How We Give Back at Happenstence
Our approach to giving back
We would rather show you the wiring than sell you a feeling. Giving back at Happenstence runs on a few specific programs with specific mechanics, and we would rather explain exactly how each one works than wave at a vague promise. Some of it touches every sale. Some of it is tied to a particular choice you make. The honest move is to tell you which is which, so here it is.
Refill with Impact: refills plant trees
Our refill program is called Refill with Impact, and the idea is simple. Refill your wellness, reforest the world. When you choose a recyclable eco-refill pouch instead of a new bottle, that specific purchase funds tree planting. Here is the math, out in the open. We direct $1.29 from each refill to Earth Lungs at roughly $0.43 per tree, which comes out to three trees planted per pouch. The trees are mangroves planted in Kenya, in one of the largest continuous mangrove ecosystems in the world, and the planting is tracked through GoodAPI with monthly verified certificates so the count is confirmed rather than taken on our word.
One honest note that matters: only refills plant trees. A first-time bottle or a one-off order does not. We tied the tree funding to the refill on purpose, because refilling is the choice that keeps a container in service instead of sending it to landfill. The pouches are ink-stamped with no labels or adhesives, they cut shipping weight, and you pay the same price as the full-size product. Same potency, smaller footprint.
Or clean up the ocean instead
Trees are the default on a refill, but they are not the only option. If you would rather your impact go to the water, you can direct a refill toward ocean-plastic cleanup instead of tree planting. That contribution is five cents per bottle removed from waterways, and like the trees it is tracked and reported monthly. Trees or bottles, the choice is yours, and either way the refill is doing more than just saving you a little money.
The Analogies Block: "The Jar by the Door"
Think of these contributions like a jar by the door that everyone drops into. A dollar twenty-nine here, a nickel there, none of it looks like much on its own. But a jar that fills order after order becomes real trees in real soil and real bottles out of real water. Small, on purpose, and it adds up because there are a lot of us reaching in.
1% of every sale, your choice at checkout
Separate from the refill program, we give 1% of every sale to registered charity, and this one touches everything you buy from us, not just refills. It comes entirely out of our end. There is no surcharge added to your cart, no transaction fee skimmed off the top, and 100% each donation passes through to the cause.
You pick where it goes at checkout, from three vetted organizations we believe in. 1% for the Planet is a global network of businesses that fund certified environmental nonprofits, with independently verified giving, and it is the default if you do not choose. The Central Texas Food Bank keeps the giving close to home in Austin, as the largest hunger-relief organization in Central Texas. And the Soil Health Institute advances the science of regenerative agriculture and healthy soil, which happens to trace back to one of Cooper's old soil professors. Whichever you choose, the one percent is ours to give, not yours to cover.
The pouches themselves
The refill pouches are recyclable. We want to be careful with that word, because the tempting thing in this industry is to reach for a bigger claim than the material earns. The pouch is a recyclable eco-refill pouch. It is not compostable, and we are not going to call it that. Calling it what it is keeps us honest and keeps you from tossing it in a bin where it does not belong.
A note on our counters
You will not find a fixed total in this post for trees planted, bottles removed, or dollars donated. That is deliberate. Those numbers change constantly, and a figure typed into a blog post goes stale the day after it is written. Instead we keep live counters on our website that update as the work happens. If you want the real current numbers, that is the place to look, and you should be able to check our claims against them any time.
FAQ - Giving Back
1. How do the trees actually get planted?
We fund planting through Earth Lungs, which plants mangroves in Kenya. Each refill directs $1.29 at about $0.43 per tree, which works out to three trees. The planting is tracked through GoodAPI with monthly verified certificates from Veritree, so the count is confirmed rather than taken on our word.
2. Does every order plant trees?
No. Only refills plant trees. We tied the tree funding specifically to the refill pouch because refilling is the choice that keeps a container in use, and we would rather reward that than make a broad claim we cannot back up on every order.
3. Can I choose where my impact goes?
Yes. On a refill you can send the impact to tree planting or to ocean-plastic cleanup instead. And for the 1% of every sale, you choose the cause at checkout from three options: 1% for the Planet, the Central Texas Food Bank, or the Soil Health Institute. If you do not pick, it defaults to 1% for the Planet.
4. Does the 1% cost me anything extra?
No. The 1% of every sale comes out of our end. There is no surcharge added to your cart and no transaction fee, and 100% of it passes through to the organization you choose.
5. Are the pouches compostable?
No. The pouches are recyclable, not compostable. We call them recyclable eco-refill pouches because that is what they are, and we would rather be accurate than optimistic.
Further Reading for the Curious
- Refill with Impact Tree Program
- Happenstence 1% charity pledge
- The Ultimate Composting Guide
-
How to Brew Compost Tea at Home
The Bottom Line: We would rather tell you exactly how our giving works, limits and all, than sell you a warm feeling, and a recyclable eco-refill pouch is one small, honest way to plant a few trees or pull a few bottles from the water along the way.
This content is for educational and informational purposes only. Program details and impact figures reflect current information and may change; see our website for the latest.
