Ashlee Piper
Ashlee Piper is a sustainability expert, TV personality, author and globally recognized speaker whose work has been featured on 310+ television segments, including The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, LIVE with Kelly & Mark, and CNN, and in VOGUE, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Marie Claire, The Atlantic, and Newsweek. Her 2025 title, No New Things, has been hailed by Katie Couric as “transformational”.
She’s consulted on sustainability practices with well-known companies such as Airbnb, LUSH, Nissan and Eileen Fisher, has been a cabinet-level advisor to two Massachusetts Governors and is a judge for the Marie Claire Sustainability Awards. Piper has spoken at the United Nations, SXSW and has a popular TED Talk. She is also the creator of the #NoNewThings Challenge, which received a 2022 Silver Stevie Award for Best Nonprofit Innovation and was recently published by Celadon Books.
Piper has been a Professor of Sustainability Marketing at Loyola University Chicago, eco instructor for LinkedIn Learning and holds a BA from Brown University, an MSc in Evidence-Based Social Intervention from the University of Oxford, UK and an MA in Holistic Health from IIN/Columbia University.
She lives in Chicago with Skip, an 18-pound cat she found behind a dumpster, in a home that’s 98% secondhand. You can find her drinking Sugar-Free Red Bull and vodka and singing Seal’s ‘Kiss From A Rose’ at any not-so-fine karaoke establishment.
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From award-winning sustainability expert Ashlee Piper, a witty, no-nonsense guide to regaining control over your time, consumerist impulses, and financial and mental wellness
For nearly two years, Ashlee Piper challenged herself to buy nothing new. And in the process, she got out of debt, cut clutter, crushed her goals, and became healthi...Read More
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e-Book
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It’s time to put your good intentions into action. It’s time to give a shit — about your health, your footprint, and your planet.
Give a Sh*t guides you through the transition to a kinder, healthier, more conscious, and sustainable life like no book has done before. With a humorous and nonjudgmental tone, savvy eco-friendly lifest...Read More
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10 Easy Eco Habits Anyone Can Adopt Right Now
Ashlee Piper is often asked what the most impactful, low-lift habits are that anyone can adopt to live a more sustainable life. In this engaging and interactive talk, Ashlee walks folk through not only the habit shifts that pack a positive impact for the planet, but exactly what that impact is. Attendees will leave with tangible, fun-and-easy-to-implement habit shifts that will make their lives less stressful, save them money and create positive momentum for the planet.
Why YOU are Powerful in Saving the Planet
We’ve often been told that macro shifts in industry and government are the only way to save the planet. And while those are essential, few of us are heads of state or captains of industry. So what are we to do? With climate anxiety on the rise, doing nothing and giving into apathy has proven to just exacerbate the problem. In this talk, Piper leverages decades of research on how individual intervention is an effective and powerful flywheel in saving the planet and creating positive collective change. Attendees will leave feeling inspired and having reconnected with their personal power and the hope that springs eternal when we start taking individual action and come together.
No New Things: What two years of buying nothing new taught me (and you!)
In 2013, Ashlee bought no new things. That’s right; she was seeking a lifestyle challenge that was aligned with her sustainability values and that would also elucidate our consumerist culture and her shopping triggers, so she created one! During this year, she lessened burden on the planet, paid off debt, saved nearly $36,000 and remade her life to its healthiest and most productive and joyful state, all by cutting out the time-, monetary- and mental burden of stuff. In this talk, Ashlee will walk you through her #NoNewThings Challenge, how she did it, how you can do it (for however long you want), and share the data on how simply being aware of and wrangling our consumerist impulses can save the planet and give us the better, richer lives we’re seeking.
Consumerism, Marketing and Climate Change: The intersections of what we buy, how we buy and the climate crisis
Post-WW2 Industrialization marked a significant change in the American Dream, which set off a ripple effect in industry production, consumer behavior and general zeitgeist. Piper will take audiences on an engaging and interesting historical tour of how American consumer culture transformed from one of measured consumption to one of excess, planned obsolescence and how that shift accelerated climate change and how we can turn the tide.
Marketing to a New Generation: Communicating Sustainability to Future Consumers
As a Professor of Sustainability Marketing and sought-after consultant to companies large and small, Piper has a lot of experience in messaging corporate sustainability initiatives, products and services in a resonant way to a variety of consumer groups. In this session, Piper will show companies and organizations how to identify and better understand their audiences, choose mediums and channels accordingly and how those audiences require different messaging and approaches to create a resonant and successful sustainability initiative and public uptake. This is a perfect session for anyone, whether in corporate, government, non-profit or political campaigns, who wants to learn the basics of turning regular corporate ESG jargon or product-speak into something that will create genuinely devoted and invested consumers.
