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FAQ

    1. Shipping isn’t very eco-friendly, is it? Yes and no.  Transportation is constantly evolving to be more sustainable with better emission controls, however planes, trains, boats and trucks still use fossil fuels.  The Ardent Habitat®️ sources products that are sustainable, and will come in eco-friendly recycled or biodegradable packaging.  As for transportation, depending on what option you elect to ship your product, it will most likely move by ground travel.   If you are local, we deliver within a 5 mile radius, however it makes sense logistically and to control carbon emissions to utilize UPS since they already are “going that way anyways”.  The Ardent Habitat® reviews our annual shipment counts and calculates  the CO2 emissions to offset these emissions by planting urban trees until transportation can be totally made green.  You can also purchase a tree for $1.00 upon check out.
    2. Shouldn’t I just buy everything locally?  Yes, if you can, and you should.  Some things you can’t get locally, however.  Your locale would have to be sitting upon the raw materials to start with, and then produce the goods from the ground up.  If your locale does not have the raw materials, then the material would have to be imported, which brings us back to transportation and CO2 emissions.  
    3. Can I have a sticker to put on my car? We currently do not have any stickers, and most stickers contain plastic coatings.  To make an eco friendly sticker sounds nice, but it would biodegrade quickly when it rains on your car.  I suggest you visit www.livlyszykprints.com for some awesome stickers.  
    4. Taxes, why am I being charged taxes?  Because you live in Michigan or Kansas, Dorothy and I am obligated to collect taxes in both of these states.  All other folks in the other 48 states must report their online purchases to their own respective state when they file their annual taxes.  Don't be a cheap dirtbag, please report all your online purchases, your state needs that money to make nice smooth roads and maintain natural resources so you can enjoy it with your friends and family!  
    5. I live in a different country other than the United States, why do I have to pay for customs, along with duty and taxes?  Customs fees, duty and taxes are not included, because I do not have authority to clear goods in your country, nor can I pay the taxes for your goods.  Customs fees, duty and taxes will not be included in the price of the goods, or shipping - that's between you and your local government.  Most likely your order is already coming out of your area and doesn't require customs formalities.  
    6. Why is my order taking so long to get here?  If you live in the United States, you have probably seen how the United States Postal Service has had budget problems, and political problems that is out of the workers control.  It is a mess.  I highly suggest emailing or calling the post office and asking where your package is.  That usually gets them moving.  Their email is uspscustomersupport@usps.gov.  They know your frustration, and they will probably send you an automatic and generic email, however you may see updates online after the email is sent which is promising.  Fedex and UPS are also dealing with their own troubles as well since they work with the Post office too, and have had staff shortages due to Covid.  Be persistent.  We truly understand, as we want you to get your product quickly, and enjoy it as much as we do.   
    7. My package came with plastic!  We try to select products that are eco, however not every vendor is completely eco friendly when it comes to shipping material.  We still believe in the product you will receive, and we will continue to communicate with the manufacturer our beliefs.  Right now, there is only 1 product that has plastic, which is a plant based biodegradable plastic used for some shave soaps.  The tape we use is recycled, or biodegradable.  
    8. My soaps, and conditioners,  came wrapped only in a brown paper band! This is the other side of the spectrum, in which we have hardcore eco-conscious vendors who make every effort to avoid plastic consumption. This is as natural as it can get, which is the goal.  The soap may crumble if there are raw oats inside, and may not look all polished and perfect, which is more perfect! 
    9. Are your soaps vegan?  Some are, some are not.  Please read the ingredients.   We have a few goat milk soap bars.  We definitely offer vegan.  
    10. Hey, my order came from China!  Why?  Some products are manufactured in China because that is where bamboo is grown and Bamboo is banned from being grown in many states in the USA because it would be invasive.   
    11. I used the shampoo bar and conditioner bar, and my hair is so dry!  This is normal.  I suggest that you spray in a leave in conditioner, or lightly mist in a hair oil after you wash your hair, and comb from the bottom up.  Do not comb from the top down, unless the goal is to rip your hair out.  Our conditioner bars also help alleviate this.  
