30 Day Zero Waste Challenge

 

Huge thanks to you for coming along on this 30 Day Zero Waste Challenge!  Since Earth Day when we started, I have learned a ton from you and from the other tens of thousands of intrepid travelers on this journey toward sanity in the relationship with our needs and wants and the stuff we chose to bring into our lives. I apologize if I missed an important topic or zero waste strategy!  Please feel free to continue posting and sharing here!

(I do not consider myself an expert by any means – merely a neophyte with Zero Waste living. In March I was listening to a zero waste podcast while I was gardening and had the idea to start a 30 Day Challenge mostly for my own learning! I texted Lael White, she said “Go for it!”, posted the idea on facebook and here we are. I have so much to do on a personal level to get my house and habits together. I am seriously thinking that I am going to re-do the Challenge on my own but assign each to an ENTIRE MONTH!, e.g. June is Zero Waste Shopping Month; July is Zero Waste Bathroom, etc.  Each of these Challenges is going to take me some time to incorporate into my life. Maybe after several months of this kind of work it will be old hat. Hoping!)

I wish for you and I to do the best we can in this crazy culture set up for the exact opposite of Zero Waste. Know that we are making a huge difference in every step we take toward zero waste, and even just talking about it with friends, family and coworkers makes a big impact. Really! We’re planting seeds that will grow. 

If I can stand on my soapbox for a moment (package free soapbox, of course): I truly believe that most people care very much but simply do not have the information they need to act according to their own values of caring, stewardship and community. It’s up to us to share zero waste information and the scourge of single use plastics, and especially how it connects to our own personal values. This post by Anna Fahey at Sightline has been one that I keep sharing and here it is for you, Zero Waste Friends!  All of our communication with others should start with values. http://www.sightline.org/2017/08/21/values-sandwich/

What Begins at Home Should Extend Outward:

Now that you’re bringing zero waste to your home and habits, you’re ready to bring people together in groups to put pressure on businesses to do better and advocate for policy change at local, regional and state levels. Change at all levels is necessary to get this right. Get out there and start the conversation! And Stay in Touch!

Quote of the Day:

“Keep a smile on your face, do the best you can, speak up! and remember: Progress Not Perfection.” -Teresa Catford