Living For Tomorrow

In light of recent global events, it is absolutely necessary to celebrate World Environment Day this year. “Oceans. Land. Forests. Water. The air that we breathe. This is our environment. It is the keystone of a sustainable future. Without a healthy environment, we cannot end poverty or build prosperity. We all have a role to play in protecting our only home. We can use less plastics, drive less, waste less food and teach each other to care. On World Environment Day – and every day – let us reconnect with nature. Let us cherish the planet that protects us.”                                                             — António Guterres , United Nations Secretary-General Each year, t...

So I ran out of toothpaste and I thought, “When would be a better time to try out a Zero Waste alternative toothpaste?” If you’re hygienic like me, you probably brush your teeth at least twice a day…with a plastic toothbrush…and with toothpaste out of a plastic tube. Even though this waste seems minuscule, it adds up. So why not at least try an alternative that leaves less of an impact on our planet? There are plenty of alternative routes you can take to a clean mouth. Some people simply use baking soda and water while others, like myself, stick to the familiar paste format.  I did some research into different recipes and found one that seems to work for me. This recipe follows an easy 2 – to – 1 ratio of coconut oil to baking soda with any essential oil you prefer. I found a cheap coconut oil in a recyclable jar and I bought baking soda in bulk with a reusable cloth bag at my local grocery store. In an airtight candle jar, I mixed 6 tablespoons of coconut ...

I recently came to a point where I really thought about what I wanted to leave behind. Certain aspects of my life were not where I wanted them to be—my health, my motivation, even my attitude. That’s when I found Zero Waste and minimalist bloggers. I have always been one to refuse a plastic bag at the grocery store when I buy a couple items and I thought I was saving the world one bag at a time. I also was astonished at the fact that some minimalists could be so daring to only own a backpack’s worth of personal belongings while I, on the other hand, own every season of I Love Lucy on DVD under my bed. Only now, after research and contemplation, do I realize that reducing the amount of fluff in my life might be the solution I have been looking for. Bea Johnson, the founder of the Zero Waste Lifestyle movement, follows five seemingly simple steps that she calls the Five Rs: “One: we refuse what we do not need. Two: we reduce what we do need. Three: we reuse by swap...