the right direction

My absence from blogging is not due to lack of effort or time spent thinking about reducing waste. It has simply been a transition period. For me, change takes time. Especially life style changes. But I have made some serious strides to decrease clutter and trash that our home creates.

Today was a wonderful Zero Waste day! I was out of my house all day and did not create any waste! I brought my own lunch and coffee cup. I brought my mason jar and purchased iced tea (and they only charged me $1.17 opposed to the $3 it was supposed to cost since I brought my own cup!). I sold some old wedding stuff and made $40 and then I purchased some clothes from a consignment store and used my $35 credit I had from selling my old clothes (Finally seeing a substantial financial benefit to cleaning out all of those closets)! After dinner my husband and I rode our bikes to get ice cream and it was served with all compostable ware.

I did pop into Target today to buy some Mothers Day cards and as I was walking down the aisles I noted to my self how many of the aisles I no longer need. Target is a store that I used to not be able to get out of without spending $50 and today I simply didn't have the need for anything else in the store. It was a great feeling and a nod in agreement that I am making positive change.

I'm slowly making my way through all of the girly bottled shit that accumulates over the years in ones bathroom (lotions and sprays and what-not). It's been fun to use it all and it makes it special knowing that I will never buy those things again. Finding replacements of the things that I want to keep around has not be difficult either. I am currently sampling different shampoo bars/conditioners as well as tooth powder/paste recipes and the many uses of coconut oil in the bathroom.

I am continuing to go through our house and get rid of unnecessary clutter. I got Bea Johnson's Book: Zero Waste Home (which I will pass along to my sister when I'm done). The book has been super inspiring and has helped me make decisions on what to get rid of.

My next hurdle (as evidenced by my shopping spree today) is simplifying my wardrobe. I really like the idea, but I think this will take longer than the rest of the things. I don't have a very defined style nor do I have "staple pieces" ... or even many clothes that I LOVE. I just wear what fits in at that moment and then update. At least now I am updating with already used clothing as to not create more objects in the world, but I could go one step further.  All in due time.

Becoming Balanced

Becoming Zero is more about Becoming Balanced for me right now. Realistically I know that with my lifestyle and schedule it will be pretty darn stressful to become 100% zero waste. The whole reason this convenient, single use product society exists is because it is indeed convenient! Once women started getting out of the home and working full time is when all of these single use products started popping up... and it's no wonder.

I work full time. I don't have time to keep the house livable, feed my family, AND make everything from scratch. But I'm trying my best to do my part.

Choosing what I buy in the store is the first way to reduce my waste. I try to avoid plastic whenever possible. I'm learning more and more about how horrible plastic is for our environment, so I'd really rather not support that business. Once you are aware of plastic you realize that most things packaged are packaged in plastic, which is a real bummer. I've basically found an alternative to everything that I want in life... except cheese. So I still buy cheese in plastic.

I've found stores that cater to bulk shopping. This makes it super easy to reduce waste. I just bring my reusable containers (jars or cloth bags), get the tare weights before I shop, and fill them up! Many of these stores have snack foods in bulk too, which keeps my husband happy.

These bulk stores also have bulk soaps and detergents. I know you can make your own, but this week has been especially busy so I just decided to buy in bulk. And it was still super cheap!

I am trying harder to plan ahead. This seems to be the best way to reduce my waste. This reduces the temptation to "just stop and pick something up for dinner on the way home". I also try to plan ahead to use our bread machine to bake bread or take an afternoon and make broth from old chicken bones... things like that. Those things are normally packaged (with lots of added salt and other ingredients) but spending some time on a day off (or even using a slow cooker over night) will give 12+ ounces of broth that you can put in your freezer for another day.

I have switched to a shampoo bar and honestly, I couldn't tell a difference. I'm not super fussy about my hair, but it's clean and I'm not creating plastic so I'm happy. I'm currently in the middle of a giant bottle of conditioner and body wash, but when those are finished I will switch to the unpackaged versions and I'm sure it will be just fine.



I know these are all very small steps, but these are things I have done without hardly altering my way of life. I have ideas on ways to take the next steps, but for now these things make me feel good without it taking over my life and being stressful.

