Getting to know Fungi led me on the path to believing that, I too, had the ability to be a steward of the planet.

On my 25th birthday while working as a barista in NYC, I decided to take on the challenge of being trash free.

Hello - I’m Stevie! This probably has taken me a while to write but here we go. Once upon a time, on my 25th birthday while working as a barista in NYC, I decided to take on the challenge of being trash free. Yeah, I was that kinda girl, haha. What sparked this was my friend and hobby mycologist, Nico, always ranting and raving about how amazing mushrooms and fungi were. He let me borrow a book all about mycelium and I was hooked!

What specifically blew me away was how these quiet yet powerful underground mycelia and fungi beings do SO much for our existence. They are recyclers, regenerators, and communicators of the natural world, and without them, we probably wouldn’t exist in the way that we do. Anyways, getting to know Fungi led me on the path to believing that, I too, had the ability to be a steward of the planet like a little mushroom is!

SO this trash free journey meant using up everything in my house that was in plastic, and replacing them with zero waste items. Enter in skin care! 


I found it so hard to find a trash free and responsible lotion that was good for my incredibly sensitive face

Throughout this time, I found it so hard to find a trash free and responsible lotion that was good for my incredibly sensitive face: something that was nutrient dense, gentle, with clean ingredients. In my later teens and early twenties, I had acne and rashes all over my face that lead to scarring, early loss of elasticity, and dark hyperpigmentation, so finding something that worked for me was an obsession.

This led me to take matters into my own hands and to create something perfect for me. I started by taking a train to visit small organic farmers at various markets and organic co-ops. Then I started doing trial and error crafting in my kitchen. After perfecting the recipe, I did a little dance and proclaimed “I HAVE DONE IT - I found my ride or die - I shall never use another lotion on my face again!” What was crazy was that my face literally started glowing, my hyperpigmentation began fading, and I began to realize that anything I used previously was inferior - and it all had to do with happy ingredients.  After this - I would take dreamy monthly trips to restock ingredients for my next personal batch; in complete bliss.


It wasn’t until someone asked me to make it for them that I even considered selling it.

It wasn’t until someone asked me to make it for them that I even considered selling it. HECK! Why not? If one or even a few people want one, I can make it for them! So I drew the label one night and took it to print at my local print press. That week I made a batch of 25 lotions in my kitchen, and it sold out in under a minute - whoa! The most nerve-wracking part was waiting for the reviews to see if anyone liked it, and low and behold, it has transformed so many people's lives just as much as it has transformed mine! The first year was a year of making 50-100 lotions at a time that would take me days of crafting, having them sell out in seconds, and doing it all over again. Wow.



After almost a year of this craziness, my friend Sophie was recruited as the second member of Yay for Earth and our lives changed forever. I would create the magical golden potion in my Brooklyn kitchen, and she would print the shipping labels and pack them out, while we listened to podcasts and daydreamed. The growth has been so amazing that after years of making it myself in my personal kitchen, we were able to afford a YFE space to make lotions for you all more efficiently! Now we are a team of three, including my cousin.

Our hope is to illustrate that a single product can serve as a testament to the interconnected beauty of our skin and the planet.

As proud as we are of the positive impact Yay for Earth has on people's skin, our hope is to illustrate that a single product can serve as a testament to the interconnected beauty of our skin and the planet we call home. To finish off this story - I want to let you, the customer, reader and friend, know that I am so continuously amazed by the outpouring of love from you - you make this space wonderful and truly add to this community - and I'm forever grateful for the journey we're on together. We are nothing without you and you have created this business as much as we have!