Our storefront is located at 1031 Hilton Rd. Ferndale, MI 48220.

Closed Sunday 4/20

Regular Hours:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 10am-6pm

Wednesday: 10am-7pm

Thursday: 10am-6pm

Friday: 10am-6pm

Saturday: 10am-4pm

Sunday: 12pm-4pm

Local delivery areas: Ferndale, Royal Oak, Hazel Park, Oak Park, Berkley, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, Clawson, Madison Heights, Birmingham, Troy, and Detroit neighborhoods in 48221 zip code

Our current refill offerings in the shop: Grab your containers and we'll see you soon!

 

Bath & Body:

Hand & Body Soaps

Hand & Body Lotion

Body Oils

Deodorant Cream

Epsom Salts, Bath Bombs & Shower Steamers

Bubble Bath 

Hand sanitizer

 

Facial Care: 

Gel Face Wash 

Facial Toners 

Facial Moisturizer & Makeup Remover 

 

Hair Care:

Shampoo 

Conditioner

Detangler Spray

Dry Shampoo

Texturizing Salt Spray

 

Oral Care:

Toothpaste

Toothtabs

 

Seasonal:

Bug Spray

Sunblock

Aloe Gel 

 

Laundry:

Liquid Laundry

Laundry Powder

Oxygen Brightener

 

Household Cleaning:

Dish Soap

Dishwasher Gel & Tabs

Rinse Aid

Vinegar (distilled white, 5%)

Antibac Toilet Cleaning Concentrate & Toilet Cleaning Fizzy Bombs

Wood & Tile Cleaning Concentrate

Daily Granite Cleaning Concentrate

All-Purpose Cleaners

Glass Cleaner

Soap Nuts

Baking Soda

Citric Acid

  

Miscellaneous: 

Essential Oils

Isopropyl alcohol (99%)

Hydrogen Peroxide, aka 'Liquid Unbleach'

Witch Hazel

Beeswax pellets, local

 

Herbs & Spices

Baking Powder (no added aluminum)

Bay leaf whole org

Black Garlic Finishing Salt

Cajun Seasoning, Organic

Cardamom seed, ground org

Cardamom pods, whole organic

Catnip Herb Org. C/S

Cayenne organic ground

Chia seed whole

Chili Powder blend organic

Chili Peppers, crushed red blend

Chamomile Flowers

Cilantro leaf c/s organic

Cinnamon, ground organic

Cinnamon sticks organic

Cloves ground organic

Cloves whole organic

Cocoa Powder Org with Alkai

Coriander Seed, Ground, Organic

Cornstarch organic

Cream of Tartar powder

Cumin seed ground organic

Curry powder organic

Dill weed c/s organic

Elderberries whole organic

Everything Blend, organic

Fennel Seed, Whole, Organic

Flax seed whole organic 

Hemp Hearts, organic

Garam Masala organic

Garlic powder organic

Garlic granules

Ginger root ground organic

Hibiscus flowers, c/s organic

Italian Seasoning Organic

Lavender flowers whole organic 

Nutmeg ground organic

Nutritional Yeast mini flake

Onion white powder organic

Oregano leaf c/s organic

Paprika ground org

Parsley leaf, org

Pepper black medium grind org

Peppercorns black whole org

Pickling Spice mild sweet *seasonal

Poppy seed whole organic

Pumpkin Pie Spice organic

Rosemary leaf whole organic

Sage leaf rubbed organic

Salt, Himalayan Pink, coarse

Sesame Seeds, whole, organic

Smoked Paprika Organic

Sprouting Seeds, Mixed, Organic

Star Anise, whole organic

Sweet Basil leaf c/s organic

Taco Seasoning Organic

Thyme leaf whole organic

Turmeric root ground organic

Vanilla Beans, Whole Organic

 

Teas

Chai Black FT Organic

Chamomile Flowers

Cinnamon Orange tea

Earl Grey Black Tea FT Org.