“I saved $36,000 by not buying anything new – here are seven reasons you should do the same”
“Embracing a No-Buy Lifestyle Is Easier Than You Think”
“New book shows you how to save more and spend less”
“How to Stop Buying Things You Don’t Need”
“The Next Big Idea Club’s April 2025 Must-Read Books”
“Tips for consuming less in 2025”
“How to Finally Clean Out Your Closet”
“What Homeowners Can Do To Stem Climate Change”
“24 best refillable products that’ll help you reduce, reuse & recycle”
“11 best zero-waste beauty products for looking good while doing good”
“How to Shop Eco-Friendly Beauty, According to Sustainability Experts”
“13 Products to Make Your Life More Eco-Friendly With Barely Any Effort”
“Earth Day 2023: How to Make Your Beauty Routine More Eco-Friendly”
“Should you shop at big retailers or directly through brands? We asked sustainability experts”
“ABC Chicago: How No New Things Helps You & The Planet”
“The 9 Best Sustainable Furniture Brands to Shop”
“NBC Boston: Sustainable Living Advice from An Expert”
“NBC The Hub/NECN, No New Things”
“How to Make Your Beauty Routine Sustainable”
“As social media creators push overconsumption, some question whether ‘eco’ influencing is possible”
“We Asked 4 Climate Activists for Their Favorite Sustainable Tips — And They’re So Doable”
“Here are 6 tips for keeping yourself & the planet healthy”
“Most Inspiring Quotes About Nature”
“Our campus was so excited to welcome Ashlee! Without a doubt, she lived up to expectations and did not disappoint. Her presence brought together individuals across campus that were both passionate about sustainability efforts, or were just curious to learn more about how small changes can make large impacts. Regardless of their experience with sustainability, everyone in the audience was captivated by Ashlee’s enthusiasm, knowledge, relatability, and humor. The way Ashlee was able to educate and engage the audience was remarkable, and her passion was absolutely contagious. We would be thrilled to have her back for another speaking engagement.”
— Florida Gulf Coast University Common Read Program
“Ashlee has a distinct talent for being richly informative about complex topics and offering tangible takeaways that can make a difference in everyday life, all while having fun and showing empathy along the way.”
— Matthew Monaghan, President, Scotts Miracle-Gro Employee Green Team
“Attendees thoroughly enjoyed Ashlee’s presentation and appreciated how she simplified complex subjects. The insights she shared were valuable and the feedback from our team has been positive.”
— KPMG
“Ashlee’s engaging, easy to understand and impactful. Not only was she extremely knowledgeable about the topic, but she is also hilarious which kept it light and fun! Employees walked away with a bucketful of simple, accessible ways that they can incorporate eco-conscious behaviors into their daily lives. The subject can feel intimidating, but Ashlee presented it in such an approachable way!”
— Tani Drootin, Amika and Eve NYC
“Ashlee is a refreshing natural at making sustainability easy to understand, fun, and, best of all, engaging. We partnered with her to introduce the sustainability mindset to our global employees and Ashlee instantly had our team feeling empowered to take action. She’s professional, prepared, polished, and answered questions with ease. We would highly recommend Ashlee to instill eco-friendly understanding to any corporate community”
— Jessica Thomas, Director of ESG Activision Blizzard
“While I knew she was good, I was blown away by Ashlee’s presentation. Poised, funny, and so much knowledge! My favorite part is where she met us on our level. While she knows how to be a true green warrior, she doesn’t make you feel bad about where you are in your environmental journey. She lifts you up all the while motivating you to do better. She had us laughing and learning, and so many of our people separately told me how much they enjoyed her coming in. Do not hesitate to book! You will learn so much and have a fun time too!”
— Andrea Harrison, Facilities Coordinator & Green Team Member, 84.51
“We’ve hosted an annual Sustainability Symposium for a decade, keynoted by esteemed sustainability experts, elected officials, award-winning authors, climate scientists, and cultural influencers. Ashlee is one of our favorite presenters. Her easy, casual style is compelling and engaging. She is a terrific storyteller, and she has mastered the art of boiling down complex concepts into digestible, colorful vignettes. We rarely invite people to present two years in a row at the Symposium, but we just didn’t get enough of Ashlee last year, so we asked her to come back this year!”
— Sara Gutterman, Green Builder Media
“Ashlee left a lasting impact on the audience with her contagious energy and enthusiasm. She effectively engaged the team throughout her entire time on stage. Not only did Ashlee educate the staff, but she also provided practical tips for starting their own environmental journey.”
— Tammy Coakley, Spa Bleu & Day of Inspiration
“Ashlee provided an informative, engaging, and inspirational experience for our members. We value providing our community with high-quality content and Ashlee was exactly that!”
— Mar Soraparu, BIAN Chicago
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