Hi there and for cruising through Ethical Exploration!

I’m Michelle: founder and author of Ethical Exploration but other descriptors of me include dog lover, craft beer enthusiast, Disney adult, homegrown Californian, lil bit of a history nerd and a whole lot of wanderlust!

I chose to start this project because I have been intrigued with curating a sustainable lifestyle for myself over the past few years and thought what better way to continue my journey than by sharing my discoveries with others! There is definitely no such thing “perfect sustainability” but if you change nothing then nothing will change and let’s be honest Mother Earth needs some change in her favor.

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I became aware of my impact on the planet or decided to start seeking out alternatives to lead a more sustainable lifestyle but I want to say it was back when I started my Bachelor’s Degree in 2017. I majored in Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management but despite learning plenty about the industry, its ever-taxing impact on Earth was never discussed. A lot of waste and pollution comes from all forms of travel, hotels rooms, banquets, conferences, any scale of event or gathering. And while the idea of planning these grandeur festivals was so fun and creatively freeing my conscience sat heavily on my heart making me ask questions like “is there a less wasteful approach?” and “how will this impact the surrounding community?”.

There are not a ton of answers to these sorts of questions, and if there are they typically aren’t inexpensive or easy, so my questions and concerns went largely unanswered and I received my Bachelor’s Degree with honors and went on my merry way.

Since then I have surrounded myself with resources that continually answer the questions I left college with. I have taken part in eco-volunteerism, done my fair share of luxury travel and roughing it, slowly swapped products in my life for more sustainable options and talked the ear off of anyone in my close vicinity (my boyfriend can begrudgingly confirm). I guess you could say I’ve embarked on my Ethical Exploration!

Outside of being a sustainability junkie here are a few specs about me:

• I have been to two Disney parks (Anaheim and Paris) but plan on one day checking them all off of my list
• I am a big hockey fan and have been to 7 NHL rinks as well as a Stanley Cup Playoff game, an Allstars Game and a Stadium Series game
• I have traveled to 20 states in the United States and 17 countries on 3 continents
• The top task on my bucket list is to swim with whale sharks

With all that in mind I hope we can continue to share resources in this uplifting community that surrounds sustainability and that we learn a little something from each other as time goes on! Welcome to #myethicalexploration!