Elderberry Echinacea Wellness Tea, Org

English Breakfast Black Tea

Hibiscus flowers, c/s organic

Jasmine Green Tea FT Org

Lemon Ginger tea

Matcha Powder Org. Japanese

Peppermint leaf c/s

Yerba Mate leaf c/s

 

Bulk Dry Goods:

Coffee Beans, changes seasonally, roasted locally by Dessert Oasis 

Organics Pumpkin Seeds, Raw, (Hull-less)

Coconut, Shredded Medium Conventional

Popcorn,  Yellow Organic

Mango, Dried, Organic

Dried Cranberries, Organic, sweetened with apple juice 

Cashews Raw Whole, Organic

Lentils, Red Organic

Golden Temple Granola, flavors change seasonally

Garbanzo beans, dried, non-gmo, kosher

Rigatone Pasta, Organic

Quinoa White, Organic

Oats, Rolled, Regular & Gluten-Free Organic

Sourdough everything crackers, made in Detroit by Share Crackers

Organic Energy Squares, flavors vary 

 

Candy: vegan & free from artificial dyes

RECYCLING:

We are committed to being a resource for sustainability, so we are excited to offer Terracycling boxes for hard-to-recycle items. We currently have 6 boxes/programs running (see below) and they accept ALL brands, even if sponsored by one particular brand. Some of these programs are free, and some are paid. If boxes are sponsored, they are free to us and for you. You bring your items and we will box them up, print off a label and get them shipped out. 

FREE PROGRAMS:

PEN, MARKER & INK CARTRIDGE RECYCLING: While previously we had a stationary program sponsored by Bic, they closed this program in May 2023. We now collect only empty pens, markers and ink cartridges to recycle at Staples. (Staples accepts a number of other items for FREE recycling if you take your items directly to one of their stores, please check out their website for more info.)

RAZOR RECYCLING: (sponsored by Gilette) Accepts all brands of blades and razors (systems and disposable units, and replaceable-blade cartridge units), rigid plastic packaging, and flexible plastic bag packaging. This is in a sharps container for safety. 

Stasher Bags: If you have old stasher bags that have gotten damaged/cut, they are still great for dry storage! But if you have bags that are beyond repurposing, bring them in and we will send them to Terracycle to recycle.

 

PAID PROGRAMS: We purchase some paid Terracycle boxes, and to offset the cost of these (they range between $165-185), customers can purchase a small cloth bag for $10, fill it up with any of the paid recycling items and then deposit these in the boxes. You can repurchase the bag to collect your recycling again, or leave it with us to wash and reuse.

CANDY & SNACK WRAPPER RECYCLING (paid): Accepts candy wrappers, cookie wrappers, family size snack bags, multi-pack snack bags, snack bags. Wrappers must be cleaned from food waste. Not accepted: paper-based wrappers, sticks, blister packs, or cardboard master cartons.

BEAUTY PRODUCTs & PACKAGING RECYCLING (paid): Accepts 

• Conditioner bottles and caps
• Eye liner pencils (non-wooden) and cases
• Eye shadow tubes
• Face soap dispensers and tubes
• Hair gel tubes and caps
• Hair paste plastic jars and caps
• Lip balm tubes
• Lip gloss tubes
• Lotion bottles, tubes, dispensers, and jars
• Mascara tubes
• Plastic concealer tubes and sticks
• Shampoo bottles and caps
• Shaving foam tubes (no cans)
• Spray bottles and triggers 

Do not send in aerosol or pressurized cans, electronic items such as blow dryers and straighteners, perfume bottles, nail polish bottles or removers, wooden eyeliner pencils, any bio-medical, bio-hazardous waste, or partially full and full packaging (tubes, jars and containers) such as nail-polish, lotion, soap or ointments.

Oral Care products: Recycling of plastic toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes. This program does not accept floss containers or mouthwash, or other oral care products.

 

EVENT-ONLY PROGRAMS These programs run occasionally with special events:

Athletic Shoe Recycling

Children's Clothing Recycling

 

COMPOST DROP OFF:

Composting food waste is a simple way to drastically reduce your carbon footprint! (1 lb of food in a landfill = 1 lb of methane!) We offer a large compost bin behind the shop, emptied weekly, so that customers can drop off their food waste for free! All food waste is accepted, so unlike backyard composting you don't have to sort out cheese, bones, etc. as well as compostable food and beverage containers, utensils, etc. If something is certified BPI compostable, then it can go in this bin! We ask that all food waste is bagged, either in a BPI compostable bag, or in a thick paper bag to keep the ick factor down. Stop in anytime and staff will be happy to show you the bin. *If you are a resident of the following cities, check out your free municipal composting programs!

Ferndale

Royal Oak

Madison Heights

 

Building community is an integral part of creating this new model together. So while we are here every day to help you reduce and reuse; we also love being able to offer opportunities to connect, learn, and deepen our roots! Here are a list of upcoming events and how to participate & where you'll find us around town:

Calling all Young Artists/Environmentalists! 

