Am I Making Less of a Difference?

The coolest thing about being zero waste is when people tell me my incessant ramblings caused them to change. It doesn’t have to be a big change. Maybe they realize straws are bogus or they start recycling at work or they make a zero waste swap, like using a french presse instead of a Keurig. Regardless, hearing these small stories makes me smile. Leading by example really does create a ripple effect that can change the world. Optimism abounds.

So what happens when everyone you talk to already agrees with you?

I moved to Seattle because I fit in here. But lately, I’ve worried that fitting in too much means I’m living in a bubble. People know what I’m talking about when I mention I’m zero waste. I’m rarely teased or mocked about it like I was in my hometown. I don’t find myself having the same conversation over and over and over again about why recycling is not the same as reducing or how washing the same rags does not create the same amount of water waste as making disposable paper towels.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s nice to be accepted. But the other side of that coin means there’s less of a ripple effect, and possibly an even stronger ripple effect in the direction of wastefulness created by the bubble of people who believe we are entitled to supposedly endless Earthly resources.

A lack of conversation leads to extremism and ignorance, not sustainable solutions.

For me, talking about zero waste is not about convincing everyone that I’m right. It’s about getting people to think critically about how their actions and choices affect the world around them. It’s about empowering them by showing that one alternative to wastefulness already exists. They may have a completely different solution that would never work for me (veganism is a good example). No one solution is going to fit every lifestyle, so they may have a better answer to the problem than I do.