Spotlight | Earth & Me by Kayli Kunkel

Welcome to Broadway Stages’ Spotlight, where we feature local shops, restaurants, organizations, individuals, and venues. March is women’s History Month. Throughout the month, Broadway Stages will feature and celebrate exceptional women who have made a mark and those who continue to make a difference in the story of our future. This week Broadway Stages would like to tell you about a great business in one of our favorite boroughs, Queens! Earth & Me is dedicated to bringing excellent products while maintaining the highest standards of sustainability and inclusivity.

Kayli Kunkel was working as a director of marketing when the pandemic took full swing. Suddenly, she was at a crossroads. The void she felt in her life was more significant than the loss of work. Kunkel wanted to be part of a marketplace that made sustainability and nature priorities. Also, she felt that makers and creators should be celebrated and empowered. So, Kunkel started Earth & Me in 2020.

Earth & Me is a self-care store based in Astoria, Queens that sells home goods, personal care items, gifts, bulk refills, foods, and cleaning supplies. But this business is much more than the products it sells. It practices something called zero-waste management. This means they seek to eliminate avoidable waste of materials by conserving and recovering resources.

Earth & Me buys from small-batch makers in bulk quantities, thus reducing prices, packaging, and overhead. Kunkel says, “Zero-waste is a goal, but anywhere on that spectrum is great, and we can all always make small improvements in our habits that add up to big change.” She also notes, “My longer-term goal is to make my brand unnecessary because every company, large and small, follows these norms.”

Earth & Me recycles and circularly reuses most of its materials. As a result, they only produce approximately one bag of garbage for its operations every few weeks. And because the zero-waste cause is vital to Kunkel, the business embraces the concept of community over competition. They have advised nearly half a dozen zero-waste store owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with free consulting and coaching.

In addition to sustainability, the business is active with several environmental and social justice causes. It regularly donates to Intersectional Environmentalist, the ACLU, the Black Feminist Project, Dignity Matters, and more. They also have an in-store community library. The library features books about climate justice, zero-waste, Indigenous perspectives, and many more topics related to the earth for people of all ages. Oh, and we cannot forget to mention that they offer a free community garden during the growing season!

Earth & Me is doing their part in the areas of sustainability and inclusivity, while also offering a great selection of self-care products and home goods! But don’t take our word for it. Check out all they have to offer HERE! In addition, they now offer free local delivery to Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens on orders over $40 (via electric vehicle, of course)!

Broadway Stages is proud to see what Kayli Kunkel and Earth & Me is doing for our community and the good of our earth!  We love to see our neighbors embrace the spirit of empathy, inclusivity and environmental sustainability that we hold dear.