I selected this book thinking I would get new ideas to help save the sea turtles and our environment. What I didn't expect to get from it, was a new knowledge of just how harmful plastic can be to our health. Not all plastic is created equal and some types are worse than others. But reading this book gave me a basic understanding of how some plastics can leach into the foods and health items that they are stored in. It was enough to make me think twice about heating up plastic in the microwave, storing food in plastic and buying food wrapped in plastic. It also made me start to look for plastic-free alternatives to health and beauty items.
I was a little irked after reading this book. I was mad at companies and corporations for leading me to buy, buy, buy lots of plastic crap I didn't really need. But I realized who I really should be mad at was myself. I was the one making all those decisions. No one was holding me at gunpoint making me buy that stuff. This book taught me to be a smarter, more responsible consumer.
After reading this book, I needed and wanted to know even more about making healthier choices for my family and the environment. Doing some more research led me to the idea of zero waste lifestyles. Zero Waste can have different definitions depending on who you ask, but basically it means reusing products and preventing waste from being sent to landfills or ending up in oceans. I've since read several more books about the topic and the following are two I would highly recommend.
Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson
101 Ways To Go Zero Waste by Kathryn Kellogg
Like any new information, I took it all with a grain of salt. I know I won't be able to take every bit of their advice and our family's yearly waste will not fit in a single mason jar (like Bea Johnson and Lauren Singer). But I can definitely take some of their ideas. As Anne Marie Bonneau (a zero waste chef) has said, "We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly."
It can seem overwhelming once you have all this information. When you realize all the stuff you are doing to harm our planet and our health. And there are lots of different perspectives out there surrounding zero waste. Some people are only focused on the issues relating to health. Others may solely be focused on eliminating plastic. Yet others want to make sure the items they buy are produced sustainably, meaning the resources companies use to produce products are procured in a responsible way and they treat their workers well. Then there are folks focused on reducing their carbon footprint, which means they pay attention to the emissions companies put out while making and shipping products. I don't know about you, but my brain starts swirling when I try to consider all of this when trying to figure out the best kind of floss to buy! But there are a few guiding principles I now use that I've taken from different people to help move my family closer to being zero waste.
Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot and only in that order.
Bea Johnson bases her zero waste lifestyle around this principle and I have tried to adopt this principle too. I've tried to refuse what I don't need, reduce the things I do need, reuse items, recycle what I can and rot (or compost) what I can. I've tried to ask myself if I truly need something before I buy it. I've tried to reduce the things I do have to only what's essential. Giving the things I no longer need to friends and family or donating to charities is a good way to accomplish this. This also helps me simplify all the stuff in my home. I try to reuse what I have. For instance, I reuse salsa and marinara jars to store leftovers. I've learned exactly what my local recycling facility will accept and how to prepare the items so they will actually get recycled. I've also researched other ways to recycle items that aren't accepted in curbside recycling. And I have been composting our food scraps and some cardboard items in our backyard compost bin.
Personal sustainability matters.
Kathryn Kellogg talks about this in her book and it really resonated with me. She says, "Personal sustainability is so important, and it will look different for everyone- only you know your schedule, level of determination, and laziness factor." It can be time-consuming if you are making your own toothpaste and pasta sauce and bread all the time. So you have to decide what makes the most sense for you and go with that. And you don't have to do it all- especially not all at once.
Start small.
Pretty much any book or blog you read about taking steps towards going zero waste recommends starting small. So when you run out of an item, first, ask yourself if you really need it. If you do, then look for a plastic-free alternative. I think the first swap I made was with dental floss. I ran out of what I typically buy and decided that I did need to get more. So I opted to buy silk floss that can be composted. It comes in a little refillable glass and metal container. Then I ran out of sponges. I realized I didn't need sponges, but I did need something to scrub my dishes clean. I did some research and ended up buying a wooden dish-washing brush. So it's been helpful to just focus one swap at a time.
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| A few easy swaps: reusable paper towels, using a kitchen towel instead of plastic wrap while bread dough is rising, bar soap instead of hand soap in plastic bottles and a dish-washing brush instead of a sponge. |
Not every swap will make sense for you.
