My journey toward living more sustainably didn't begin with a business. It grew over time  and
some of my greatest inspiration came from my students.
A few years before retiring from middle school education, I helped start an Eco Club at our
school. I saw how passionate the students were about caring for the environment and
protecting their future. Their enthusiasm stayed with me. They reminded me that if we want
the next generation to care for our planet, we have to be willing to model that care
ourselves.
I began looking more closely at my own choices and asking what I could do now - not
someday - to reduce my carbon footprint and create less waste.
Plastic became one of the things I simply couldn't ignore. So many containers are used once
and thrown away, even when they still have life left in them. I began thinking: What if we gave
those bottles another life instead?

That idea became Eco Vida.

Eco Vida is my way of turning concern into action - by reusing what we can, reducing
unnecessary plastic waste, and offering more intentional choices for everyday living.
And I want to begin close to home.
My hope is for Eco Vida to serve my friends, neighbors, and local community first. Keeping
things local whenever possible can mean less unnecessary packaging and transportation,
while creating something even more valuable: a community of people learning to consume
differently together.
But my dream doesn't stop with one store.  I hope Eco Vida can inspire others to create similar efforts in their own communities.

I believe we are called to care for our planet and to care for one another - and those two
things are deeply connected. Caring for creation means thinking about the world we're
leaving to our children and grandchildren, our neighbors, and generations we may never
meet.
None of us has to do everything. But all of us can do something.

Eco Vida is my something. I hope it inspires you to discover yours.

Victoria
Founder, Eco Vida