Have you paid a visit yet to Eco Loka? If not, a wonderful discovery awaits you, especially if you are an environmentally conscious consumer. That’s something we would all ideally aspire to when you consider that, according to Global Citizen, Americans produce 3 times as much garbage as the global average! 

Eco Loka began, quite appropriately, as a matter of ecology. Professional yoga instructor Bonnie Pariser had initially opened Yoga Loka in Frenchtown NJ in 2003 to support the community that she loves. As part of the studio had previously been a retail shop, Bonnie used the space to offer a variety of items catering to her yoga clientele. But she had a larger dream, and she would soon enact it. 

Bonnie had long envisioned a local refill shop and decided to manifest it by opening one herself. She already had the perfect spot in the Yoga Loka space, and Eco Loka was born. And it fused perfectly with yoga, expressing a life stance of ahimsa, Sanskrit for non-violence—in this case, to our environment.

In creating and running her planet-friendly hybrid business, owner Bonnie Pariser is acting on her passion for sustainable living and conservation. Her business model reflects her understanding that “going green” is not about occasional choices, but rather small, daily actions that become second nature over time.   

They say you can’t consume your way to a more sustainable world. But, maybe you can if you do it right, that is. We all need certain daily essentials for our general well-being, and that of our families, and that makes us consumers. But there are many ways to obtain the products we need, as well as what kind of packaging we will accept. Or, whether we will settle for any planet-harming packaging at all! 

Eco Loka offers an easy, affordable way to equip yourself and your family with the products you use regularly without also buying environmentally damaging paper or plastic each time. This means that by simply meeting your daily needs, you are also part of the solution, helping to reduce the volume of packaging that ends up in landfills, incinerators, and our precious oceans. 

   The Eco Loka concept is simple. You either bring in or buy reusable containers of your choice and fill them with the personal care and household items you love. Bonnie carries a wide range of options, many hand-crafted in house, including: 

Shampoo/conditioner

Face & body crèmes/lotions

Massage oil

Dish soap

Laundry detergent

Dish soap 

Shower/bath cleaner

Automatic dishwasher powder

Oxy Boost stain remover

Eco Loka also specializes in unique gifts, such as lush crèmes and lotions you can customize with aromatic essential oils, as well as lovely natural items crafted on site, such as bath bombs, salt, shower steamers, and more. Your options abound if you wish to cultivate a soothing, relaxing, fragrant atmosphere in your living space, spa, yoga studio, or office. Bonnie’s products are 100% plant-based, free of parabens, chemicals, and other dubious additives, and made from clean, beneficial, natural ingredients to ensure they work as well, or better, than those plastic-encased, mass market products.

Through Eco Loka, Bonnie also nourishes the local community with fun events and gatherings, such as her “make and take” workshop, where she invites guests to assemble personalized “Intention Candles” using soy wax, essential oils, herbs/botanicals, precious stones, and other natural ingredients. 

Imagine if all our purchases were ethical and environmentally sustainable. Oh, what a world it could be. So, let’s “be the change we want to see,” one tiny action at a time. Future generations will thank us. Cheers to your eco-friendly life!

Location: 23 Race St., Frenchtown. Store hours: Thurs. 1-6pm; Fri. 1-5pm; Sat-Sun 12noon-5pm. Also, by appointment. For information contact Bonnie at 908-268-7430 (text is best) or [email protected]. EcoLoca.shop. See ad, page 21.