Sustain LA
Sustain LA is a woman-owned social enterprise dedicated to zero waste and founded in 2009. Our mission is to change human behavior of consumption so we can restore the natural balance of the planet.
In 2018, we opened the first zero waste refill station in Los Angeles, California. What started as a pop up at local farmers' markets has grown to our busy, flagship brick-and-mortar. As a refill station, we offer household cleaners and body care products in a refillable setting- and you're welcome to bring your own containers for refilling! We also have a large selection of plastic-free home goods. Shop in-store or online. We offer local delivery and shipping.
When it's safe to do so, we love zero waste events of all sizes. Right now, micro-events for your pod or family are our jam. We offer affordable rentals of real plates, glassware, utensils, napkins + more, and we'll even do the dishes! Choose contact-free pick up or delivery.
Find out even more at sustainla.com.
Thank you for your inspiration and support!
Flash forward through Leslie's nearly twenty years of experience in the food and beverage industry, where as a restaurant manager she witnessed first hand the disconnect between sustainable business practices and the disposable reality of the present. Perceived convenience was corrupting us, and a never ending supply of single-use products filling the garbage was the result. She knew it didn't need to be this way. Things needed to change, and she decided to do something about it.
After orchestrating numerous sustainable improvements at a notable Silver Lake restaurant, Leslie founded Sustain LA in 2009 as a means to put into action zero waste solutions for businesses, events and individuals in the greater Los Angeles area. She has been growing and improving Sustain LA ever since.
Leslie has been involved in, studying and practicing sustainability and zero waste for over ten years. On her path to founding Sustain LA, she completed UCLA Extension’s Global Sustainability program (Earned with Distinction), as well as becoming a Certified Sustainable Recycling and Resource Management Professional with the California Resource Recovery Association in 2010. She was a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Green Associate from 2010-2014, and holds an AA in Environmental Studies from Santa Monica College with Honors.
She is a founding coalition member of Don’t Waste LA and a member of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council Food Waste Prevention and Rescue Working Group. In addition to operating Sustain LA, she is currently pursuing a Food Studies Certificate, UCLA Extension, focusing on food insecurity, surplus food rescue and transparency in food labeling- with the goal to reduce food insecurity and food waste and increase ongoing sustainable solutions for businesses and local communities in Los Angeles.
Leslie and her husband have called Los Angeles their home for twenty years. Together with their daughter (a mini but fierce zero waste warrior and their true inspiration for a sustainable future!), and their cat, they enjoy a zero waste lifestyle, public transportation, and of course plenty of time in the great outdoors, where her zero waste dream was born.