Courtesy of Dharma and Dwell
Baby steps. That's the philosophy behind Dharma + Dwell, St. Louis' new sustainability-focused pop-up shop and refill station, which celebrated its launch at May's Place last month.
“For me, it started with small steps: phasing out single-use plastic items such as cups and bags or incorporating clean beauty products into my routine," the brand's founder Jordan Blackhurst says. "Then, over time, it gets easier and you continue to build off of those small steps until you have a plastic-free bathroom or a completely clean, natural personal care routine. That is the approach I would recommend to others as well: Do what you can with the resources you have at the pace that feels comfortable for you.”
The statement might come as a relief to some shoppers who have mastered the reusable grocery bag but haven't quite figured out how to avoid all that plastic packaging. Or consumers who practice a vegan diet but haven't succeeded in incorporating sustainability into their personal care routine; or those who have conquered composting and may find themselves in an ethical conundrum when they eat out or travel.
“I wanted a place that people could go to and could feel good about their purchases—no need to Google prior to purchasing or researching every ingredient,” Blackhurst says of her shop's wide variety of products and brands. The inventory covers pretty much every basic need you'd find in a Target aisle, but you won't find plastic bottles or harmful ingredients. (Not to mention the items are presented as part of a branding and design collaboration with Lindsay Scholz Studio and boast natural hues sure to give any kitchen or bathroom counter a luxurious upgrade.)
Dharma + Dwell products include facial rounds from The Conscious Cloth, made of organic cotton that requires less water during the production process; teakwood kitchen cleaning brushes with vegan bristles from No Tox Life that “can produce up to 75 percent less greenhouse gas emissions compared to their plastic counterpart”; reusable cotton swabs from LastSwab, designed to replace 1,000 single-use cotton swabs, and more.
Courtesy of Dharma and Dwell
Dharma + Dwell founder Jordan Blackhurst
Blackhurst has lived in St. Louis for a little more than five years and runs a blog, Conscious Me, where she details her personal experiences with sustainable living in the city which ultimately began, she says, with inspiration from The Minimalists podcast episodes on “Consumerism,” “Friends,” and “Happiness.” Her guidance covers everything from eating out and staycations to go-to low-waste beauty products and grocery shopping. For example, “Local Harvest Grocery is building out their bulk section more and more every day," she says. She's even dedicated a page to define some of the vocabulary and acronyms used with the sustainability movement, such as "EWB" (Environmental Workplace Behaviors) and product stewardship.
Through social media, Blackhurst hopes to educate readers and invites them to follow as she prioritizes reducing waste as much as she can. It's a process that started with an assessment of her belongings, which led to her cutting down the 100 pieces of jewelry she owned to just seven accessories.
“It is really important to me that I remain transparent. I am not zero waste, but I am working every day to live more sustainably,” she says.
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Courtesy of Dharma and Dwell
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Blackhurst looks for business partners and brands whose products are packaged and shipped responsibly, which means "no plastic and only reusable, recycled or compostable packaging," she says. She makes her own dry shampoo and facial masks and is working on her own recipe for a tooth powder. She will even offer to compost the packaging for customers if they don't have a means of doing it already.
As of now, the brand is solely a pop-up shop, but Blackhurst plans to expand, host events, and even recently launched a 100 percent soy wax candle called “Girl, let's trash talk” that's free of phthalates and paraffin in partnership with Little Lemon Candles.
“In addition to learning more about sustainability, I am also learning more about the St. Louis community," she says, "not only are people ready for Dharma + Dwell, they are asking how they can be a part of it.”
FYI: On February 13, at Cinder House's Galentine's Day, Blackhurst will introduce new bulk items, including moisturizer, makeup remover, and toner, as well as a wood furniture dusting spray, followed by a sustainable brewery event at Saint Louis Hop Shop.
