An increasingly popular zero-waste movement aims to decrease our nation’s excessive waste problem by altering trash output at the individual level. These five women have already made the switch.

Sophia and Geevie Wood

In some ways, Sophia and Geevie Wood are like any other college students: They travel abroad, finish their homework and have an obsession with desserts. But these twins throw a twist on traditional college life with their vegan and zero-waste regimen. Geevie gave us the dirt on how they navigate their lifestyles, own a thriving business and entertain an impressive fanbase of nearly 43,000 on social media.

Q: Tell us about your business, Sustainyoself.

A: Sophia and I started our sustainable products business back in September of 2018. We originally started selling our homemade products because our followers were asking if they could purchase them.

Q: What’s it like to have a sister who’s also passionate about zero-waste living?

A: Without Sophia, I wouldn’t be where I am today in my zero-waste journey and our blog probably wouldn’t exist. Sophia keeps me in check and is a constant reminder as to why we started living this way.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone who wants to start living a low-waste or zero-waste lifestyle?

A: Start slow and do what you can with the resources you have. The first thing I did when I decided to change my lifestyle was switch to a bamboo toothbrush, then I got reusable bags, then a travel coffee mug and so went on the snowball effect.

Q: What’s your secret to slaying the social media scene?

A: It’s all about lighting and aesthetics. Although our page doesn’t necessarily have a theme or color palette, we do try to take pictures with maximum natural light and also post helpful and meaningful posts that are informative, inspiring, educational, interesting or fun.

Q: Do you have any upcoming projects in the works?

A: Once we go back to Minneapolis in May, we’re looking to expand the business by adding a few more products to the line and possibly changing our labels.

Check out the Wood sisters’ homemade products at

sustainyoself.com or follow

their zero-waste adventures on Instagram at @sustainyoself.

Amanda Sletten

Amanda Sletten is a Minneapolis-based graphic designer, zero-waste advocate and founder of TrashTalk MN, a monthly meetup for like-minded people to learn how to live low-waste and share their stories. When she’s not busy changing the world, she’s  typically watching reruns of “The Office.” But for now, Flourish has her attention. Read on for what makes Sletten one to watch in the Twin Cities zero-waste community.

Q: Describe yourself in three words.

A: Observant, intentional, passionate.

Q: What inspired your zero-waste lifestyle?

A: Reddit, actually. I was reading a thread about common things people don’t take seriously enough, and someone mentioned pollution and waste. My waste had always been in the back of my mind, but I never truly considered where something went when I threw it away.

Q: How do your worlds of zero-waste advocacy and graphic design intersect?

A: Graphic design has always had a history in advocacy, human rights and bringing awareness to a problem. I used my design skills to create logos for TrashTalk, ZWMPLS and Tare Market to draw awareness to a common discussion topic.

Q: What’s your “can’t live without” product right now and why?

A: Lately I have been loving the shampoo and conditioner bars from HiBAR. I love that they’re locally made and being carried in a few co-ops.

Q: In your opinion, how sustainable is the Twin Cities community?

A: I think we’re doing a lot better than we were previously. Sustainability has become an increasingly more common topic in the last couple of years, especially here in the Twin Cities, so I think we can only go up from here.

Keep up with Sletten on Instagram at @amandasletten or learn more about her current projects at amandasletten.com, zwmpls.com and trashtalk.mn.

Amber Haukedahl & Kate Marnach

On April 19th, Amber Haukedahl and Kate Marnach made history as they launched Minnesota’s first-ever zero-waste store. Tare Market, located in South Minneapolis, offers package-free sustainable living products, shelf-stable foods in bulk and educational workshops. Check out what Marnach has to say about the latest endeavor in her zero-waste journey.

Q: How did you and Amber meet?

A: We met at the Nokomis Green Fair in February 2018. We had independently begun our zero-waste journeys and wanted to open a store, so we decided to team up.

Q: What product are you most excited to offer shoppers at Tare Market?

A: We can’t pick just one! Lip balm and deodorant in compostable tubes, shampoo/conditioner bars, compostable floss and bulk tooth powder, to name a few. We’re also really excited to offer an educational space where locals can learn about sustainable living and engage with others who are trying to reduce their waste.

Q: What’s the biggest misconception about living a low- or zero-waste lifestyle?

A: That it’s expensive. We’ve both found that we’ve actually saved money by living and shopping this way. We make fewer impulse purchases and many of the products we choose to buy last longer. We might spend more on an item up front, but in the long run most of these purchases end up saving us money.

Q: What’s one simple thing everyone can do to take a step toward a more waste-free lifestyle? 

A: Perform a trash audit at home and find the best way you can get started. There’s no “one size fits all” first step to effectively reduce your personal waste, because we all live our lives differently.

Learn more at taremarket.com or check them out on Instagram and Facebook at @taremarket.