Pros and Cons of the Zero Waste life

6 Advantages:- The obvious one: Feeling good about helping the Earth- Inspiring others to join in- Being healthier: Bulk foods are in general healthier than packaged or processed foods- Being more creative: In finding the supplier for the packaged goods you miss, in making the table pretty with what you have, in coming up with different ways to reuse your leftovers… by the way, foraged moss in lieu of toilet paper does not work for everyday use.- Not dealing with the smell of trash (compost is odorless), and not having to take it out to the curb (what a motivation for our kids to go Zero Waste!)-...

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Zero Waste Bathroom

The fastest way to get to Zero Waste here, is to find alternatives to your disposables: Remove your bathroom trash can...whatever lands on the floor is what calls for an ersatz. Here are the changes we've made.-Toilet paper: Yes, we still use it, at least until we get solar on the house and drying washlets on the toilet bowls. For now, it's TP; 100%recycled and unbleached, individually wrapped in paper to bypass the common plastic wrapper on multiples, while we wait for better packaging options to come up on the market. Evergreen is packaged in cardboard but is only sold online.-Antiperspirant:...

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Zero Waste’s #1 rule

REFUSE, REFUSE, REFUSE: Zero Waste’s #1 rule. We have all been programmed to accept and take whatever is given to us. Every bit we accept and take, creates demand. Zero Waste starts by chasing and changing those habits, one by one. Here are seven ideas to get you started: - Refuse that plastic bag!: Even if the item, that you have not yet paid for, is already bagged. You know that the bag is probably going to end up in the can but you can let that one go: You’ll feel horrible seeing it go to waste (it will help you remember next time) and refusing helps cashiers change their compulsive bagging...

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Zero Waste Grocery Shopping

While I plan on blogging about my local grocery stores and the bulk they carry, here is my general guide on Zero Waste grocery shopping:- Only shop once a week: If you run all your errands on the same day and with a list (written on single-side printed paper or receipts), it saves on gas and impulse shopping. For maximum fuel efficiency, start with the furthest stop.- Always have a few shopping baskets in your trunk: I like the straw French market baskets (I have lined them with an old sheet to make them stronger). One is filled with cloth and produce bags. I also have a rigid tote that I keep...

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Zero Waste Kitchen

Friends have asked me to blog about what they can do to reduce their household waste. I think its time that I wrote about what we did and are doing in our house. Let's start with the kitchen (I'll use the 1st person, because that's really my territory):- I do not buy single-use products: They are not worth it (paper towels, garbage liners, wax paper, aluminum sheets, disposable plates, cups, etc...). I swapped paper towels for reusable rags, I chose microfiber because they do an amazing job and have eliminated many cleaning products (see Zero Waste Cleaning). I swapped sandwich baggies for kitchen...

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Junk mail war: still on!

I started my fight against junk mail 5 years ago, when I signed up for the "do not mail" list on dmachoice.org.Last year, however, I decided that enough was enough. I declared: "I shall attack EVERY PIECE OF UNWANTED MAIL that finds its way into our mailbox". Not an easy task, one that has changed my relationship with the mailbox forever. I no longer run to it to look for the latest Pottery Barn catalog, but to count how many crap mail pieces I have landed and have to fight.It's been a part-time job ever since. At the time when the kids need my attention for their homework (kids get home from...

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Difficult trip to Whole Foods

Just got back from Whole Foods. Exhausted.I usually shop on Thursdays. Those who work there that day know the drill with my refillable jars. But we were gone over the New Years weekend and came back to an empty pantry and refrigerator. I had to go shopping today, Monday...- The cheese guy stared at me and my 2 jars as I read in his eyes that he believed I was mad. After 10 minutes of debating, cutting one type of cheese from its wheel and fitting it in the 1st jar, I ask for Parmesan... to make it easier on himself, he unwraps a cling wrapped piece and puts it in my 2nd jar. I give up with this...

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