Parastoo's story

Wow. This letter gave me goosebumps. A big thanks to Parastoo for sharing such a personal and powerful story with us!

Parastoo and her husband

“I was born in Iran and lived in Europe for seven years before immigrating to the United States, fourteen years ago.

When I moved here with my husband, the unlimited amount of stuff got to me. It all looked very exciting and the options to buy things felt unlimited... but we had just finished dental school, and could not spend much. So when we got our dental licenses, and finally started making a decent income, we got wild :) We moved into a 3700 square foot house and filled it up with all the stuff we could possibly buy and all the junk you can imagine.

We opened our own practice (huge loan), and we worked overtime to get it off the ground. But the guilt of leaving our one-year old daughter at the day care (sometimes 10 hours a day) was weighing on us. So everywhere we went, we came back with some toys for her. And since we worked so much and never had much time to spend in our huge house, we bought and bought... just to feel homey and feel like we were doing something for our home and family. But as years went by, we felt more and more unhappy.

In 2005, we expanded our office that had become too small for the amount of patients we now had (another loan), we bought a house in Arizona for my sister as an investment (another loan), and we refinanced our home three times to cover the expenses (another loan). And then when the economy changed and took its toll on our office, I opened another one 45 min away with the hope to build a plan B (another expense, another stress). It seemed that the more we worked (sometimes until 4 AM to finish paperwork), the poorer we became. We were drowning in debt and I was exhausted.

Two years later, we adopted our son and I reduced my work. It helped a lot, but having so much stuff drove me crazy. I cleaned all day and got nowhere. I tried to simplify and reduce, but the amount of stuff coming in was a problem.

A year ago, we tried to renegotiate our office’s loan with the bank and rent with the landlord. But both turned us down, and when our payments became late, they sued us. The stress was huge in our life and the economy had made us vulnerable. In February of 2011, with three lawsuits in hand and financial and emotional disaster, we filed for bankruptcy and soon closed our offices, moving it all into our home and three car garage.

February 2011 is also when I found your blog for the first time. I saw your story on Yahoo and fell in love with your blog. It was exactly what I needed. The best anti-depressant, the highlight of my day, every day. It gave me hope and a goal to strive for during the most hopeless, goal-less and difficult time of our life. Your whole lifestyle represented my perfect dream life. Along with zero waste, your de-cluttered and simple life appealed to me. Your tasteful and functional system was in perfect harmony with my perfectionist personality and your smart ideas made it doable. I started to follow your system and it changed my life (de-cluttering proved to be the hardest considering the amount of stuff we had).

We are moving more and more toward your lifestyle. It has reduced our expenses a lot, and as my house gets more and more organized, we are all happier. My husband got a job and I stay home with my kids, working on de-cluttering and zero waste, a little bit every day. I go on your blog daily to renew my energy. At this time, our home's payment is late and we will soon go into foreclosure. But we have never been so happy.  It even seems that the more we loose, the happier we get.

I am forever thankful and really appreciate you opening your home's door and exposing yourself and your family to make a difference.You might get comments about your white walls, or critics about your trip to France, but please never forget the huge positive impact you have had on my life. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. “

Want to share your journey to Zero Waste with us too? Email us your story of 750 words or less, accompanied with a picture to: zerowastestory at gmail dot com.

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12 ways a small house has improved my life

When I moved to the US, I dreamed of living in a large home. Mansions as seen on TV, represented my American dream.

When Scott and I bought our first house, we indulged my aspirations. But after seven years of living large, varied circumstances led us to move into a house half the size. The move presented logistical challenges and I worried about "status", but I was excited about change.

Today, I have completely embraced small living, and could not even envision going back to big (I actually dream of smaller).

I have come to learn that bigger is not necessarily better.

Here are areas that I have found our small house has improved:

1. Family bonds: We brush our teeth together, eat together, watch movies together, and even bump into each other ;), which sometimes turns into a wrestle (my fave).
2. Housekeeping efficiency: Five minutes to pick up, two hours to deep clean. Cleaning used to take all day, now it takes a morning.
3. Home maintenance cost: Although everything gets used more, there is less in quantity to break, and therefore less to repair. We can also easily stay on top of repairs.
4. Community exchange: We reach out to friends or community for seldomly used items. Today I sent out an email for a pair of hiking boots size 6, by the end of the day, I had located two pairs (Thanks Tina and Mary!)
5. Utilities cost: A smaller house is evidently cheaper to heat and light, but also cheaper to retrofit (e.g., insulation, windows, and solar).
6. Space optimization: We use all the available space. I used to have a guest bedroom in my previous home. It required year round cleaning and heating, for only a couple of uses per year. Today, we simply offer the kids' bedroom to guests, and the kids get excited about camping in their playroom!
7. Home security: I definitely feel safer in a small home. I know every nook and cranny of the house. A monster cannot hide in the closet:)
8. Ecological impact: It makes Zero Waste manageable. "Less space, less stuff, less waste", Leo once said.
9. Residency options: For us, downsizing has afforded a spot within walking distance of great schools and an active downtown - after we were told that there was no availability in our price range.
10. Parental awareness: We used intercoms (baby monitors) in the old house. Now we can hear each other sneeze across the house. We might have to move when the kids become sexually active;)
11. Health: For two reasons...1) A smaller space is easier to clean, which means that dust does not linger in hard to reach places; and, 2) A small house encourages outdoor activity - in the summer, my deck becomes my office.
12. Stuff management: Stuff has been easier to manage in a small home for 3 reasons

• Consumption: Small spaces control the amount of stuff coming into the house. In my old house, I bought furniture just to fill large rooms. Now, we focus on double duty and functional items.
• Organization (once you have decluttered): It's easy to put things away, easy to find things.
• Access: It's even easy to get to things (closer distances).

