LAKEWOOD, Ohio — Like many people do every day, Lakewood resident Tyler Tippett washes his dishes.
“I’m using the peppermint rosemary soap that they have for the kitchen. It’s one of my favorite soaps. It smells so good,” said Tippett.
But he doesn’t use your average dish soap.
“It’s free of any kind of dyes or like unnatural fragrance, everything is ethically sourced and naturally found,” said Tippett.
Tippett’s always been a fan of living sustainability. But after moving to Lakewood six months ago, he’s made it his goal to live chemical free.
“If you’re washing your silverware and things you’re putting in your mouth and putting your food on, you want to make sure that that’s healthy. I mean you’re basically ingesting those things one way or another,” said Tippett.
Tippett is an avid customer of Better World Refill Shop — the first of its kind in Cleveland.
“We have everything to refill your home from shampoo and body wash to cleaning supplies and laundry detergent. We also have pretty awesome sustainable swaps in the store. So, you’re able to swap out things like paper towels for something a little bit more sustainable, like un-paper towels,” said Rachel Regula, the owner of Better World Refill Shop.
Better World Refill Shop is dedicated to helping people reduce their plastic waste and refill their own jars, bottles, and containers with natural products, which in turn, helps the earth and saving people money.
“You start looking around at things, and you realize there are so many different ways to be sustainable. And then even things like the paper towels — you don’t even realize you don’t even think about that until you see that there’s an alternative for it. Even with like the toilet bombs and things like that, you just don’t think about it until you see it,” said Tippett.
Regula brought this idea to Cleveland in October of 2020. Diagnosed with Lyme disease four years ago, she began to pay close attention to the products she used to clean her body and house.
“I went through the regular protocol for Lyme disease. But eliminating chemicals from my house has definitely helped. If you think about it, with body lotion, you’re going to put it on your skin and whatever chemicals are in that product are going straight into your skin and can negatively affect your health,” said Regula.
From house cleaners to compostable toilet brushes, it’s a one-stop shop that forces people to think twice about the type and amount of products they use.
For Tippett, being green isn’t a trend — it’s a way of life.
“We only have one planet. I mean, the science is real and these people have posted so many articles. We’ve seen so many studies done that the health of the planet is decreasing and we have to do our part quite frankly, to make sure that we have a planet to have, I mean, for our kids and our grandkids and, and down the line. If we don’t take action now and we don’t start making this place better, it’s not going to be here for much longer,” said Tippett.
