Waste has severe impacts on the planet—there’s too much unrecyclable garbage piled up already, and it’s expected it will only increase with time. Since realizing this, many people have decided to do their best to reduce their waste as much as possible, and with that the zero waste movement was born.
Attempting to go zero waste may seem daunting, but you need to realize that you don’t need to make a sweeping lifestyle change from one day to the next. Going zero waste is a journey. Below you’ll find some useful resources to help guide you along the way.
Many consider Zero Waste Home to be the original zero waste blog. What began as a website became a full-on movement, helping people figure out the best ways to change their lifestyle and reduce waste.
The author of the website, Bea Johnson, is a bestselling author and a world-renowned speaker. Her goal is to inspire people to “Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot (and only in that order)“ and cut down on their waste with any change they can manage.
Her brainchild, Zero Waste Home, is there to help you navigate how to go about living a zero waste life.
Trash is for Tossers was started by Lauren Singer, who became well-known thanks to a TEDxTeen talk she did in 2015 on zero waste. Funnily enough, Lauren Singer admits that she was inspired by Bea Johnson to change her lifestyle and reduce waste.
Singer lives in a small space in a big city (in New York) and offers great advice for newcomers to the movement, sharing her perspective and experience and how she made the switch. Some people believe that you need a farm or a cottage in the wilderness to be less wasteful, and that’s just not the case.
Through Trash is for Tossers, you can see easy tips and tricks on living more eco-consciously by making simple swaps for everyday items, doing package-free shopping, and more.
Kathryn Kellogg started Going Zero Waste, hoping to help people see how every choice they make matters and has an impact. She ensures everyone interested in joining the movement doesn’t feel the pressure to be perfect, as she believes “it’s not about perfection; it’s about making better choices.”
Going Zero Waste offers advice on how to reduce waste while also providing guidance on how to commit to a more eco-conscious existence inside and out—like, making healthier choices overall and using eco products and natural ingredients in your everyday life.
You can discover a ton of tips and tricks on living a waste-free lifestyle, along with an array of homemade recipes for food items and home products.
Beth Terry is behind My Plastic Free Life. She began her blog when she realized how much plastic waste she was producing and actively worked towards decreasing that amount. My Plastic Free Life hopes to help you reduce your plastic use, too.
Browsing My Plastic Free Life, you’ll find many zero waste product guides to help you with your journey, alongside an ethical product supplier list and recommended reading. There are even plastic-free challenges you can set for yourself.
Beth Terry hopes she can inspire people to change their plastic usage, but also to drive company change:
Personal responsibility is crucial. But even greater results are achieved when consumers come together to demand change from the corporations that produce the stuff.
Kate Arnell offers a ton of helpful zero waste guides and how-to tutorials on her website, Eco Boost. You can find many tips and tricks presented in a way that doesn’t riddle you with guilt or depress you. There’s even a YouTube channel you can visit.
Eco Boost helps people interested in joining the movement discover practical advice that’s not hard to implement in daily life. It makes the eco-conscious, waste-free lifestyle seem simple and, even better, achievable.
Ariana Palmieri began Greenify Me in 2015 as a way to keep a record of her own journey. It started as a website about her navigating green beauty and, in 2017, when she decided to join the zero waste movement, it turned into a cornucopia of everything zero waste.
Greenify Me offers a ton of advice on how to be less wasteful. For example, it covers topics like the best zero waste contact lenses and even explains that you can find prescription glasses that are recyclable. These are things not many people think twice about, and it’s fantastic that Greenify Me spotlights them.
Megean started Zero Waste Nerd to document her zero waste journey. In 2016 she decided she no longer wanted to live a wasteful, disposable existence, so she began to write about her new, plastic-free lifestyle. Her website was a way to hold herself accountable while also helping others interested in going waste free.
Zero Waste Nerd helps people manage the difficulties of being zero waste while traveling, for example. How do you maintain your lifestyle while on a trip? You also get a ton of helpful advice on reusing and repurposing various items, and even how to reduce your energy usage.
Zero Waste May Be Difficult, but It’s Worth Trying
Trying to offset your carbon footprint and reduce your waste can be difficult. You have to be mindful and consider every purchase you make regarding yourself, your home, and everything else. That can be pretty daunting when you think about it. But despite seeming daunting, it is quite doable.
As many of the listed websites vehemently stress, you don’t have to be perfect straight off the bat, or even at all. You need only do your best. Even taking baby steps can make a difference.
Try to decrease your plastic usage where you can, repurpose old items, and invest in reusable products. It can be something as simple as switching to using cloth or mesh shopping bags. Every minor switch you implement in your life adds up and ultimately has a positive effect, so try and do your best.
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