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, …
Cravings. We all have them. And they can be monstrous when you’re zero waste. Sadly, cravings are often covered in packaging. That’s because Americans like myself are addicted to high-preservative food and drink with tons of fat and sugar. A classic id vs. superego showdown will commence as you consider the greasy cardboard in a …
When you shop zero waste, your options shrink pretty quickly. Even in my hometown of St. Louis where there are dozens of different grocery stores to choose from, most don’t offer bulk bins or even produce without plastic packaging. For me, I only have two one-stop options: Lucky’s Market The Soulard Farmer’s Market (which I …
Getting reusable stuff is expensive. It takes companies a lot more time and resources to create something durable, well made, and ethically made than it does to create a one-time-use item. They also realize that there’s probably a set number of items that they will sell because you won’t continually have to buy new items to …
I come across this statement a lot when watching videos or reading blogs about zero waste: “You’ll save money with zero waste because blah blah blah.” Unfortunately as great as it sounds, it simply isn’t true. At least, not everyone will save money compared to how they lived before going zero waste. If you’re a shopping …
Going zero waste is hard. Not coal mining or giving birth hard, but it does take a certain amount of dedication. It’s a lot of rejecting convenience. The convenience of calling for a late night pizza delivery or ordering a drink without having to specify, “No straw, please.” Convenience and I were once lovers and …
Here’s the thing about going zero waste: You want to talk to people about it. I imagine this is true of any drastic lifestyle change, whether it’s veganism or giving birth to a child. But whenever you passionately ramble about anything, people in your life can get…well…annoyed. That’s the great thing about blogs. They’re like …