With the rise of the issue of global climate change, it’s super crucial that we all start taking being eco-conscious seriously. I understand that being on an island does diminish a ton of possible options that the continental United States has. However, there are still some zero waste stores on the island that are available!
My favorite zero waste store is an online shop called R Planet. They had a temporary pop up shop at the Ala Moana center, near Target, but they’ve now completely gone back to their online platform.
R Planet is a small, local-owned, zero waste shop run by two twin sisters, Raina and Rhema. They decided to be waste-free, plastic-free, and cruelty-free after learning more about the health of planet Earth. The two sisters decided to open up R Planet to help others switch over to a more sustainable lifestyle.
R Planet’s website has a very clean and sleek look, making it extremely easy to find the type of eco-friendly products that you want.
Last chance sale
As of right now, R Planet has a last chance sale for items that they are switching distributors from. Some of these last chance sale items include cotton swabs for $4, a pot scrubber for $6, vegan floss for $8, and a stainless steel razor for $20.
My personal haul
When R Planet had the pop-up shop at Ala Moana, I made a couple of trips to take a look at some potential buys and then eventually caved and bought some. I purchased the tooth tablets, a substitute for regular toothpaste in plastic and aluminum packaging. When you want to brush your teeth, just pop a tooth tablet into your mouth and chew on it to make a paste, very similar to traditional toothpaste. Then you can brush your teeth as usual.
Another product that I absolutely love is the all-natural lip balm. They make it themselves using oil and other natural ingredients. The lip balm is made from candelilla wax, shea butter, and coconut oil. The best thing about this product is that it’s multi-purpose. Thanks to the natural ingredients, you can also use the lip balm as lotion, brow balm, and pet salve.
shipping & local o’ahu deliveries
R Planet does both on island deliveries and worldwide shipping. If you plan on purchasing and live on the island, they encourage you to leave a box and let them know that they can place the products there. Since I live in the dorms, I was curious about the possibility of getting delivered to me, and asked one of the sisters. She said that I could put the address of my dorm building and then meet her outside of the building when she arrives.
If you want to try out a more zero-waste lifestyle while also supporting small, local businesses, give R Planet a try!