Zero Waste And Me

I went completely zero waste for about three months. It was amazing. I feel very passionate about the pain and suffering that waste causes. From the effects on the planet to the living conditions of those who have to dwell with it, waste is a problem. It's a problem that seems to have no solution without global agreement and change. Expecting two people to agree is hard let alone a neighborhood, community, state, country, or more. The fact is that I am not an activist or a politician. I cannot affect any widespread change. I am a wife, mother, teacher, and care provider. This means that I can encourage my husband to consider these problems and possibly change his mind about his habits. I can teach my children these issues and raise them using alternate ways of living. I can creatively and passionately inform my students, and those in my care, about these alternative ways of living and hope they are inspired to take these ideas home with them.

So the question to ask yourself is, “What can I do?”

Let me try to help guide this thought process ever so gently. You cannot go from a consumeristic lifestyle to a zero waste lifestyle overnight. You will likely get overwhelmed, feel it is an impossible task, and quit. You may even take some guilt and depression with you back to your previous lifestyle which is not beneficial. (That's what I did.) You can start the ball rolling and continue to make less of a negative impact on our planet, and fellow man, every day. You can feel good about every little decision you make to cultivate a mindful lifestyle. You can take the confidence that comes out of these accomplishments, and allow it to fuel your own personal success.

So here is an overview of my initial experience: I very quickly jumped on the bandwagon. I became vegetarian, minimal, vegan, then zero waste in 6 months. Then during the next three months, my family of 3 made one bag of trash. The problem was that I went too fast and too hard and could not maintain all the change. My husband was supportive but not personally invested. I had not taught my son to understand why we were doing what we were doing. I put things back in a few at a time looking for a balance that worked for my family. A few medical procedures, a career change, three more pregnancies, and a move later, I'm far from where I once was. So I started over. Why, because the only damaging choice you can make is to give up.