Our Core Values
Exist Green Values In Action
Avoid plastic and petroleum in everyday essentials.
Why It Matters
Plastic is not only an ocean problem. It has entered our soil, food, water, and indoor air, and is now confirmed to be inside all of us. Researchers have detected microplastics in both human blood and clouds, showing that plastic pollution is not only environmental, but increasingly measurable in human systems and the atmosphere (source).
Fossil fuels are the foundation of many modern consumer goods. Petrochemicals show up where most people never expect them, in personal care, cleaning products, food packaging, and textiles like polyester thread and dish sponges.
Many parts of the supply chain indirectly contribute to our reliance on fossil fuels. Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides depend on fossil inputs, making organic sourcing critical. Palm oil, even when certified, drives monocropping and shipping impacts. Animal-based ingredients add complexity in sourcing sustainable and ethical supply chains.
How We Address It
- Only stock personal care and cleaning products free of petroleum, palm oil, and animal-based ingredients (some items contain beeswax; many use the vegan alternative, Candelilla wax).
- Simple plant-based ingredients as a standard. No synthetic fragrances.
- Consistent review of materials and ingredients, with removal of products that don’t meet our standards.
- Prioritize organic ingredients, especially where the supply chain is harder to follow.
- Ensure products are free of polyester or synthetic fabrics, down to thread and bristles.
- No plastic to the customer (except pumps on liquid products, still seeking solutions).
Everyday examples
We Skip
Conventional detergent in oversized plastic. Petroleum surfactants. Measuring caps that promote overuse.
We Choose
Concentrated, plant-based, and palm-free. Reused or refillable containers. One tablespoon per load.
We Skip
Plastic dispensers and PFAS coatings add “forever chemicals” to a daily routine.
We Choose
Plastic-free, PFAS-free floss refills in glass or stainless cases. Reusable and safer.
We Skip
Single lettuce head in a bulky clamshell. Unnecessary plastic.
We Choose
Offered loose or in reused jars and boxes. Same freshness. No clamshell.
Focus on reuse.
Why It Matters
“Waste is just a failure of the imagination.”
True zero waste is not sorting trash correctly. It means designing so waste never appears. Reuse interrupts the wasteful, polluting cycle of our linear economy.
Each single-use purchase drives a chain of destruction. Extraction depletes resources. Production pollutes air and water. Distribution burns energy. Disposal externalizes future costs. Studies suggest that 70× the waste you see at home is created upstream from your purchases (storyofstuff.org).
Recycling helps but often downcycles materials, still requiring new extraction. It can even intensify total impacts by multiplying production and disposal steps.
A good example: recycling a plastic water bottle into polyester leggings. The original bottle required extraction, processing, filling, transport, and disposal. Turning it into leggings adds new processing and new consumption, continuing the loop of fossil extraction and microplastic pollution. Even with careful laundering and eventual recycling, it repeats the same upstream harms.
How We Address It
Refill as a default. We sell hundreds of items by weight. Bring any container from home and earn extra Earthies™🌎. See How to Refill for details.
Upstream partnerships. We prioritize closed-loop, returnable bulk packaging and work with vendors who share that goal. Containers that cannot be returned are diverted for free community reuse.
Durable swaps. Menstrual cups, safety razors, and other durable items replace hundreds of single-use products over their life.
Operational reuse. Our hand towel program avoids single-use paper while meeting health standards. Each towel is sanitized at 165°F and reused hundreds of times.
Economic and environmental wins. Our house-made Italian seasoning uses local herbs and refillable jars, lower cost, fresher flavor, smaller footprint.
Buy just what you need.
Why It Matters
Overconsumption, even of essentials, leads to broken budgets and environmental waste. Spices go stale, oils oxidize, and half-used bottles gather dust. Living lower-impact starts with bringing home only what you’ll use.
Wasted food emissions in the U.S. exceed the emissions from all domestic and international flights by U.S. airlines.
Every product carries a hidden footprint, extraction, manufacturing, shipping, and disposal. Buying “just in case” multiplies that footprint. Intentional buying keeps both impact and clutter in check.
How We Address It
By weight down to 0.001 lb. We help you buy exactly what fits your recipe or budget. A tablespoon of cumin. A test-size of shampoo. Your jar holds exactly what you asked for, no extras to waste.
By volume purchasing is now available online. Measure a tablespoon of this and a cup of that.
Fair pricing. Same price per pound whether you buy a pinch or ten pounds. Our organic pricing competes with big-box stores.
Use what you have first. Durable swaps are investments. Use Earthies™🌎 rewards to ease the upgrade.
Exist Green is built around long-term impact, not pushing unnecessary consumption. Revenue has gone back into improving the customer experience and building better systems for lower-waste shopping.
Together, let’s learn how to exist green.
Why It Matters
Sustainability is a shared learning process, not perfection. What you buy, how you use it, and what you share with others creates momentum. When people see reuse systems that work, they want to be part of them.
Many practices we call “zero waste” are not new. Indigenous and traditional cultures have long centered repair, share, and reuse. We all have much to learn if we take time to listen and rethink our norms.
Greenwashing, marketing that exaggerates environmental benefits, still dominates. Collective knowledge helps us cut through noise and make choices that matter.
How We Address It
What it means to “exist green” is ever-evolving. Since opening in 2019, we’ve learned to question claims, study supply chains, and constantly improve our shelves to reflect better options.
We welcome questions and ideas, updating our product lines when better options appear. We want to meet people where they are and make better systems easier to step into. If you can’t find something here, there is usually a reason, or an opportunity for a better solution to be found.
- Store tours, talks, and community projects to show practical reuse systems.
- Zero Waste Omaha Facebook group for sharing resources and wins.
- Bonus Earthies™🌏 for spreading how to “exist green.”
- Transparency about product changes as we learn and grow.
Moving forward, we’ll deepen our educational mission through upgraded displays and listings that explain why each product earns a place on our shelves. Thank you for learning alongside us, together we’re redefining what it means to exist green.