Sometimes you'll try something and it won't work out and that's okay! For example, I tried out solid dishwashing soap. I gave it a good couple weeks, but it left my dishes greasy, my sink covered in slime and I wondered what was building up in the drains. So I switched back to Dawn dish soap, which comes in a plastic bottle. I was bummed, but then I reminded myself of all the other changes I've made. It's not helpful to focus on your failures. Just try to think of another swap you could make to offset what didn't work out.
Not everyone will be on board with your decisions.
I'm very lucky that my husband Adam is happy to try new, more sustainable options. He's been generally on board with the swaps I've made, though I've made it clear that he's still welcome to make his own decisions. I've recently started using reusable tissues that I made out of leftover fabric. He's still not willing to give up his Kleenex, which is just fine. Archer and Lyla are still young enough that I get to make the decisions for them. Things will likely change when they get older, but we'll deal with that when the time comes. My family has been supportive too, which is nice. After I made the swap to reusable paper towels (one of Adam's old t-shirts all cut up), my dad sent me a picture of a dish of cut up towels that my mom set next to the sink. I can't tell you how happy a cut up old towel made me. That's the beauty of the ripple effect. You never know just how much influence you might have to make a positive change. But not everyone agrees with my crazy ideas. I know some people might roll their eyes at me or think I'm being too extreme. But that's okay. I get to decide what happens in my home and they get to decide what happens in their homes.
Stop buying crap.
This is perhaps the most simple concept, yet the most difficult one for me. I was buying so much stuff that I just didn't need. Shopping was my hobby. I would wander the aisles at Target and buy a vase I liked or sheets just because they were on sale. I bought clothes because they were a good deal, would wear them once, and then decide I didn't really like them so I'd get rid of them. When I first started on my plastic-reducing journey, I started buying non-plastic replacements for everything. It wasn't really in the spirit of zero waste. For instance, I used to use those disposable swifter dusters. So I decided to buy a wooden-handled, fleece duster that is washable. It worked fine, but I realized later that I could have just used old rags I already had at home. So I've since tried to come up with solutions that I already have in my home before buying something else new. For example, I was going to buy some new Mason jars to house items I buy from the bulk section. But then it dawned on me that I had already been saving empty salsa and marinara jars that could do the trick. It was the perfect example of reusing. Buying stuff has been a hard habit to break, but I've been doing a much better job. I ask myself if I truly need something and make myself sleep on it before I commit. I've also saved a lot of money!
So what's the point of this blog post? It's not to toot my own horn or tell people how they should live their lives. It's merely to share some information I have found helpful. I hope you might find a swap or two you could try out that will benefit you or the environment. Ultimately, I'm doing this for Archer and Lyla. I want my kids to be healthy and have a beautiful planet to call home for years after I'm gone. The actions I take now will dictate what happens to their future. That's a big responsibility and I want to do what I can to make a difference. If you would have told me I'd be collecting used floss and clumps of hair from the shower drain in a jar to put in my compost bin, I'd have told you that firstly, you are disgusting. And secondly, I will not be doing that. But that's exactly what I do. And I have no shame about it! (However, I'll spare you photographic evidence.)
Let me be clear, I'm far from perfect. My kids still use disposable diapers. Some of the food I buy still comes in plastic packaging. Occasionally I will slip up and order something online that I don't really need. But that's okay because I'm only human. There will always be room for improvement, so I will just keep on trying to improve.
The pandemic has thrown a bit of a wrench in some of my efforts. Grocery stores aren't allowing customers to bring in their own containers or reusable bags. (I still forgo the plastic produce bags and just have the baggers put my food back in the cart without any bags.) They've also closed up their bulk bins, which made me really bummed. My favorite coffee shop won't allow customers to bring their own cup. (I've since nailed down a delicious recipe for hot chocolate to make at home.) But I know the pandemic won't last forever, even though it seems like it might right now! I'll just do what I can to cut down on waste, but also cut myself some slack if I do rack up more waste than I'm used to.
My next goal is to tend to my new little garden. I planted cherry tomatoes, broccoli and cucumbers. There's also mint in there that comes back every year despite how much I uproot it. Lyla and Archer have been helping me water it and I can't wait until we get to pick some of our very own produce!
Welcome to the rabbit hole!
