My dearest friend Lucie is an inspiring and talented young woman, as you will read from her article below. I’m very happy to share her Zero Waste Journey and also honoured that she’s chosen my blog to tell you all about it.
My journey to Zero Waste started around a month ago. The reason? I can’t really remember. What I know is that it did not just clicked from one day to another but when I started to look at the amount of garbage I throw away after a day at the office for instance, the guilt slowly started to take over. Then the will to make everyone around me feel as guilty as I was became even stronger, but I quickly came to the conclusion that it wasn’t the way to go.
The internet is full of tips about how to go Zero Waste, and the more you read the more you realise that they are easy and quick ways to help you move on and take actions.
I kicked off in the bathroom. A very easy room to move away from plastic! Yes, easy it was… from shampoo bar, reusable cotton pads to bar soap and solid deodorant, my bathroom rapidly started to look very minimalistic with no more containers! I was proud, very proud until the day I opened the cupboard underneath the sink and got totally horrified by all the stuff I accumulated over the years which I totally forgot about. The number of deodorants (in plastic container of course), hand creams, face masks, sun cream, toothpaste tubes…all opened and barely used… the feeling of guilt hit me again. While I am proud of quickly changing the habit to only use solid stuff, I am now forcing myself to finish all tubes which I accumulated and never finished. It’s a very painful exercise I tell you. But when I get to the end of it, I’ll have more room (to use for towels for instance), my bank account will be happier and I’ll stop compulsive purchases (just because it is smells nice or because the hand cream offers what the one I already own does not have). I am not 100% there yet in this room but I listed everything I use and need and for each of them I am looking at alternative options that produce the least waste.
Next step is the kitchen, which also offers easy and quick changes such as reusable kitchen roll. While there are options, the kitchen is an area where it is easy to produce waste. So on top of tangible changes, I also made a list of principles such as eating less take away or buying only stuff in glass container that I can then reuse to store food in the fridge. One benefit of going through this process is that not only will you reduce the amount of waste but also your lifestyle will automatically become healthier. Indeed, you’ll cook more and you’ll buy more veggies and fruits as they don’t (always) come in containers. Also, you’ll buy beauty products which are more natural so better for your skin too.
I am now facing the challenge of finding a way to encourage people around me to go for it but it is not easy. You don’t want to sound like the green hippie in the room, do you!
For Christmas (period where the amount of waste produce must go up greatly), I am planning to get my family classes, courses, tickets to cultural or sport events, and avoid buying stuff as much as possible. Again, there is another benefit of doing this if it is not for the environment. This kind of presents will become a nice memory and give your loved ones a time to focus on something which they will like, learn, live and maybe even share. After all this is what life is about… I am not sure a fancy coffee machine can become a nice memory. For kids it can be a little be more tricky but there are wooden toys and other eco-friendly presents available.
So here we are, my journey to zero waste is just the beginning. What about you? fancy a Zero Waste challenge? starting small with just 1 day challenge maybe. I can only assure you, it will be a wonderful and rewarding journey.
Thank you for reading.
Lucie