Transition to zero waste was one of the most challenging yet liberating things we have ever done.
“Wait, just go back a second. What did you just say? What is zero waste? An online shopping site? Oh I see is this another climate crisis thingy? Ah this is an environmental seminar, when should I register?”
None of the above
It is a lifestyle. It is a decision to reduce your footprint on this planet as much as you can by making everyday conscious and sustainable choices. Like trying to not ask for disposable napkins, plastic carry bag or spoons in a fast food restaurant, not buying another plastic water bottle, choosing a natural material like cotton, linen or silk in your next trip to a clothing store, buying local produce, and the list goes on. These are a few simple swaps that we all can start from today and not wait for Jesus to save us one fine day*
My social embarrassment story
I was someone who did not even know that recycling and composting even existed until one work day in Seattle, one of the cities that make amazing efforts for a greener environment, I threw a finished recyclable greek yoghurt cup into compost bin in our office cafeteria. My colleague interrupted, “Don’t you know the small triangle in every packaging that makes it recyclable?”. I stood there, embarrassed. When I went to my desk, I googled, “what is compost?”.
That was the beginning of the end of ignorance. Me and my husband never looked back after that. We have own philosophical differences, this was definitely not one of them. He wanted to reduce his carbon footprint and I wanted to get out of the endless loop of consumerism for good.
Our first zero waste swap
We had to start somewhere and we both agreed on getting our first zero waste savior!
Plastic tooth brushes to bamboo compostable tooth brushes with bristles made from bean nylon that needs recycling after its life. With the expansion of the zero waste ideals, almost every country can access these merchandise online. Works exactly the same as any other brush I have used before without sending anything to landfill.
My ‘overnight’ learning curve
After having faced that subtle humiliation, the first thing I did after coming home was to discuss it with my husband and see what to do moving forward for the rest of our lives. Even after he warned multiple times, I did not stop until I figured out a solution for every single non sustainable choices that we were making from our everyday problems with food packaging to occasionally used party trinkets. I did not stop. I was obsessed. I lost sleep over the fact that I am not the only one that needs to change. This gave me chills.
I should have taken it slow. One thing at a time. One swap at a time. I could have spared some serious anxiety-based decisions of buying swap after swap in an intention to help the environment. “I knew I had to do it someday why not sooner?”, muttered my mind.
The takeaway
It does not matter where you are in your level of understanding, every tiny step in the direction of your efforts is all that counts. It took thousands of years to spoil nature’s natural habitat and now they mess our lives with global warming and waste disposal. They had patience. The time. Now its our turn to be calm and act wisely if we would want to contribute to a kinder generation of kids who do not have to suffer sleepless nights over their future legacy.
"We sure as hell cannot be saved from ending up under the ground, but these plastics can be"