“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better”. Albert Einstein
I took this advice when I was looking to change our packaging for our new products. Nature always finds a way to protect itself, even in the harshest environments. Let’s take seeds, for example.
Seeds have an outer coat that protects the inside. They have an embryo that grows. They have their own food source that keeps the embryo alive for however long it needs to. Every seed has potential to grow into, something. And every seed protects what’s inside. Trees have an outer layer of bark, that protects the inside and makes sure it can grow tall. Corn has an outer layer of husks that protect the corn kernels from the harsh outside elements. All vegetables have an outside layer that protects the inside from spoiling or rotting or weather. Go through the list of fruits or vegetables and think about the outside vs inside: pea pods, bananas, oranges, avacados, coconuts, milkweed, kiwi….pretty much anything you can think of in nature has an outer layer that protects the inside. So why shouldn’t I take what nature does, and apply it to the packaging of my products? I mean, all I need is an outer layer that protects the inside, right?
And if nature can provide this naturally for all of the harsh elements that the weather can throw at plants, shouldn’t I be able to find something that can withstand the retail world? Nature is a whole lot more unforgiving with wind and rain and hurricanes and fires and snow and freezing temps than shipping a product in a protected box on the inside of a truck which goes to the inside of a warehouse which goes to a store shelf. It should be pretty simple to figure this out.
On this Earth Day, 2019, let’s take a close look at a seed, and nature, and how it protects what’s important so that it can grow into something pretty great, whether it’s a plant, or food, or a tree, or a new skin care product. How exciting is this?!
With love from Grand Haven,
Julie