    12. The beautiful candle I ordered is so small! Please always look at the ounces and compare with any candles you may already have.  As a small business, I buy materials in bulk, however unless I grow 6 more arms to speed up production, I cannot possibly get any cheaper.  Plus, don’t you want to support an American owned small business?  
    13.  Why do you market yourself as zero waste company when you sell animal products?  Because, your definition of zerowaste is much more extreme than ours, and the whole world is not on board with your version. We “strive” to achieve zero waste by selling products that eliminate single use plastics that end up in our ecosystem and do not biodegrade.  We have a diverse customer base of omnivores, vegetarians, pescatarian, and vegans, and we aim to sell products that fit into their lifestyle.  We encourage and do not shame folks for taking baby steps in their daily lives to reduce, re-use and recycle.  We seek environmental harmony.  Before you start shaming us for not meeting your militant definition, think about how many you have just alienated with your narrow and ill informed definition?  We all need to learn how to walk before we run.  I was a vegetarian for 10 years, however I never forced my lifestyle on others, instead if asked, my choice created good conversations.  Each person becomes a vegetarian or vegan for various reasons.  Mine is more so to do with rBGH, steroids, and antibiotics in meat that contribute to cancer, antibiotic resistance, and early onset of puberty.  I also care about methane gas that’s released into the environment, and I was a big supporter of smaller farms, organic farms, and economical cars that run on alternative bio fuels.  I wrote research papers on this in college as my mother was dying from cancer, and I tried gently convincing her about organic foods, which was a new thing.  I switched to a pescatarian diet at the age of 40 because quite frankly, I like fish.  I still eat vegetarian meals at least 4 times a week.  I do not shame any meat eaters, I only encourage that they support local small farms, and not factory farms and reduce how much meat they eat.  If someone decides to take a step further into the area of vegetarianism, or veganism, I applaud them.  That is their personal journey, and collectively we all can make little changes that make a great difference.  
    14. I donated $1.00 to One Tree Planted.  How do I know that one tree was really planted?  Good question!  We don't want to green wash you by telling you we are carbon neutral when we are shipping, or using animal products.  We do however want to offset carbon emissions.  You asked, and here is the link with all your questions to be answered on how that $1.00 is spent. One Tree Planted You deserve to have visibility on where your money is going when you donate!
    15. What happened to Free Shipping?  It wasn’t sustainable for my business model.  As a small business, I realized I am not in the market to compete with Walmart, or an Amazon. If you want cheap, go there.  If you want something thoughtfully made, and by someone you could call your neighbor, support my business.  After traveling across the USA, I can 100% say with confidence that towns without mom and pop shops are so generic looking, it’s sad.  Our cities and towns lose their character when big box stores overtake small businesses.  Aren’t you tired of looking at a Walmart, Dollar General, and McDonalds?  
    16. Are there Parabens, Phthalates, Sulfides, oh my? Our products do not contain Parabens or Phthalates.  Sulfides get a bad reputation because of their lab created counterparts.  Our shampoo bars are made with natural plant based Sulfides.  These are the Sulfides that make the suds to remove oil and dirt from your hair.  Without the bubbles, your hair will feel heavy, thick and gunky.  
    17. Do you test your products?  Yes, but not on animals.  All products are made in a sterile environment, and are unadulterated.  We only purchase skin safe fragrance oils and high quality skin safe ingredients that are cosmetic quality, and consistently prepare our products using our own handwritten secret recipe book that we won’t even store on a computer.  
      In a 5 day microbiology incubation test, our lip balms, and lotion bars registered at <10 CFU/g (ml) for bacteria and yeast colonies, well below the acceptable levels for cosmetics.  Lotion butter, and deodorant creams registered at 100 cfu/ml for bacteria and yeast cultures, again, well below the acceptable levels for cosmetics of 1000 cfu/ml. 
    18. Can I call you and tell you what I want and give you my credit card number over the phone?  Unfortunately we only take orders via our online store or in person with our point of sale software.  If you are able to email us and navigate websites, then there is no need to call and place an order outside of our safe and secure processing system.  We have carefully created an intuitive, safe and simple checkout process.  Our system analyzes purchases automatically for any fraud, and we believe this is a safe solution for all of our customers.  Any requests otherwise will not be considered.