Humans of Waste-Free Dayton: Kathleen Tandy

Kathleen is the owner of Pink Moon Goods. She also loves hosting fun gatherings at her store to bring the community together and discussing things like art, gardening, and ethical and waste-free living.

Tell us a bit about yourself, Kathleen. How long have you lived in the Dayton area? What are some of your favorite parts about the city? 

 I have lived in Dayton for about 15 years now. I am a transplant from California and before anyone asks...I love Ohio and would not trade living here for the world. One thing I love so much about Dayton is no traffic! I jest. But truly, Dayton is the kind of place where one can have a lifestyle that people dream of having. The cost of living is lower than giant urban cities and yet Dayton offers most of the same conveniences if not more than large cities. One thing I am proud to say about living in Dayton is that I have personally met a lot of the folks that grow and raise the food that we eat at home. Not a lot of people in fancy big cities can say that. 

What is your favorite food or dish?

Oh my. I really love food so much but I don't have one favorite food or dish. A perfect week of food for me might look like this: yummy organic produce from Mile Creek or Foxhole Farm, fresh eggs and meat from Carroll Creek Farms, a night out to our favorite local restaurant Grist Provisions, maybe some fish from our favorite fishmonger Foremost Seafood. 

What are some of your favorite interests?

My main favorite interest is gardening. In the winter months you might find me doing some indoor activities like sewing or mail collage. I heart watching movies at the Neon (something we are so very lucky to have in Dayton) or playing Public Train dominoes with friends. 

What was the specific moment that caused you to be environmentally conscious? 

I am not sure there really was one moment. Growing up I lived in a home that always recycled and repurposed or fixed things we needed to live. I am sure this laid the groundwork for me to become more conscientious about waste. I lived in Humboldt County for 8 years and during my undergrad I took a class that explored the local environment. We took several field trips, one of which was to a landfill. This was a huge deal for me to be confronted with the reality of waste management. It truly made me understand the need for reducing waste in general. Many of the low waste steps I take at home are partially out of desire. For instance, I have been using cloth napkins at home for goodness, at least 25 years. I just don't like paper napkins so switching to cloth napkins was easy for me and even maybe an aesthetic choice over an environmental one. Although I grew up in Southern California I really was never introduced to the idea of "local" until living in Humboldt County. The town I went to college in had a great farmer's market in the summer months that was just overflowing with the most amazing food all grown within about 50 miles of the market. I think this really cemented the idea of how important supporting local grown food really is to the planet and to our communities.  

Kathleen, you own and operate Pink Moon Goods. Can you share a bit more about that?

I am very happy to say that yes, I do own and operate Pink Moon Goods. This shop is very near and dear to my heart as it is a reflection of my life and the things that I value and appreciate. I feel very fortunate to be able to share this with the Dayton community. It was important to me in building this vision that I created a community space in which folks feel welcome to explore and discover some of the items I have found out in the world to help beautify our lives. Is being surrounded by beauty important to the environment? Some might not think so but I certainly do. I think setting intentions is one of the most important things we can do as humans. Pink Moon Goods is here to offer reusable alternatives that are beautiful and well made. That helps people and the environment in my opinion.  

Some colorful moments at Pink Moon Goods. Location: 2027 E 5th St, Dayton

What do you tend to focus on when trying to be waste-free?

I really try to focus on reducing waste. I think there is a lot of pressure out there with all of the messaging that exists around climate change and being eco-groovy. When in reality, very few folks truly live waste free. For me it's more important to find small ways each day to reduce waste and search for ways to keep the world's resources available for all. This is a tall order but I feel like the more we are conscientious about our decisions the more equitable the world can become.  

What do you enjoy about being environmentally friendly? Is there anything you dislike?

It feels good to make changes even if you are hopeless that they will really help. Personally I would rather make the sustainable swaps that are within my means even if I don't think it's going to "save the planet". I would much rather hold a dish brush that is made from wood and straw than one made from plastic. Is me using that dish brush going to keep the planet from warming? I don't know. But I know that using the plastic one for sure isn't going to help. It's also unattractive and there is nothing I can do with it at the end of its life except to toss it into the landfill. What do I dislike about being environmentally friendly? Well...what is there to dislike, really! 

Any other advice to people starting out or thinking about going on this journey?

Start small. Don't think you can do it all over night. You can't. You will make yourself crazy and it will just be too expensive. Think about what is in your control and what are reasonable steps to take that work in your life and within your budget. Remember, an old cut up t-shirt can be a cloth napkin. Don't feel like you have to buy every single eco-groovy item you see out there in the world.  

Would you like to share about other areas you strive to be environmentally conscious?

At home my main nemesis is the gosh darn plastic bags that things like chips, pasta, and nuts come in. I wash produce bags I get from the farm (though they are far and few in between) but I just can't figure out how to reduce these other types of bags. I am told you can bring them to places like Kroger to recycle but of course I am skeptical of the end result of that. In the shop I have to speak directly with vendors a lot to reduce the amount of plastic that is used in shipping. Thankfully most of my vendors are conscientious and use paper filling and padding but many items manufactured around the world are wrapped in plastic to protect them. I really want to keep finding ways to speak with vendors about reducing this waste.  

If you could pick 1 thing to help the city of Dayton be more environmentally friendly/more sustainable, what would that be?

Create a compost program for every home. Big cities do this and it works and can work. If places like San Diego and Brooklyn can provide city wide composting for their residents, certainly a city the size of Dayton can make this happen!