What even is away? (Hint: it lasts 500 years)

Have you ever thought about where “away” actually is?

I hadn’t. Not really. Not until I saw a quote that stopped me in my tracks:

“There is no such thing as ‘away.’ When we throw anything away, it must go somewhere.” — Annie Leonard

It hit me. Somewhere is landfills. Oceans. Incinerators. Other people’s backyards.

That’s when I made my first change: I stopped buying bottled water. It seemed small, but it stuck. From there, it became avoiding plastic-wrapped produce when I could. Swapping out household products. Paying more attention to where my money—and my waste—was going.

At first, we tried to recycle everything. But less than 9% of plastic actually gets recycled—even when you do everything “right.”

And while it’s impossible to avoid plastic entirely, we can choose to create less of it. Less stuff that ends up needing to go “somewhere.”

That’s why we built Greenbriar. To make everyday swaps easy, accessible, and maybe even a little fun.
It’s sustainability without the overwhelm. It’s Eco Made Easy.

We’ve got low-waste options for just about every part of your home and routine.
Bring us your old Tide bottle for laundry soap.
Bring a mason jar for lotion.
Bring the containers you already have—we promise they don’t need to be cute.

You were already using that plastic bottle anyway. The first time you refill it, you’ve doubled its lifespan. Fill it again? That’s two bottles you’ve kept out of a landfill—and out of a future generation’s hands.

Because here’s the thing:
A plastic water bottle can take up to 500 years to break down.
A synthetic t-shirt? Around 200 years.
Do you 500 years need that water bottle?
Do you 500 years need a brand new bottle of dish soap—or could you just refill it?
Do you 200 years need that fast-fashion tee that’ll wear out long before a well-made one?

You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to start somewhere.

We’ll help you figure out what that “somewhere” looks like for you.