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The Zero Waste Lifestyle


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 swapping anything that is disposable for a reusable alternative and buying second-hand. Four: we recycle only what we cannot refuse, reduce or reuse. And five: we rot, or compost, the rest.”
source

Her family of four lives completely waste-free by buying groceries in bulk with cloth bags and glass jars and making their own toothpaste and other household products. Seeing them collect their trash from the past year in one Mason jar made me feel like every piece of plastic and garbage I have ever thrown away was piling up on top of me. It seemed impossible that I could reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills singlehandedly.  

But here I am, a twenty-year-old college student embarking on a journey to accomplish three things: spend less money, eat healthier, and leave less of an ecological impact on this planet.

Some of the most common Zero Waste swaps include drinking from reusable water bottles, using cloth and mesh bags instead of plastic bags at the store, and using lunch boxes instead of eating out every day.

The first step I took to living a minimalist and waste-free life was actually over a year ago. I stopped drinking sodas and instead, only drank water. Once I made this switch, I realized that soda was this costly entity chasing me through life leaving behind empty wallets and stomach problems. I found myself, a former water-hater, trying to convert people to a soda-free life because I saw the benefits my caffeine-clouded eyes couldn’t see. And now, I only drink water out of a reusable water bottle and I couldn’t imagine going back to my old ways.

Now, changing to this lifestyle does not mean I am going to throw away my belongings all at one. My transition will not be immediate. I will slowly get accustomed to different parts of living a healthier and minimalist life, one step at a time.

I am making this change because I need a change. There is no right or wrong way or rules to follow but I will do what is best for me and for the planet and have fun along the way. I do not expect everyone to understand my motives or beliefs but all I am asking for is a little support in something I am passionate about. From now on, I am Living For Tomorrow. 

© 2017 Caleb Powers All Rights Reserved
Credits: plastic bags, Bea Johnson, cloth bags
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