10 things with: The Eco Dude
Illustration by: Drew Morrison @drewmorrisonart
Who is your spirit animal, and why?
Bats are my spirit animal because when I was in the Peace Corps in Gabon, I had a bat that visited me every night at dusk, did a loop in my house and then flew away. All my neighbors said that it was there to protect me and it was my spirit animal... and that I should never eat a bat. I assured them I would never eat a bat!
Favorite podcast?
I recently listened to "Dolly Parton's America". It was pretty awesome. Dolly is a pretty amazing human.
One thing people don’t know about you?
I’m a pretty open book. And I put it all out there on Instagram. So not sure if there are any secrets left. Maybe people do not know that I grew up on Long Island.
Favorite place you’ve traveled?
I worked at Save the Children for 17 years and went on 6-8 trips a year. So I have been everywhere! I love every place I visit, but one truly unique place I went to four times was The Republic of Georgia, and I also went to Bhutan once. Not many people get to go to these countries.
Have you always been an Earth Warrior?
Kind of, or maybe I should say I always had "eco-anxiety". When I was a kid, I was scared of the big hole in the ozone layer and made my family stop using aerosols.
How did eco evolution finally come to be?
The business came to be because I decided to go low waste in 2019 and slowly started purchasing all these products online from so many different vendors. I quickly realized how crazy it was that I had to do this, especially since I don't even like shopping online! So I was thinking that retail could be a good platform to help others be an earth warrior (or just a little bit better to Mama Earth). Since then, Eco Evolution has evolved to also include a local artisan cooperative and **spoiler alert** a coffee shop that sends nothing into the trash (compostables only) is in the works.
As you educate your customers on how to live a lower impact, low-waste lifestyle, what are people most surprised about learning?
That there is plastic in tea bags, in gum, and that every piece of dental floss still exists in a landfill or in the ocean somewhere. People are supposed to learn they eat about a credit card worth of plastic each week in the form of micro plastics that have bio accumulated in our food system. I love that I can say Eco Evolution has alternatives for almost everything in your home.
What is your favorite eco product?
I love my safety razor and shave bar. They actually save me a ton of money. I also love my shampoo bar and laundry strips!
What motivates you every day?
My customers motivate me. They always have a great story to share about how they are trying to make changes in their lives. It’s inspiring.
Be your own hype man. Tell our readers everything you want them to know about you!
Have you not seen my personal Instagram handle?? I clearly have no problem hyping myself up! LOL. I can be found on Instagram @the.eco.dude and my store can be found @ecoevolutionco. Our Fairfield retail store is at 43 and 45 Unquowa Road and is opened daily from 10-5. People can shop online at www.ecoevolution.co (No m…I couldn’t afford it!!) and we ship to all eastern seaboard states (in keeping with our low carbon footprint commitment). And I encourage all fairfielders to have a date night in South Norwalk and visit my flagship store there which is open to 10:30 pm, Wed - Saturday!
BONUS - Favorite food spot in Fairfield County?
So many great places to eat…so I can’t choose favorites. But I did go to a place for the first time last night which I have been wanting to try for 5 years. El Rocoto! Peruvian Food! So good! And their owner was so nice. The Pisco Sour instantly brought me back to an awesome trip to Peru over 15 years ago!