I like my job. I’m also lucky enough to work with some pretty amazing people, many of whom have become a big part of my personal community and support system in Seattle. So here’s my problem: I work in an industry in stark contrast with my lifestyle. Big corporate retail is the epitome of wastefulness. Not only …
Notes from Beyond: Working in Retail When You’re Zero WasteRead More »
I’m moving. Again. Not out of Seattle (I just got here!), but I will be moving to the other side of the city. I could beat around the bush by talking about the lower rent or the nicer building, but the fact is this decision is much more a matter of the heart than of …
I’ve been thinking a lot about kids ever since I went to see a play called “Lungs” last summer. It’s about two hyper-intellectuals deciding whether or not they should have a kid based on their social and environmental responsibilities. The play was a bit dated (circa 2006–they were far more concerned with carbon emissions than …
Traditionally, there are 5 “R”s of Zero Waste: Refuse Reduce Reuse Recycle Rot However, recent events have revealed a secret 6th R on the list: REMEMBER YOUR SHIT. Someone stole my purse this Christmas. No, I was not the victim of some skull capped thug running up and wrestling my purse from me. I was …
I like January. Even if we know monthly calendars are arbitrary yada yada yada, it feels good to use this month as an excuse to start something new. If that new thing is reducing your waste, I salute you. Getting started on the path to a less wasteful life is the hardest part and you’re no doubt looking for …
The term “zero waste” freaks people out. Here’s the thing to remember: There’s no such thing as zero waste. Every zero waste guru has a list. A list of things they still use even though they’re wasteful. I know I’ve talked about bad days where you can’t muster up enough energy to maintain a zero waste lifestyle, …
Fall is my favorite season with one notable exception: allergies. When I was a kid, I’d attribute the sudden sneezing, coughing, low-grade fever, and exhaustion to going back to school. Anything could have contributed to my body falling apart come mid-September: a lack of sleep, the sudden change in habitat to sharing close quarters with …
I’m not exactly sure when the “anniversary” of any lifestyle is. There’s no commitment ceremony to becoming zero waste, but it has been about a year since I started blogging about this crazy decision. I’ve made significant strides in the past twelve months, but there’s still so much more that needs doing. To that end, I’ve made a short …
As any clickbait article will tell you, Millennials are a generation defined by a delayed adulthood. We were raised on the idea that youth is God’s greatest gift. A lot of us turn 18 without knowing how to cook, do laundry, sew, or change our car’s oil unless we were lucky enough to have parents who …
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, …