Walking Lightly Kids Art Contest: Share what taking care of the planet means to you, or why it matters!

Rules: 

• Please return artwork by Thursday April 24th

• Please use 11”x17” paper provided at the shop

• For best displays, please leave ½” margins free of important design elements.

• One entry per participant

• Please do not write names on front of artwork, instead please include name and age on bottom portion of this slip and attach it to artwork submitted. 

Note: By submitting your artwork, you agree to allow Walking Lightly to post pictures of artwork on website & social media, and to display artwork at the shop. Social Media posts may include artwork in conjunction with text or quotes, all in-line with Walking Lightly’s mission. Art credit will be displayed as first name of artist and age, unless another request is made. We aren’t really picking a ‘winner’ we are just looking to share our community’s youngest environmentalists’ art and inspiration!

EARTH MONTH CELEBRATION! Saturday April 26th 10am-4pm! We will have local vendors, prizes and a great celebration of our planet (and our birthday). Hope to see you there!

 * DIY Rain Barrel demonstration at 11am by the Ferndale Environmental Sustainability Commission

* Come fold Fish for the Future to help express your love for our Great Lakes & demand for the Shut Down of Line 5

Where else you'll find us during Earth Month:

April 26th: Turn Oakland County Green! This event is an evening full of advocacy, education & community committed to a sustainable future. More info here.

May Events:

Sunday May 4th: Clothes Mending 101 is back! Get your ticket here.

Saturday May 10: Build Your Own Bouquet with local flowers! Pop up with Cedar Field Farm

Tuesday May 13th: OVERDOSE RESCUE TRAINING - Saving Lives in Metro Detroit. 

Learn what you can do to prevent overdose deaths in your community! Attend this FREE 45-min session to learn how to respond to an overdose emergency. All participants will receive a free overdose rescue kit that includes Narcan (an overdose reversal medication)! RSVP for the training here. Any questions, contact Natalie: natalie.actwayne@gmail.com

Tuesday May 13th: Find Tessa speaking about living sustainably at Baldwin Public Library

Sunday May 18th: Sewing Machine 101. Reserve your spot here.

We believe that as a local small-business we have a responsibility and opportunity to give back to our community. We sincerely thank you for partnering with us in your sustainability journey so that we are able to do this! Here are some of the local organizations we support:

 

Planet Detroit *Impact Partner 

 

Make Food Not Waste

 

The Greening of Detroit

Six Rivers Land Conservancy

WDET

One Tree Planted

 

Clinton River Watershed Coalition

The Cleanup Club

Affirmations

Turning Point, Inc.

Green Living Science

Keep Growing Detroit

Bees in the D

Corner Shower and Laundry

University of Detroit Mercy TENN, food justice & sustainability program

Detroit Community Cat Rescue

Gamp Camp

Midwest Access Coalition

Alternatives for Girls

The Ruth Ellis Center

Walking Lightly, LLC (TM) offers convenient options to help community members live more sustainably with our zero waste store and refillery in Ferndale, MI. We offer local delivery, and now shipping nationwide of solid sustainable products. We want to make it easy to skip the single-use plastic packaging, because we believe in caring for our planet. Walking Lightly is a resource and hub in the community offering terracycling programs, workshops, composting, and information sharing. We also believe that environmentalism is inextricably tied to environmental justice. As we grow this business we are committed to being a part of both micro and macro efforts to grow our communities in sustainability and equity. 

Walking Lightly’s founder, Tessa Benziger, is a social worker and mother of three who has always been sustainably-minded. She couldn’t find low waste home and body goods conveniently in her community, so in 2019 she decided to create the solution. A poster in Tessa’s childhood bedroom with a quote from Barbara Ward has served as inspiration for the name. And indeed, “We have forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the Earth as its other creatures do.”

In Walking Lightly, we hope you will find a partner in making the lower-waste choices that work best for you. We are committed to being a non-judgmental resource, and we think that any efforts to reduce waste are to be celebrated! So ask us questions, tell us what works for you, and let us know how we can help. We are so grateful to be a part of your sustainability journey!

Land Acknowledgement: Walking Lightly operates on land that was obtained in unconscionable ways, from indigenous peoples of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ tribe.

FAQs:

Q: How do I refill?

