Zero Waste | Habits

Hello Interwebers! In the spirit of Zero Waste, I am going to share with you some habits to pick up if you want to reduce your impact on the environment.
It's all well and good to buy package free deodorant and shampoo, but we have to be conscious about HOW we buy those things, too. Because, in the end, Zero Waste is a life style; it's all in the habits!

The first one is for coffee lovers. I don't know about you, but caffeine is a huge part of my morning. Wether I'm at home, at school, with friends, or by myself, I always like to sit back and sip on a nice hot cup of coffee. BUT! Having coffee on-the-go is where things get a little messy. If I were to get one coffee everyday from my local coffee shop, and get it in a single-use cup, it would lead to me producing 23 pounds of coffee-cup-trash at the end of a whole year. 23 pounds! That's just not acceptable in my eyes...  The easy solution to this is to carry a reusable coffee mug with you. I carry mine around pretty much everywhere because I never know when I'll want that ô-so-conforting boost of caffeine. I just ask the barista what ever caffeinated drink I want, and then ask them to please make it in my reusable mug. So far, I had no objections, and even got a friend to do the same!




Want to go shopping for some awesome DIY, waste-free items? Go for it! But remember to grab a reusable bag before you run out the door. Most grocery stores sell them, or you can do like I did and turn an old t-shirt into a bag! Just cut off the sleeves and collar, and sew up the bottom. Boom.







You're probably hungry by now, so let's have lunch. One of the easiest ways to reduce your waste when eating on-the-go is by packing a lunch. It also saves you tons of money, and is a lot more healthy. Now, let's take it one step further and make sure we don't leave anything behind. I'm currently trying to eliminate plastic from my life, because I feel as if it is not the most sustainable product to use. The solution I found to avoid plastic wrap, plastic Tupperwares and Ziplock bags? Mason jars! They're a bit heavier to carry, but I like to know that no plastic related toxins get into my food when I'm heating it up in the micro-wave. I also like to reuse metal tins to carry small snacks, like dried fruits or nuts.



This last habit takes place in our homes. A lot of what ends up in landfill is organic waste, or food scraps. One might think that organic waste in a landfill is not so bad, but it actually is. Organic waste produces loads of toxins when sitting in the ground for a long time. Those toxins then leak into the soil that grows our food, into the water we drink, and in the air we breathe. The most effective way to counter that is to learn to compost our organic waste. Most cities can provide information about this, as well as a list of what can and cannot be put in our compost bins. Composting is very easy to get into, and it eliminates a lot of waste, transforming it into soil fertilizer to help and grow new and healthy crops.

I hope these tips got you in the Zero Waste spirit!
With little changes, we can achieve big results.

:)