When I asked the kids, what their thoughts were on living in a small house... Max replied: "You can't play hide-and-seek." That's one drawback that doesn't seem to bother him though, because he is already talking about building his own tiny house someday.

And that would make One Proud Mama.

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Penni's Story

Zero Waste is providing relief to a debilitating health condition... Thanks for sharing, Penni! (beautiful backyard you have there!)

"My name is Penni and I live in extreme Northern California. Our home for 35 years has been our ranch and we are ten miles from the nearest small community. A weekly 70 mile round trip is required for almost all shopping. We have been careful to maintain three quarters of our land in a wild state and farm organic hay. We grow a large garden each year, and have a solar net metering system for all domestic use. I’ve been carrying cloth grocery bags for a decade, I recycle, buy organic, hang my laundry in the sun or by the woodstove. All my friends think I am the epitome of “green” and I thought so too, even with the bag of trash I hauled out every night after dinner. I was pretty smug.

When I picked up a Sunset magazine at the acupuncturist’s I was amazed at the idea a zero waste home could even exist in mainstream America, let alone so stylishly. Obviously I was way too smug. We have made many small changes in our household this past year that have reduced our garbage by about half, everything from installing a composter to drinking bulk tea. None have been major and none are particularly time consuming. It is more a matter of making thoughtful choices. I find myself envying the bulk food choices available to the more urban bloggers. Oh to have a Whole Foods Market within driving distance! But in the absence of that I have sought out local sources for soap, lotions, candles, honey, smoked turkey, bread, beer and eggs.

As a long time Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patient my energy is a valuable commodity. Before reading the column on “Guiltlooms” I had already come to the conclusion that the hand me downs, gift books to read, projects to finish and other things I might need sometime were really sapping my ability to enjoy the here and now. It was incredible how draining, how time consuming it all was. CFS affects one’s ability to focus and my house had become impossible to get anything done in.Armed with “permission” from your blog I have sold, given away, worn out and donated nearly 2000 objects. Nothing enters now unless something leaves. What a relief! My home is easier to clean, more beautiful and far more serene. I have even had the energy to take up a little running again, an old favorite pre-syndrome activity.

The information I have gained from the Zero Waste Home blog and the swell of excitement in the voices of the bloggers has encouraged this old environmentalist to take the next step and in doing so it has improved my health and the quality of my life in ways I did not anticipate. Goal for new year…………..get rid of the trash bin entirely!"

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About those air travels...

When I first mentioned the idea of writing a blog to Scott, he advised against it because we fly to France to visit my family every year. "You're going to get hammered for that" he said.

Boy, did I find a lot of buzz in the comments about my recent travels. We have covered meat consumption, toilet paper and car usage, even white walls;)... Today, you have expressed concerns about my carbon footprint related to going away for Christmas and going to New York to tape The View. I am happy to provide answers: Some may think we are perfect, but we never said we were... we only try to do our best - and to be open about our successes and challenges.

I do not expect my readers to go as far as I have with zero waste, as I do not expect anyone to tell me that my lifestyle forbids flying ;) After all, we are all masters of our own lives. We are all responsible to balance in "greening" our lives at a pace that fits regional limitations and personal needs, regardless of what others say or think. I choose to be true on this blog and have mentioned my travels from the beginning, because I believe that honesty is key to growth and change.

Furthermore, I believe that true sustainability relies on adopting changes that are feasible in the long run. That is, after all, the true definition of sustainability, isn't it?

Up until striving to live a zero waste lifestyle, visits to far away places have opened my eyes and provided me with tolerance for cultural differences. These voyages have expanded my general knowledge from which I feed on a daily basis and share with you on this blog - unknowingly, you actually profit from my prior travels;). And I wish the same for my kids in their future. I wish for modern technology to find sustainable alternatives to a transportation mode that I do not foresee disappearing. Some think that I am unrealistic dreaming of a world free of food packaging, I think it is unrealistic to dream of a world free of air travels. With the multicultural civilization that we have become, there is no turning back. Air travel is not going away and I can undeniably say that it will always be part of my family's bi-cultural life.

• Can I adopt the Zero Waste lifestyle for as long as I live? Today, I can say yes.
• Can I vouch to never, ever flying again? As of today, absolutely not. I would be lying to you if I stated that I could "Refuse" flying for the rest of my life (or if I said that absolute Zero Waste was possible today). Carbon offsetting is nice (and we purchase it when we travel), but carbon reduction is even better...

It had been six years since we had taken a flight, for a leisure purpose other than that of visiting family. Our trip to Hawaii was a fantastic family experience for the boys and priceless (and at the same time free) for Scott and I, for we realize that it won't be long before our boys "Refuse" to travel... with us, that is;).

As for ABC flying us to New York to tape The View to spread the message of Zero Waste... well, no need to say more.

Have you vouched to never fly again for environmental reasons ("Refuse")? or have you opted to "Reduce" air travels instead?

I am so glad I decided to rise above Scott's original concerns... Look at the community we have created!

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