Abigail Harvey is the perfect example of the adage, "Think globally, act locally." The owner of Fount and Fill in Columbia believes one person can make a difference when it comes to environmental impact.

"We are dealing with things I remember hearing about in science class in second grade - the ozone layer, our carbon footprint," she said. "I was concerned about it then. Now, more than ever, more people are aware of how our behavior affects the environment."

With that in mind, Harvey started living a low-waste lifestyle in 2019, replacing plastics with glass containers and purchasing reusable items instead of one-time-use products such as paper towels.

"It really started more out of necessity," she recalled, noting that she was living in a small apartment in Lancaster city at the time and she loathed taking multiple bags of trash down three flights of stairs. "I wanted to have only one bag of trash a week."

She used glass containers to refill products, taking advantage of a local market that offered bulk items such as laundry detergent and dish soap.

When she and her husband, Jacob, moved to Columbia, she missed the market's proximity, and she thought about going into business for herself, focused on providing refillable and environmentally friendly products.

She participated in in the Idea Incubator program through ASSETS in Lancaster, graduated from the program in 2022, and launched her business with a series of pop-up locations in the county.

She currently has a permanent stand at Columbia Market House, 15 S. Third St., and also works as the executive director of the Lebanon Valley Conservancy.

From the beginning, she also wanted to create a mobile refilling business, bringing access to low-waste living to more people. "I wanted to be able to do home deliveries, where people set their bottles out and I come and refill them, kind of thinking of the milkman model," she said.

She recently launched home refill services, offering customizable options for how often and how much people need.

At her market stand, she partners with women-owned, U.S.-based businesses that share her passion for environmental stewardship. Customers can purchase one of her glass containers or bring their own to fill up on household products such as all-purpose cleaner or personal-care products such as shampoo. She also sells environmentally friendly items such as dryer balls and pan scrubbers.

A 2012 graduate of Penn Manor High School, Harvey grew up as a self-described "tree hugger." She still enjoys getting outside as much as possible with her husband and their dogs.

She emphasizes that anyone can adopt the low-waste lifestyle and fit it to fill their unique needs.

"We hear all these negative things, all these scary things about the environment. It's all doom and gloom," she said. "It's important to see that there are things we can do as individuals. It's not our fault or our responsibility to make up for all the things that got us into this mess, but I do think we can make a difference in our community and our impact on the environment, at least locally."

From there, she said, change can have a ripple effect.

"If we can make a difference in our local environment, that can go statewide, and then that can go larger than that," she explained. "It only takes one person to start doing something new, and then it becomes the new way to do something."

For more information on Fount and Fill, search for the business on Facebook or visit https://fount-and-fill-llc.square.site.