golden hour 〰️ photo by @piariverola

That's how much time one study found we need in nature each week to reap the bountiful benefits of the great outdoors, including decreased mental distress and reduced risk for cardiovascular disease (and many, many other good things). So the non-rhetorical question becomes, how are you gonna get it?

 

After doing hours of work from some nicely shaded green space yesterday, phoning a friend while sitting in the park on Tuesday, and zipping across New York on foot for most of the week, being indoors feels decidedly lackluster ATM. And even though my newly developed seasonal allergies are giving me sniffle fits (anyone else?), my brain is thanking me for the moments I spent outside. Wishing you quality time with the trees this weekend, even if (or better yet!) it's in your own backyard. ✨

 

P.S. Thanks for your sweet replies re: Sway's anniversary last week & congrats to Lorena Canals gift card winner, Tamika! 🫶 Keep a look out, we're planning more giveaways. 

 

Five good things: 

 

✨ An optimistic take on climate change by way of the book Not Too Late, spotted at Three Lives & Co. bookshop in NY. 

 

🕯️ These ~breathtaking~ beeswax candles. I burn Blue Corn beeswax pillars in our living room but these sculptural forms by Australia brand Jon Netti are sending me/filed away in my brain for inspo. 

 

👂 Being a better listener (easier said than done when we’re quite literally wired to think faster than we speak). 

 

 🌈 The funkiest athleisure I’ve ever seen! 

😌 The ambient sounds on this playlist from Mama’s Wellness Joint, which I’ve been using to mellow out or even just work in peace for yeeears.

 

 

Up to 50% off PFAS-free GreenPan cookware (codes listed on site). 

 

Up to 30% off at The Citizenry, no code needed. Sway visitors are loving the Organic Cotton Gauze Quilt lately, and the Organic Resort Cotton Sheet Set (almost $50 off) is one of our go-to recs for healthy sheets. 

 

20% off everything at Parachute, no code necessary. Starts Monday! May 22-29. What we love: their organic cotton sheet set and wool rugs.

 

Up to $600 off at Saatva‚ a mattress brand that I got acquainted with at High Point Market last month (I lounged on these mattresses and they are PLUSH, ya'll). Two models in particular feature healthy materials: the Latex Hybrid Mattress and the Zenhaven Natural Latex Mattress.

 

10% off Avocado mattresses with code Honor.

 

We get an inquiry about Ruggable almost every month: Here’s what we’ve shared with some of you via text/email in the past. ➡️

 

First, at Sway, we’re partial to rugs made from natural materials, like cotton, wool and jute. Ruggable’s classic rugs are made from polyester with a polyurethane water-resistant barrier: since they’re made from synthetic materials, ideally they’d have a third-party certification like OEKO-TEX that tests for certain harmful substances or GREENGUARD Gold that affirms that offgassing of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) is limited. But they don’t: so Ruggable’s choice of materials and their lack of certifications isn’t ideal. 

 

Ruggable also has a Prop 65 warning for DEHP, which is a phthalate, one of the Green Science Policy Institute's six classes of chemicals of concern. In November, new research out of Northwestern University found that women with high exposure to certain phthalates such as DEHP were at high risk for developing uterine fibroids. It’s important to remember that the “dose makes the poison,” though: exposure to DEHP in Ruggable could be relatively low despite the Prop 65 warning of its presence. But why risk it at all when you've got options, baby? 

Better choice: If you’re sold on the fact that Ruggable is washable, we think Lorena Canals’ washable rugs made from natural materials are an excellent swap for the price.

 

 

Survey says: Phone a friend. You probably saw that a new report from the Surgeon General likened loneliness to smoking. According to Vox, “Reports from the surgeon general are reserved for urgent public health issues that require immediate action — and the nation’s top public health official argues that loneliness and isolation qualify.” This is your research-backed reminder to spend time with your people this weekend (even if it's just to talk about a worm with a mustache), which TBH I plan on making a house call in order to do this morning. 

 

 

How much do the products we use offgas? A study published on May 2 by researchers at the Silent Spring Institute & UC Berkeley found that consumer products released 5,000 tons of volatile Prop 65-listed chemicals in 2020 in California alone. 😵‍💫 Doom & gloom-y? Surely, but remember that our buying choices can help reduce our exposure. Grab the the Silent Spring Institute's app, Detox Me, for helpful tips based in research. 

 

Later gators,

Jennifer @ Sway