Reflections on Zero Waste Living
I
was beyond impressed with Lauren Singer's motivation to live with intention and
her success at producing zero waste. I, like many people, often make the excuse
that I do not have enough time to live a zero waste life, but Lauren
exemplifies how this is possible while still being a student and a working
professional. When reflecting on what I could do better to live a waste free
life, I immediately think of my guilty pleasure-- shopping! I love buying
shoes, clothes, purses, and accessories. My sense of style and fashionable
trends have changed many times over the years. For example, when I moved two
years ago, I donated seven garbage bags full of clothes to Goodwill! This shows
the extreme excess of items I own.
I
recently read a magazine article about having a capsule closet, meaning you
limit yourself to 30 items in your closet. This includes shirts, pants,
jackets, and shoes. The purpose of this limited closet is to allow the owner to
focus on what is important, live with intention, and learn to take better care
of those pieces. Now imagine if you did this with your whole life. I believe
you would feel a sense of freedom and as Lauren spoke to, have a greater
appreciation for your things. From now on, I plan to shop with intention
meaning I will only buy things that I really need and that are exactly what I
have been looking for. I will not impulse shop or buy things just because.
HI Elena,
ReplyDeleteI was impressed by Lauren Singer like you. It is amazing that such a small amount of trash she made over the years. As you mentioned, shopping is one of biggest cause for the trash we produce. As the style changes very quickly, I feel out of fashion when I wear old cloths. I am very glad that we learn the importance of not making the waste for our environment. Even though it would be very difficult to make real “zero” waste, it is significant to adopt into our lives. I am very excited for your new lifestyle practices in your home. It sounds very fun to make your own personal care products. Please let me know the recipe!
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Hey Elena,
ReplyDeleteAs always, I am very impressed with your writing. I loved the example you gave concerning zero-waste, when mentioning the capsule closet. Such examples give us a clearer way to implement a zero-waste life. I believe much of our waste comes from our culture, which is consumerist in nature. We have an implicit desire to buy and buy. I assume this must contribute to the great waste we expend. I would love to do more research on that subject.