For those that know me well you know that living a zero waste lifestyle is a huge part of my life. I had intended this year to continue down that path. Then the pandemic hit and I started buying things I don’t usually buy. My rule before shit hit the fan was if it came wrapped in plastic it wasn’t coming home with me. Meaning no processed snacks, cereal, or frozen foods. For the most part I made everything from scratch partially because it tastes better and partially because I really enjoyed the process.
Then the quarantine started and I had two options. I could try to buy everything in bulk from the variety of stores I go to for food or I could make one big trip for food that would last me for more than a week. I chose the latter. We are in a crisis. I realized that using a bit of plastic here and there to allow me to survive and not be stressed about having to go on the multiple trips to the grocery store I usually make seemed like the better option. I don’t feel guilt for leaning into the foods I loved before I changed my lifestyle. I bought cereal for the first time in over a year. There’s something so comforting about cereal and boxed mac and cheese. Things that require very little effort to make. …
For the past five weeks like a lot of other Americans I have stayed home and only left my house to go to the grocery store or for a quick walk around the neighborhood. It’s been tough being away from my friends and family for so long. I was supposed to go back to California to see family and it was a trip I had been anticipating and excited for. Three days before I was supposed to leave I had to cancel my trip. …
Let’s get real for a second. Thinking about cutting back on plastics can be really really daunting. There are times I sit and watch videos about the amount of plastic currently sitting in our landfills and oceans and I feel hopeless. But then I remember that it starts small. A beach cleanup, shopping from the bulk bins and cutting out single use plastics are all the ways that I can make a small change for the better.
The first step for you at home is to look at what it is that you’re buying in packages and do a quick online search to find out who sells it without a package. What do you buy in jars? …
What in the hell is a zero waste kit and why do I need one?
A zero waste kit in the most basic and simple terms is what I use on a daily basis to avoid single use plastics in my daily life. Mine can change on any given day based on where I’m going or what I plan to take along with me.
When out and about I always try to have reusable bags in my trunk in case I need to go grocery shopping or to the farmers market and don’t want to be caught somewhere without a bag. I also always have a tote bag with me that carries my kit and has helped me when I don’t have another reusable bag on me. My first tip when it comes to starting a zero waste kit is to shop your own home and pantry before you go out and buy anything. The goal here is to save money, not spend money. Start out by looking for empty jars, reusable water bottles and reusable coffee mugs. …
Back in February of this year I began to notice something. I was constantly getting sucked into social media, sometimes not emerging until the wee hours of the morning. It was like I couldn’t control this urge to keep scrolling and scrolling, every video I watched had a trail of interesting or related videos and there I sat, six hours later with nothing to show for it. It was during one of those social media binges that I read an article about notifications, social media and bright colors. What do these three seemingly unrelated things have in common? Notifications distract us, bright colors draw us in and social media keeps us there. You start on Instagram with one photo, scroll through your feed to attempt to catch up with the hundreds of people you follow and soon realize an hour has passed by in the blink of an eye. Soon, a headache is starting to form anytime you try to focus on something else. …
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