A:  1. Choose your container. You can purchase a bottle, use a deposit jar, or you can bring your own containers (Containers must be clean and dry, please. This is per the manufacturers of the products, as they need to ensure the integrity of their product). We also have community donations available that we have re-cleaned and sanitized.

2. Get the weight of empty jar (or tare). Weigh your container at the self-weigh station, grab a tag to record the tare weight as well as product information.

3. Fill your container. Get as much or as little of the beautiful, people and planet-safe product you would like.

4. Make your purchase. Bring your containers to the register and we will weigh them, subtract the tare weight, and voila, you pay only for the product you want! 

5. Repeat & Tell all your friends about us!  

 

 

Q: Are products more expensive than buying them at a big store or online in a plastic bottle?

A: Sometimes yes and sometimes no. There are a few reasons for this, and also some good news. We work with closed-loop suppliers. This means that our partners take on the added work of collecting and sanitizing containers that they ship in. This costs more than having you (or us) throw away, or 'recycle' a container. You know what's cheap? Virgin plastic. But while the monetary cost is small, the environmental cost is great. Products we carry are also made with ingredients that are safe for people and the planet. These quality ingredients are often more expensive than cheap detergents and chemicals, or ingredients like Palm Oil (the extraction of which has devastating effects on the environment). Lastly, partners we work with are also paying their employees living wages. So, sometimes refilling may cost more. Sometimes it doesn't. It depends. But here's the good news: We are investing in a circular economy, and by shopping here, you are, too! As companies see consumers investing this model, more will be willing to participate (financial incentive), and this will drive prices down and make sustainable options more affordable. Also, we are happy to help you find the most affordable products! And while some home and body products can carry these higher prices for these reasons, we've found that spices, herbs and teas tend to cost just a fraction of the cost of pre-packaged counterparts. Yay!

 

Q: This sounds like a lot of effort. Is it worth it?

A:  We are all constantly marketed that life is busy and everything needs to be fast and convenient. But fast and convenient has become synonymous with 'throw away' and we are tired of living in a 'throw away' world. We just have this one home and think that we should take care of it. We know now that recycling is not the answer. Reducing and reusing needs to be our focus. And that means refilling! We have the ability to make an impact by reducing our own household waste, but also sending a message as a larger community reducing our waste. We are voting with our dollars for the world we want to see.

 

Q: So what's the benefit of refilling at my local refill shop instead of just buying online?

A: If you choose to shop locally, you get the benefit of refilling exactly what you want and need. We promise to be transparent and honest with you, absolutely zero greenwashing here! You also get to support a company that is supporting your community. We make donations to local community organizations (some past donations have been to: Corner Shower and Laundry; Keep Growing Detroit; Affirmations; Make Food Not Waste Detroit, Planet Detroit) and we host educational workshops, and share resources. If you have some ideas for ways that we can help support our community, give us a holler! We are here to support the community and we are so grateful to you for supporting us!

 

Q: I'm so busy that it's hard for me to make it in, can I still get refills?

A: Our local delivery option allows you to have the zero waste goods you need delivered right to your doorstep! Local delivery is fast, free for orders $25+ and is a great option for busy lives. Bulk liquid refills come by default in sanitized community donation containers. If you would like them in a deposit jar or a purchased bottle, add them to your cart and send a 'note to seller' to let us know which items you would like in which container. Please leave a cooler out on your porch once you place your order (delivery is same day up to four days) to protect your goods from weather and nosy squirrels (yes, they've been known to steal a lotion bar or two). If you live in a locked apartment building, please let us know where is best/safest to leave your package.

 

Q: I love this idea but I don't have a refillery in my community. What can I do?

A: Never fear! This model is growing, so let's definitely keep spreading the word and building this circular economy! Check out the directory Litterless to see if you already have an option in your area. We now offer shipping for folks who are outside of this local community and still want zero waste goods. We ship plastic-free, using the USPS (because they are already coming to your doorstep every day, so no added drives) and you have the option of additionally making your delivery carbon-neutral. Shipping is free for orders $100+.

 

Q: What does 'closed loop' mean?

A: Closed loop means that a supplier takes their shipping container back to sanitize and reuse. Most of our suppliers operate with this model, and the ones that don't either only use already repurposed containers, or we have a repurpose in place.

 

Have a question you don’t see here? Shoot us an email: together@walkinglightly.net and we’ll get you an answer. Thanks for being here to read this! We’re really grateful for your interest.