Do I have the guts?

I've had an interesting opportunity for introspection recently.

I was talking with my husband tonight about how back in college I was "that hippie girl" who recycled and cared about organic produce and gardening. I was unique back then. It was my identity. Granted, I was in Colorado Springs which isn't known for its forward-thinking trends... but either way, it was who I was. Now, I live in Boulder County. The opposite of Colorado Springs. City Composting is the bare minimum that everyone does. Now, not only am I the same as everyone else around me I am significantly less passionate and dedicated than a fair number of people.

It's been a consistent theme in my life to not have one specific passion that I'm driving towards. I dabble in lots of different things and therefore don't give myself fully to anything. I've always been envious of those people who were able to throw themselves into a cause. Without fear of shame or judgement. It's very impressive. It takes significant confidence and conviction. Both of which I seem to lack.

I just finished my first week of orientation in my new job in the Intensive Care Unit. It's a job that has intimidated me for my entire career, but I finally gathered the confidence to apply for the position and was hired. I was intimidated for good reason. Honestly, it's not the patient care that intimidates me. Yes, it's intense and I know that I will (often) find myself in over my head, but I understand patient care - I understand how hospitals work and there is always a team there striving for the best outcome for the patient. Honestly, what's intimidated me for so many years are the people. ICU nurses are very confident people. They have to be, right? They are caring for the sickest people in the hospital and need to have the authority and conviction to get shit done. However, oftentimes it seems like that conviction is misplaced.

So here I am wondering how I am going to keep my personality and my own convictions (however weak they may be) among very strong, passionate people. I find myself wondering yet again if I have the guts to do what I want. Be an ICU nurse. Be as close to zero waste in the home as possible. Do I have the guts?

Simplify

As I'm getting rid of a bunch of my stuff I am realizing how little I need and how little these things have brought to my life. Some of the items that are now in the Good Will box I have chuckled at because I CARED so much about making that decision on what color/style/brand to get and now, only a short while later, it is given away.

But then I go a little deeper. What else in my life is not serving me? What else can I simplify? Can I simplify my inbox? I have been. I've unsubscribed to almost everything that does not directly relate to my current situation. Can I simplify my diet? I'm working on it. How about my relationships?

Ah, now that's a tricky one....

Relationships are not things that can be put in a box and given to the needy. They are not keep-sakes that can be burned in a ritualistic bon-fire with your girlfriends.  But sometimes relationships need to be simplified. I know a lot of people, but I consider myself to have very few friends. I think as I move forward with this I would like to solidify this a little more. I don't need a lot of friends, just 2 or 3 close friends and I would be set. But the way that I've structured my social network is such where I have tons of acquaintances and no real friends.

I had the crazy notion of stepping back from Facebook. I've somehow tricked myself into believing that THAT is my friend. Yes, there are people behind the "likes" but that is not friendship. Since my wedding a month ago, very few people that I call "friends" have called or reached out to me to ask about the honeymoon or how things are going. I assume because they feel like they know and because they saw the pictures that I posted and therefore a conversation doesn't need to take place. But as a result I am left feeling empty and lonely. Perhaps my fear of logging out for good is that no one will reach out and I will have my final answer. But maybe that's getting a little too deep for a blog dedicated to zero waste.

I would also like to simplify my job.

I feel like I'm always getting reminders in life to "always do what you love" or "lifes too short to do a job that you hate" etc, etc. I don't hate my job, but it certainly does not bring me the joy that it once did. Of course, I'm not sure what it is that I WANT to do but I don't have the time to explore options for what I want to do because I am too busy working. I also don't know how to afford not working full time. How do people do that? I want the benefits/insurance/retirement security.

But beyond simplifying there is also a balance of a good challenge which is actually what I'm working on with my job. I am continuing my education in whatever ways they allow me to so I can fill different rolls and do my job better.  I'm hoping this helps to create balance in my life. Sometimes you have to intensify before you can simplify.

