I have always struggled to live the way I want to live. I want to eat healthy food, because I feel great when I do, but how to do it with two working parents in the family? I want to reduce global warming, so my son has a decent place to live, but the steps seem so big and expensive.

My underlying belief in starting LivingEthos is that people know how they want to live. They know their ethos. They just get stuck putting that ethos into practice, because the solutions are so daunting. That has certainly happened to me, and that is where I want to help. Through stubborn determination, I have found and will continue to find elegant, easy solutions to problems like eliminating waste, reducing our exposure to toxic substances and lowering our energy consumption.

Our first product is a simple one. Gift wrap. In 2007, I was stunned to learn that Americans generate 4 million extra tons of garbage at the holidays, mostly gift wrap and shopping bags. There had to be a better way to wrap gifts. After checking out some of the options for cloth gift bags, I decided there was a need for bags that were both well made and stylish. I wanted to do something good for the environment, but I didn’t want my gift wrap to scream “tree hugger.”

So last December, I pulled my sewing machine out of the garage (thanks Mom!) and started working on a beautiful and eco-friendly solution to throw away wrapping paper. It had to be easy to use, sturdy enough to last for decades and look so stylish that my not-so-green family and friends wouldn’t roll their eyes at the sight of it.

Today, after months of hard work by many people and lots of support from my family and friends, I am proud to introduce LivingEthos gift wrap. I hope you love it.

Josie

live.laugh.give