I was working on a zero waste project with my Mom the other day when she paused and said, “So you’re going to do this long term.” It wasn’t a question, more like voicing a realization. While my parents are always supportive, I’ve known that “can you really keep it up?” has been bouncing around the subtext …
As Black Friday approaches we turn our attention once again to that which binds us all together: love. Most importantly, showing that love with lots of festively wrapped and labeled gifts. Gift giving and receiving can get a bit awkward when you’re trying to be zero waste because: We’re trying to reduce our belongings to decrease …
During an exercise in privilege, a teacher asked us to step forward from a line if a certain sentence applied to us. Some were about race (“Take a step forward if skin toned bandaids match your skin tone.”), some were about socio-economic class (“Take a step forward for every car your family owned before you …
Cooking and I have a complicated relationship. Anyone who knew me before I started zero waste will probably be surprised by how much I cook now. I…am not a good cook. There are things that I can cook after many, many repetitions and past failures, but it’s not something I come by naturally. Until I decided to …
Dear Global Warming, I’m sorry that people think you’re a hoax. As someone who experienced emotional and psychological bullying growing up, I know just how painful it can be to be told that you are a liar or simply treated like you don’t exist. Therefore, I thought I’d take a moment to tell you just …
I did not meet my goal of 1 mason jar of waste this month. And that’s okay! I didn’t expect to succeed right off the bat. This was my first month officially tracking my trash–specifically my non-recyclable, non-compostable trash. If it were that easy, everyone would be zero waste. A few confessions about this month’s …
Happy November 1st, everyone. Each year, I participate in an event called National Novel Writing Month (or “nanowrimo” for “short”). Much like the zero waste challenge, this annual tradition has a definitive monthly goal I try to meet: Write a 50,000 word story in 30 days. That’s about the size of Catcher in the Rye. For those of …
National Novel Writing Month & My Zero Waste BlogRead More »
Humans vs. Zombies was–and still is–very popular at my Alma mater. The game involves running, tagging, dodging, jumping, shooting Nerf guns, and throwing socks for a long weekend around campus. There’s a lot of room for accidents, but rarely did anything actually go wrong. Unless you count that one time a student accidentally shattered a window …
Ok, so we know recycling is a good thing, right? Right. (Deep breath)…But it’s not good enough. When I talk about going zero waste to someone new, they usually bring up recycling. 9 times out of 10, I usually change the subject or don’t engage further, depending on how much I like the person. Here …
Perfectly arranged, identical mason jars. Adorable succulents covering window sills. Classy, minimalist clothing in blacks, whites, and neutrals. Yes, the Zero Waste Aesthetic is a seductive mistress. And she will suck your bank account dry if you’re not careful. Don’t get me wrong; I love me a good aesthetic. I dog ear my favorite pages of Vogue, …