Of all the adventures I have daydreamed up over the past year France seems to be a reoccurring location– be it Paris, Reims or Marseille– but lucky for me Provence doesn’t seem to be the only place to find picturesque lavender fields! So many months of being grounded (literally) and cooped up at home has really given me a chance to look at my surroundings … Continue reading Local Lavender | Ethical Excursions
Does anyone else struggle with receiving and accepting holiday gifts? Don’t get me wrong my serotonin levels are at an all-time high when I rip into the wrapping of a gift that’s been waiting under the Christmas tree just for me, but I also carry a certain “buyer’s remorse” kind of guilt when I see the amount of material things I’ve accumulated and seriously do … Continue reading Giving the Gift of Sustainability | Holiday Helper
I’m going to start right now by saying do not follow my example and only plan out one day for Olympic National Park, she deserves so much more and I will definitely be making it up in the future! But considering I didn’t have a ton of time and the smoke didn’t make for good outdoorsy conditions, here is my low-impact, one day itinerary for … Continue reading Can It be Done in One Day? | Olympic National Park
Aside from sustaining a good relationship with locals and their economy, it’s always good to keep up with the latest sustainable cuisine and decor trends! We will start with the ever-classic pumpkin. Whether you carve it, paint it, consume it or simply admire the stout orange guys there’s always a way to repurpose them after you’ve gotten your entertainment! Pumpkins take a lot of water … Continue reading Spooky, Scary, Sustainable Tips | Holiday Helper
Tourism and sustainability don’t always go hand in hand. While tourism can be great for the local economy it isn’t always the most beneficial for the surrounding environment. For example, pumpkin season in Half Moon Bay! Every year people from all over the Bay Area and greater NorCal flock to the small coastal town for the weekend-long Pumpkin Festival (cancelled this year due to COVID-19) … Continue reading Spooky, Scary, Sustainable Thoughts | Holiday Helper
Whenever it’s possible and plausible we love to travel with our pup! She enjoys new smells to sniff, strangers to befriend and cuddly beds to curl up on so we do what we can when it comes to including her! While there are plenty of hotels that are “dog friendly” the fine print tends to state that they do not permit leaving your dog alone … Continue reading The Pineapple Pup | Our Favorite Dog-Centric Hotel
Coffee is not my cup of tea. Like literally, I am a crazy tea lady and coffee just doesn’t do it for me. I think the love began when I was living in London. Jokes and British stereotypes aside, in my time there I found that a simple cup of English Breakfast really can be the soothing balm to any upset in life and thus … Continue reading A New Cuppa Tea | Transitioning from Tea Bags to Loose Leaf
It’s easy to overlook just how many categories of tourism there are; mass tourism, incentive travel, gap year, group travel, budget, luxury, adventure, tour packages, dark tourism, the list could go on. No matter what style of excursion you prefer you are unavoidably taking part in a certain category of travel! And now that I’ve just listed off a bunch of them I’m going to … Continue reading Too Many Tourisms? Defining Our Most Common Types of Travel
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 … Continue reading Meet Me, Michelle!
For the past couple of years I have slowly been working towards a more eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyle. Products that don’t test on animals, don’t contain harmful chemicals, are vegan, etc, etc. And while these choices are becoming a popular trend the next biggest issue to address is… what do I do with the packaging when I’m done with the product? Lush has always been the … Continue reading Breaking Down Lush’s Product Packaging
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