My Journey

4 min read

Just about two years ago I started to get really interested in producing less waste, and caring more for the earth. I started to do more research, and learn a lot about the state that are planet was in. Somewhere along the line I found out about Lauren Singer. She has been zero waste for about four or five years now, and keeps all her landfill waste in a small mason jar. I thought "Wow this is great!!" and I suddenly wanted to go zero waste as well. I had also saw the video of the poor turtle with a straw in it's nose, and that made me very sad, and pledged to never use plastic straws again.

The first thing I eliminated was the plastic straw, and it was a little difficult at first because I wasn't completely prepared. I didn't have many reusable straws, and I most certainly didn't think to carry them around with me at all times. After I started to get the hang of saying no to straws, I switched to a bamboo toothbrush. I tried many different brands, and most were great except for the packaging. The first type I had tried was a brand I found on Amazon. It came in a recyclable box, but the issue was with Amazon. They wrap their items in plastic, and I had an issue with how they ship, not the toothbrush company itself. I also tried a brand I found in the grocery store, but I felt it contradicted itself because it came in a plastic container. Then finally, I found the toothbrush, I am currently using, at the Package Free Shop. It comes in a compostable and recyclable box.

I have slowly been making transitions in my life that will produce less waste or none at all. For almost every item that comes in packaging or that is not waste free, there is a zero waste alternative. It is not the easiest life transition to make especially when surrounded by my peers who are not also trying to go zero waste. It is important to remember to stay true to your goals and what you are trying to do and to never be afraid to say no.

About a year ago I started to post more about the zero waste lifestyle on my instagram. I definitely received a lot of hate, and a lot of support. Those who would respond to my posts in a negative way, said things like, "Posting about it isn't going to change anything." and "You probably have a garbage can in your room." and they were partially correct, but what they were incorrect about was that I was already making my transition and trying to influence others to do that same. I am most certainly not telling anyone how to live their life, what makes America so great is that we have the option to live how we please. I am trying to get others to see how certain items change the environment we live in.

I took the next step in my community, to reduce our waste by creating a community compost site. I encourage others to simply take their compostable materials to the drop off location once a week. This will hopefully reduce the amount of waste Monument sends to landfills each year. For more information about my project visit my "Compost Project" post.