and a good example about why ad agencies should commission poets and novelists 🤣 I didn’t really feel that I needed an eco-philosophy to drive my own life and for a while, I didn’t I think about it beyond things like the packaging for RWL. Now I’m learning more about the ethical impacts of the businesses we partner with and how organisations like ours, can impact and start ethical trends for other retailers.

N.K. Jemisin's Fifth Season, Diana McCaulay's Daylight Come and Olive Senior's Over the Roofs of the World are brilliant recs I'd make for understanding our connection to the environment (that doesn't feel like a PSA)

I’m sure there’s a lot more for me to learn about caring for the environment with everyday habits that will help me be a better person, and RWL a better organisation, and I can’t wait to keep you updated on new habits we develop.

I hope this helps you think of new ways to approach developing new green habits

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Stay Lit
Jherane