Looking back, I guess I've always been heading towards the path of minimalism. I've had this wooden sign that spells out the word "Simplify" in my living room for a good many years now and I've honestly been a little embarrassed to own it. Until recently I haven't really known what it meant. I liked the concept, but didn't really embrace it.

So far I am really enjoying my journey of decluttering and simplifying my living space!

no where near zero: Weddings, moving, and cruises.

My oh my! What a summer it has been! While very busy I have not lost sight of the zero-waste goal. Unfortunately without great planning many of the life changing events that occurred this summer were no where near zero waste. Of course, if I could do them again I could do a better job... you live and learn.

The wedding process was crazy! I had very few requests as a bride. I don't care about colors or cakes - all I cared about what using compostable products to aide in a low waste event. I made this known to my vendor and even offered to dispose of it myself if necessary but they said "oh no, we'll make sure it's composted." Well, I just happened to be there as they took the trash out the next morning and I have no doubt in my mind that those bags were headed to the dump and not the city compost. I was pretty upset about it, but eventually took solace in the fact that at least I supported a good company - even if it wasn't properly disposed of.

The gift portion of the wedding is somewhere that I really messed up. If I knew then what I knew now (sage wisdom that it is) I would not have had a registry. We don't need this stuff. I don't want to be ungrateful, but Tom and I are both grown people each with a house full's worth of stuff. So we move into our very modest sized home and ALREADY have too much stuff and now we have boxes upon boxes delivered to us every day full of marvelous frivolous gifts! To be honest I am returning many of them and will probably put the money towards something expensive and boring that we actually need. At the time I was doing what I thought was best, but now I know better... oh well... lesson learned. 

Moving is SO FAR from zero waste! WOW! I wonder what the effect on the earth would be if no one moved? We acquired most of our boxes second hand (mostly from liquor stores) but had to buy some big boxes for the awkward items. I heard there are ways to buy second hand boxes and briefly looked into them, but honestly convenience was a huge factor since it was such a busy time. There is so much stuff that you just dig up as your packing and unpacking that it just brings to the surface all the disposable crap you've been living with for the past many years. The silver lining here is that it is a perfect time to get rid of stuff and downsize! I've had the pleasure of listening to This Minimalism Podcast (Minimalism for the Rest of Us) which has been super great and inspirational as I unpack boxes. I'm still struggling getting rid of sentimental items, but once they're gone I feel good about it (I mean really, when will I even need my high school letter jacket again?).

We are trying really hard to be intentional with the way we are disposing of our unwanted items. This is definitely slowing down the process, but it's totally worth it. So far I have made 2 FULL car load trips to our "hard to recycle" center - Charm.  It's an awesome place for those objects that are broken or unusable by someone else (appliances, scrap metal, bubble wrap, etc). And we have an ever growing pile for the thrift store. I might even try to sell a few things on Craigs list!

For our honeymoon Tom and I went on a week long Alaskan cruise! Amazing scenery up there! We realized pretty quick that Cruising isn't our preferred method of traveling. Don't get me wrong, it is luxurious in every way, but it's hard to completely enjoy a 24/7 All You Can Eat buffet when you know there are people starving to death. I know these kinds of buffets exist, but I don't usually pay any attention and I certainly don't typically support that kind of consumption. It seemed to be an incredibly wasteful atmosphere that dropped you off in only the most touristy of spots. Tom also pointed out just how horrible air-travel is for the planet. It emits far more carbon dioxide than any other mode of transportation and is responsible for 4-9% of all climate change impact from human activity. Getting to Alaska was quite the trek. It got me thinking about what it must be like to live there and have to travel or have every little thing shipped to you.

I learned so many lessons this summer and I continue to feel so grateful for the opportunity to intentionally downsize and dispose of the items we no longer need in a responsible way.

I still have a long way to go...

Reminders

Reminders for myself when I'm not sure any of this matters:

 

Recycle

- Each year, over 3.2 million tons of electronic waste is put in US landfills

- Only 12.5% of e-waste is currently recycled.

- For every 1 million cell phones that are recycled, 35,274 lbs of copper, 772 lbs of silver, 75 lbs of gold, and 33 lbs of palladium can be recovered.

