Do GOOD, Feel GOOD: Our Mindful Beach Cleanup with Sambazon

We love hosting events for so many reasons - the excitement of planning something new, meeting speakers and getting to learn from them, and seeing guests walk in the door as strangers and walk out as friends. Once the adrenaline from the day wears off, the most satisfying part of our job comes later, when we get emails saying how “The GOOD Fest gave me the courage to start my blog/launch my business/stand up for myself/try something new” etc. Yes - the thrill of building something is amazing, but the thrill of knowing you made a difference in someone’s life is everything. 

Needless to say, when we got the opportunity to build a community event with Sambazon, we were OVER THE MOON. We’ve been working with Sambazon for years (even if you don’t know who they are by name - if you’ve ever had an acai bowl, it was likely made with Sambazon’s products). They are a company with true ethos - they are dedicated to organic and fair trade practices, donate proceeds back to the community they work in to build schools and renovate healthcare, and use their resources to protect endangered species in the Amazon Rainforest (where acai berries come from!). Sambazon’s newest initiative is to share #bitesizedgoodness - cause no, we don’t all have the time or resources to save the Amazon, but we can choose to spread goodness in our every day life: whether that means volunteering, or simply spending time with a loved one, taking time for self care, or sharing a meal with a friend. 

So what do you get when you put Sambazon and GOOD together?

A MINDFUL BEACH CLEAN UP PARTY!

We rallied an amazing group of LA locals to spend an afternoon connecting to mother earth, discussing sustainability, cleaning up Manhattan Beach, and snacking on Sambazon’s new perfect summer treat: Superfruit Acai Bites. 

We started the day with a meditation at The Well, led by the founders of Rooted Beings. Erica and Chelsey led us through a meditation that deepened our appreciation for the planet, made us more mindful of how we impact the earth, and encouraged us to bring a little more #bitesizedgoodness into every day of our lives.

Because why skip a snack when you don’t have to - we grabbed some Superfruit Acai Bites in the garden before heading down to the beach to make our cleaning sweep! These frozen bites are REALLY good and so refreshing on a hot day - like ice cream, but better - plus they are vegan, gluten free, organic, fair trade, and only 50 calories and 4g of sugar. 

To be honest, being that it was a gorgeous, busy day with a ton of people on the beach - we were kind of worried that the trash would already have been picked up. Unfortunately, that was super wrong. Even with so many people walking on/by the litter on the ground, there was still A LOT. From plastic bottles to food wrappers and discarded toys - we found it all. And we thought, are people leaving this stuff on purpose, or are they just not paying attention? Are they just not mindful of what impact they leave behind?

PSA people: please pick up after yourself on the beach. And a fun rule we came up with while cleaning up? Every time you walk down to the water just to enjoy it, on your way off the beach, challenge yourself to find 5 pieces of trash/recycling to pick up. If everyone did that, how much better of a spot would our beaches be in?

Once our bags were full - we headed back to The Well to celebrate the GOOD we accomplished. Our attendees grabbed some last bites (honestly, we should have eaten more than the 4 we did) and snapped pics in front of our photo wall, designed by @michellewudesign and made completely out of recycled materials. 

The biggest takeaway from this event? That it’s SO easy to do GOOD, and maybe sadly, that it’s apparently easy NOT to as well. So let’s raise the world’s vibration a little higher by being mindful of bringing #bitesizedgoodness to our everyday. GOOD can be as simple as spreading some love by smiling at a stranger, or holding open a door, or picking up a piece of trash when you’re walking down the street. Those little moments ADD UP. Whatever #bitesizedgoodness is most important to you - make it a priority to bring more into your life, and spread it, so that others start spreading it as well. Even if it just means sharing a Superfruit Acai Bite with a friend - it’s the little things that make the world a better place.

You can find Samabazon’s Superfruit Acai Bites at a retailer near you by following this link HERE.

And be sure to follow @Sambazon on IG and share your #BiteSizedGoodness all summer long!