Hey friends,
Today is a National Shutdown, and wow do I wish that by shutting down my e-store I could say I was making a difference. I’ll be honest, sales have slowed since the holidays, which, as a bootstrapped small business, is not ideal. At the same time, it has given me space to regroup, organize systems, and continue developing new designs for spring.
As a mission-driven brand rooted in community-led conservation, I have been thinking a lot about how I show up during a time of escalating state violence and deep political and economic uncertainty. Not engaging is also a political choice. I choose to engage with clarity and care.
When I look to nature for guidance, I see migration as survival, not threat. I see diversity as resilience. I see collaboration as the foundation of healthy ecosystems. No species thrives alone. Every landscape is a web of relationships, shaped by movement, reciprocity, and adaptation.
Conservation is political.
Access to land is political.
Access to clean water, medicine, safety, and cultural continuity is political.
To care for plants, animals, and ecosystems without caring for people is incomplete work.
My way of showing up right now is to keep building slowly, honestly, and in alignment. To keep telling stories that honor the relationship. To keep investing in designs and partnerships that point toward a more connected future. And I’m starting to work on structuring the development of this brand into something that is more collaborative, more collective-oriented, while increasing our community action.
Thank you for being here, for reading, for caring, and for walking alongside this work in whatever ways you can.
I want to hear from you!
What are you doing to participate in the shutdown today? How are you also tending to your precious nervous systems and communities now? Hit reply and let me know - yes I read every reply.
For me, I’m not buying anything today, our household is staying home from work and school, and we’re continuing to organize in our community. And to reset, I spent a weekend in the snow in the woods with no phone.
Snowshoeing in White River National Forest to connect to quiet spaciousness as I reset my nervous system.
Boycotts Work! As a mission-driven products-based company, we absolutely know that every person votes with their dollar. We’ve written in the past about how supporting small businesses has a greater impact on local economies. When we also stop spending money and giving attention to major, problematic companies, it makes a difference:
Consumer activism is widespread: in recent polling, 36% of Americans report participating in boycotts, with especially high participation among younger generations and communities of color, driven by a belief that consumers have economic influence. (The Guardian)
Boycotts matter for reputation even when they don’t immediately cut revenue. Research shows that a company’s stock price can fall by nearly 1 percent for each day of sustained national media coverage of a boycott, showing how consumer pressure affects public perception. (Kellogg School of Management)
Boycotts provide quantifiable evidence of consumer opposition, including measurable drops in revenue or share value, and can force companies to rethink sponsorship, advertising, or association decisions even if they don’t immediately abandon a product. (ethicalconsumer.org)
Many folks may wish to strike, but are not able to for financial reasons. That’s ok! It is absolutely important that your needs and safety are also taken care of.
Here are some other ways you can participate in the nationwide movement today
Don’t buy anything today - use what you have from home or (gasp) go ask a neighbor!
Move money from large banks to smaller credit unions or community banks
Cancel subscriptions and memberships to companies that no longer align with your values
Tomorrow and always, support businesses that closed in solidarity
Call your representatives
Share educational resources
Offer rideshare or meals to strikers in your community
Know Your Rights - educate yourself on how to keep you and your community safe
(adapted from @brightblackcandle on IG)
In solidarity,
Founder, CEO