- Recycling 1 million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by 3,657 U.S. homes in a year.

- E-waste is still the fastest growing municipal waste stream in America, according to the EPA.

- It takes 530 lbs of fossil fuel, 48 lbs of chemicals, and 1.5 tons of water to manufacture one computer and monitor.

- Electronic items that are considered to be hazardous include, but are not limited to: Televisions and computer monitors that contain cathode ray tubes, LCD desktop monitors, LCD televisions, Plasma televisions, Portable DVD players with LCD screens. (source)

 

 

 

 Compost

In 2005, an estimated 245.7 million tons of municipal

solid wastes were generated in the United States, that’s

4.5 pounds per person per day. Organic materials—

comprised of yard trimmings, food scraps, wood waste,

paper and paperboard products—are the largest

component of our trash and make up about two-thirds of

the solid waste stream.....Yard

trimmings and food residuals by themselves constitute

24 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream...  
(basically this whole article is great.)

 

 

 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency monitors the materials that make up the municipal solid waste, or MSW, going into landfills. In 2010, more than half of all MSW was made up of compostable materials (see References 1). Food waste is especially problematic, because food in landfills decomposes in the absence of air. This anaerobic process produces methane, which is a powerful greenhouse gas. According to the EPA's figures, landfills account for a full 20 percent of America's methane production (see References 1). Composting these materials would remove millions of tons from the waste stream. (source)

Limit Plastics 

 

The usefulness of plastic bags is extremely limited, yet according to one estimate, somewhere between five billion and one trillion plastic bags are used each year around the world.

 

Much of the plastic that’s polluting the oceans is microplastics, tiny chunks that are next to impossible to filter out. These plastics can come from bigger items breaking down, but they are also commonly added to consumer products like face wash and toothpaste. These little beads are intended to be exfoliators, but many wastewater treatment facilities aren’t able to stop them. There are many biodegradable alternatives, so avoid items with “polypropylene” or “polyethylene” on the ingredients list.

 

 

Climate Change and Waste

Most people don't realize that waste is linked with global climate change. How? The manufacture, distribution and use of products - as well as management of the resulting waste - use energy and release greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide and methane that contribute to climate change.

• By recycling your waste, you reduce the amount of materials that need to be manufactured, thereby reducing energy use and, thus, reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas.
  
  
• Organic materials like food, paper, wood and yard waste can break down in landfills, producing methane emissions. Methane is another, even stronger greenhouse gas.
  
  
• In addition, reducing, reusing and recycling wood products can leave more trees standing, allowing forests to continue to store, rather than releasing carbon dioxide.

 

 

hand soap

I went to three different stores yesterday in search for bulk hand soap. I knew they had it at Alfalfa's (a bulk shoppers paradise) but I wasn't anywhere near Alfalfa's. I called ahead to Sprouts to ask if they carried bulk soap (and it took 3 transfers to get me to someone who even knew what I was talking about) and he said yes! They did. Fantastic! Errand running will be so efficient, I thought. Unfortunately I didn't think to ask if it was liquid hand soap.  Oh well.

Nothing wrong with bar soap - at all. I intend to use bar soap in the shower (after I use up the gobs of bottles that I have accumulated) but there is something so satisfying about using liquid hand soap.

I went through a stretch where I didn't have a ton of money.  Certainly not struggling, but not wasting my money on frivolous items like liquid hand soap or a box of kleenex (toilet paper works fine). Therefore, now that I have a full-time-well-paying job I am enjoying these delicacies of life and I'm not ready to give them up quite yet.

Thank goodness for Alfalfa's. Added bonus: It only cost me $1.55 for most of a pint-sized mason jar full of really good organic coconut-y hand soap. A bottle probably would cost at least $5. And while it was not efficient in the slightest to go to three different stores to look for this precious gem, I will say that I am proud of myself for asking at the other two locations so they know that someone out there wishes they had bulk soap. Next time I'll just know to start at Alfalfa's.

Side note question: Even though it is BULK it still comes in big plastic dispensers - I realize this is a million times better than buying a small plastic bottle every time you need soap, but does it still count as zero waste?