Living a Zero-Waste Lifestyle Imperfectly

This past week, I gave a workshop at my school chronicling my evolution to living a zero-waste lifestyle...imperfectly. Living a zero-waste life was such a stretch that when I first learned about it, it was so daunting that I didn't even think to try. But I came across this quote, and thought to myself, "Now, this is do-able."

I started slowly, replacing a couple of things I used daily with alternatives that either did not produce any trash, or at the least, did not produce any plastic. Over time, the list started to grow and as you can see from my inventory, I now use a lot of things that do not produce any trash, and a smaller list that does not produce any plastic. My advice is just to start. And being imperfect is the name of the game. Over time, you will will find a groove, a norm, and it gets easier and easier to find zero-waste alternatives. And while making this presentation, I realized that I take the trash out every 1.5 months now. And because I compost all of my food waste, the garbage does not smell. Just start. Just start.

Know your why. What is your reason for doing this? What is inspiring you? What is your why for making life less convenient, more expensive, and spending time researching and finding zero-waste alternative. Knowing your why will get you through the rough patches, or convince you to spend $6 on zero-waste lip balm versus $3 for a plastic lip balm. I share my why in the following slide.

The slides have links to articles, podcasts and videos relating to waste and environmental justice. Give them a look and/or listen and let me know what you think. If you have any questions, please reach out, and I am happy to help. I want more people living a zero-waste lifestyle imperfectly. 

Link to slideshow:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1frFX9F1SKl_xmKCTE2poFTx-g0Fo-TcxbdfkN7b4mdM/edit?usp=sharing