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REI to close on Black Friday for its fifth year, takes 'Opt Outside' push one step further

REI

Since 2015, the outdoor gear giant REI has gone the opposite direction of most retailers on Black Friday. Instead of slashing prices and advertising sales on the biggest shopping day of the year, REI has closed its doors, shuttered its online sales, and encouraged would-be shoppers to go outside instead. Employees are still paid as if it were a work day.

For the past four years, the #OptOutside campaign has taken people from crowds and consumerism to the simple joys of nature. But this year, they're taking the idea one step further. Through more than 100 organized clean-up events, REI is asking people to "Opt to Act" for the environment.

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8 products you should own if you actually care about sustainability

via Amazon

The common misconceptions surrounding eco-friendly products is that they are inferior in quality or more expensive than those made from unsustainable materials, but that's far from the truth.

There are plenty of sustainable products for everyday around-the-house use, such as eating utensils, paper towels, and freezer bags, that are just as affordable as those that are damaging to the planet. Many of them can be reused over and over again, saving you money over the long-run.

The key is to break the single-use mindset and to start purchasing products that can be reused. Over the past twenty years we all learned to use recycling bins. Now it's time to rethink single-use products by giving reusable options a chance.

Reusable bamboo utensil set

Next time you pick up food from a drive-thru or have a picnic, forget the plastic and use disposable knives and forks instead. You can reduce plastic waste and help the environment with this biodegradable bamboo travel cutlery set, which comes with a knife, fork, spoon, chopsticks, straw, brush, and eco-friendly travel pouch.

Delihom Reusable Bamboo Utensil Set, $8.98; at Amazon

Reusable paper towels


One of the biggest ways to fight back against global warming is by planting trees. However, over 50,000 trees are cut down every day to be made into disposable paper towels. These reusable bamboo paper towels are soft, washable, and reusable. One roll of bamboo towels can replace up to three months of disposable paper towels. How much money will that save you?

ECOLifestyle Reusable Bamboo Paper Towels, $6.90; at Amazon

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No, Koalas are not ‘functionally extinct,’ but that doesn’t mean they’re okay

Bob Walker/Unsplash

A viral Forbes article claiming that koalas have become "functionally extinct" and that 80% of their habitat has been destroyed by Australia's devastating bushfires made its way around social media this weekend.

The problem is, it's not totally true.

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Magnificent solar-powered 'supertrees' are the highlight of Singapore's new 250-acre eco-tourism project

via Gardens By the Bay

Singapore's National Parks Board has created a 250-acre oasis as apart of a redevelopment by the city-state to attract ecotourism to the area.

Gardens By The Bay is home to two biodomes — the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome — that combine to be the size of four football fields and showcase 220,000 plants form all over planet Earth.

But the main attraction has to be 18 supertrees that rise between 80 to 160 feet high and have a wide variety of ferns and tropical flowers that climb its mechanical outsides.

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