🌿 Resources 🌿
Below we've curated lists of recipes, products, and sustainable businesses to inform and inspire you on your path towards a sustainable lifestyle!
Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes List
Want to go vegan/vegetarian completely or for just a few nights a week but don't know where to start? See links below to access a compilation of our favorite vegan and vegetarian recipes from the web.
Vegan
Vegetarian
Sustainable Swaps
Looking for recommendations for eco-friendly products that are tested and approved by other young environmental enthusiasts? Rather than provide a list of specific brands of products, we've curated a general list of Earth-friendly alternatives to common household items to use as a starting point to figure out which sustainable swaps will work best for you! If you have a favorite product not included in the list below, we'd love to hear from you: click here to contact us.
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Click here for Sustainable Swaps List
SoCal Sustainable Businesses
If you live in or are visiting Southern California and want to buy green, check out our list of local businesses that spotlight sustainable goods and services!​
Salad Bowl Dress - Upcycled fashion made by Mary Colmar
Suay Sew Shop - Sustainable clothing and accessory manufacturing company based in Los Angeles. The perfect place to recycle old clothes and get your current favs redyed to a new color
Seed Peoples Market - Two-story department store in Costa Mesa that supports eco-minded brands and artisan small businesses
Thrift stores - see our list below!
EcoTown - a store born in Japan, they are an eco-friendly secondhand store. Come sell your unwanted, good condition items. Explore clothing, home decor, electronics, toys, and more! Located in Fountain Valley and Santa Ana
Assistance League - This non-profit organization has many thrift stores in most Southern California cities. Come here for some of the best deals on second hand clothing, electronics, furniture, and more
Buffalo Exchange - Buffalo Exchange is a fashion retailer that offers cash or trade for your clothes. Buffalo Exchange targets a wide range of styles and ages with a mix of new and recycled clothing and accessories
2nd street - 2nd STREET is your one of a kind second hand clothing store where you can find high quality designer and vintage items, unique and trendy clothing, shoes and accessories. Buy & sell clothes online or at one of our stores.
Crossroads Trading: Crossroads Trading offers a curated selection of pre-loved clothing and accessories for sustainable shopping enthusiasts. Buy and sell your clothes here.
Huppy - Dental care including toothpaste tablets, mouth wash, etc
Vegan Pizza - Great vegan pizza in Garden Grove. Large variety of pizza toppings and flavors that are reasonably priced!
Seabirds - Located in Costa Mesa. Great Vegan restaurant!
Goodtown Donuts - vegan donuts that are truly out of this world. Located in Costa Mesa
Environmental Orgs/Partners
We partner with environmental organizations throughout Orange County to create meaningful change in Orange County, California, and beyond. Learn more about our partners below and see how we can make an impact together.
Farmer's Markets
Farmers markets are a great way to source local, in-season, low-emissions food and support the community. Farmers should also be able to tell you more information about how the food was grown. You can find a list of local markets here.
Apps
Some apps make it easier to live sustainable lives. Here's a few:
- Ecorate - find local BYOC (cup) coffee shops, plastic-free stores, and refill shops
- Too Good to Go - purchase end-of-day food surprise bags at a discounted rate
- Climate Action Now - provides a daily climate call to action whether it be requesting support, thanking a rep for their action, or something else climate-inspired
- Ecosia - search engine that plants trees powered by your searches (also a browser extension)
Responsibly recycling or disposing
Clothes
- Trashie - Trashie is a platform that lets you recycle unwanted clothes and get TrashieCash™ to spend on brands you love.
- Suay Sew Shop - recycle your worn, damaged, hole-y clothes at Suay LA.
Electronics
- Eco ATMÂ - make money recycling broken/old tech
- Apple - recycle your old apple tech
- Best Buy, Staples, our local county - recycle old electronics and tech. Walk-in to Best Buy and Staples anytime to recycle. Follow your city or county for the next free recycling event
- Cal Recycle: Â Find other electronic recycling locations through CalRecycle
Hazardous Waste
- OC Waste and Recycling:  Hazardous waste CANNOT go into regular trash because of it’s toxic materials. Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) products include paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, smoke detectors, pesticides, etc
Money/Banks
- GreenFi: GreenFi is a bank that uses finance as a force for good, by offering fossil fuel free products and donating to climate action.
- Atmos: Atmos is a climate fintech company that offers checking, savings and solar loans for people and the planet.
- Clean Energy Credit Union: Clean Energy CU provides affordable financing and banking services that support clean energy.
- Climate First Bank: Climate First Bank offers personal and business banking solutions that support environmental and social causes.
- Commons: Spend Sustainably - find sustainable brands, earn rewards for sustainable purchases
- Treecard - Treecard is an app that helps you offset your carbon footprint by planting trees with every step, purchase or public transport use.
Nature: Walks, Hiking, Gardening
There are endless benefits for spending time outdoors for both mental health and physical health. The outdoors contain many vital ecosystems and connecting to them can remind us what we're working towards protecting. Additionally, growing our own food ensures no harmful chemicals are used, no or minimal transportation is used, only in-season food is produced, and it's extra delicious and a source of pride.
😀 Looking for more? 😀
Search more business on California Green Business Network!
The California Green Business Program leads the state and nation in working with small to medium-sized businesses to grow a vibrant and healthy green economy. Led by a coalition of cities and counties, they contribute to more livable communities with healthier environments, while also conserving resources and saving money.