Fact: Impact doesn’t happen overnight, whether you’re a big corporation or just one person. It’s not one choice (or one action) that leads to a better, greener tomorrow. It’s those small, innocuous, everyday choices that get us there. After all: Individually, we’re a drop; together, we’re an ocean. Choosing organic options reduces greenhouse gas emissions, preserves natural resources, and promotes agricultural and biodiversity, (not to mention, it’s usually fresher, more nutrient-dense, and GMO-free)....

Why, you ask? Since traditional white rolls are made from wood fibers that are broken down and dyed with bleach, they require a lot of water and energy to make—just to end up in the trash. Paper towels that have been whitened with chemicals are not compostable, and they’re deemed unrecyclable once you use them to soak up food items like grease. One way to reduce the impact of your home cleaning is to use dishcloths or reusable paper towels on spills....

Here, we’ll take a closer look at espresso vs. coffee, highlighting the similarities and differences and diving into the health benefits (and potential drawbacks) of each. There’s a common misconception that espresso is made from different types of beans, but all coffee is made from roasted coffee beans that come from the coffee plant—there is no espresso plant. The difference is in the roasting process: The beans used to make espresso are roasted at a higher temperature and pressure for longer periods, resulting in a very dark roast....

When I saw an acquaintance go to get her eyebrows “micropigmented,” I raised a brow (sorry, not sorry). This is a sub-category of microblading that essentially requires making the equivalent of a paper cut in the skin to deposit semipermanent color for each hair, micropigmentation utilizes a single-needle tattooing machine to create fine, hairlike strokes. The result is softer and more natural than more traditional microblading marks and lasts for about a year—exactly what I was looking for....

A few years after, I took it further into veganism, which lasted four years. Vegetarians typically only exclude meat (and eat things like eggs and dairy), while vegans avoid all products related to animals including meat, dairy, eggs, and items such as leather. I never felt restricted, but after seven years of no meat, I chose to abandon my plant-based diet. I still refrain from eating beef, pork, and most dairy, but I’ve expanded my diet to include chicken, turkey, and fish....

Mullein (Verbascum densiflorum) is a fuzzy-leafed, yellow-flowered plant used primarily for fighting coughs and relieving congestion (very good for whooping cough, bronchitis, etc). It is, however, also a potent painkiller, antiviral and anti-inflammatory. Most often, the flowers are used to soothe external pain and swelling (earaches, eczema, rashes, etc.) and the leaves are used for respiratory complaints. I find, however, that the leaves are suitable for pain relief as well. To make a quick batch of pain-relieving mullein oil, get a cup of good-quality, organic olive oil and heat it lightly (just warm it up — don’t cook it) in a small saucepan....

In the excerpt below, an essay by Cameron Esposito, enjoy a taste of how this book stokes deep appreciation for the tenderness of our humanity using refreshing authenticity and heartfelt humor. To read the other essays, purchase your own copy here. Emily and I met in Chicago. We didn’t do exactly the same thing—I’m a standup comic, and she worked in the adjacent world of musical improv. Emily occasionally did standup too, but it wasn’t make-or-break for her the way it was for me....