Green Envy Eco-Boutique was my passion and life’s work for 10 years. However, opening an eco-friendly shop in Newport, Rhode Island was no easy task. In the beginning I received many more questions than sales. People wanted to know how a shirt, bracelet, or skin care product was more environmentally friendly in Green Envy versus in a shop down the street. It seemed that the average person knew quite little or nothing about sustainability when it came to consumerism, and I made it my job to change that. I prided myself in stocking Green Envy with everything from jewelry and clothing, to home decor, skin products and gifts. My goal was to carry items that were more beautiful, yet less expensive than conventional items containing toxic dyes and harsh chemicals that polluted the environment as well as degraded human health.

After my first 3 years in business it seemed that my hard work was paying off. People really responded to the items I was carrying, as well as the message behind them. I started stocking a lot more Fair Trade items as well. My favorite items were Fair Trade AND Eco-Friendly. I called them “double-whammies” since by purchasing them you were supporting a disadvantaged artisan and a non-polluting production process. The shop started winning local and national awards. I was asked to speak about entrepreneurship and sustainability at universities and at an AATCC international conference. I developed an award winning internship program that taught college students about the combination of business and environmental stewardship.

The entire time Green Envy was open, I never took a paycheck. I also reinvested every bit of profit that the store made into supporting more Fair Trade cooperatives. Needless to say, my heart completely took over and my brain for business took the backseat. Debt began to accumulate. I decided that the answer was moving the business online so that I could reach more people and have a lower operating cost. By moving the shop online I’d also free myself up to be able to accomplish my dream of traveling to my Fair Trade artisans. I’d be able to pay them more by cutting out the middle-man, and also document their stories on the website. That sounds like a great plan, right?

Well, it took about 2 years to pay down the debt I’d accumulated. In addition to running Green Envy’s new online shop I took a job as a Social Media and Marketing Manger at a local business. During these 2 years I started learning to live in a lower waste way. I was living slower and more consciously. One day I realized I didn’t want to sell things at all, not even something eco-friendly. I became fed up with consumerism. We don’t need that new skin cream, we don’t need that dress, that pillow, that bracelet. We are perfect as we are right now. The world has enough clothing, home decor, and jewelry in existence already. If we lived with less, repaired more, and bought secondhand I think we’d all be a lot happier. I realized that “stuff” is not the answer to happiness. We need to get back to the basics and who we are on the inside. All of these thoughts became my “wild epiphany”. Once these epiphanies struck, my whole way of thinking, and my whole way of living changed.

I closed Green Envy’s web shop in October 2018. I had a huge yard sale where I put all my stock out in the yard and driveway. Instead of pricing things, I made signs saying “Take what you like. Donate what you can.”. I raised about $800 and donated it to The World Land Trust. Profiting from consumerism never seemed right to me. The money should go to those who need it most.

Enter The Wild Epiphany. That name seemed the most fitting for my next venture, because that’s literally what I experienced… a series of wild epiphanies. From 2018 to 2019 I began slowly building this website. I’m finally at the point where I feel good enough about the site to shout it from the rooftops. This is still the beginning, and lots more content is coming. I want this site to become your go-to place to get inspired about sustainable living. I want you to have hundreds of wild epiphanies while you’re here. I want to share what’s really happening to the earth when we live the way we’ve become accustomed to, and how easy and even fun it is to switch up our routines and think about things in a different way.

I hope you’ll go on this adventure with me. Let’s learn together, grow together, and support each other in living our best, healthiest, most joyful lives.

Sending LOVE,

Rachel

P.S. This website is a free resource for all, and it will remain that way. I ended up falling into a career as a Social Media Manager, so that’s how I make a living. Don’t worry, I’m using my social media powers for good. I work for ethical businesses who create products that replace disposable alternatives. Yeah, I knew you weren’t worried.