Zero Waste Blog

Doing laundry is (unfortunately) just part of all of our lives. I don't particularly like doing laundry and will wear my clothes over and over again until I really need to wash them. At times, my loving partner will have to remind me that it's time to wash something, when I crawl into bed with dirty pajamas! I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for your love life... Washing my clothes also became a pain when I started thinking about what laundry detergent I was using. Even t

Plastic Free July starts today! If you haven't ever participated in Plastic Free July (or even heard of it), don't worry! I'm here to guide you along on your month long adventure! Photo: www.plasticfreejuly.org Plastic Free July is a month long campaign designed to promote the reduction of plastic production, use, and disposal. It started back in 2011 in Australia and now has millions of participants from around the world. What's great about this campaign is that there are no

Welcome! You're probably here because you've jumped on the Zero Waste train and want to know where to start! Or you may have heard about the zero waste movement from a hippie friend of yours and just want to learn more. Well...this blog post is for you! Zero Waste is, in a nut shell, a movement that strives to raise awareness around the production, consumption, and disposal of products. We do this by promoting sustainable alternatives to disposables and encouraging reclaiming

It wasn't very long ago that the idea of using a bidet really freaked me out. When I was living abroad for a year in high school, my host family had one and I never used it - not once! So I don't blame you if you are also hesitant about installing a bidet in your bathroom. I think you'll find though that they are not quite as intimidating (or weird) as you might have thought. But why even use a bidet? Why not just keep using toilet paper? First, it doesn't actually use more w

Over the last several years, I have been encouraged by the growing number of individuals and businesses that are taking on zero waste goals. It seems that the increase in awareness around trash production is growing and taking more of a spotlight in the main stream media. But who do we have to thank for this? Many small time bloggers are becoming huge inspirational figures for hundreds of thousands of people across the world. Thanks to the efforts of local individuals to educ

I grew up knowing the words to Jack Johnson’s version of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and carrying every plastic bottle I used to the nearest recycling bin. My family emphasized the importance of taking care of the environment and recycling was a way for us to do that. I felt good about myself knowing that recycling would fix our trash problem. I was “saving the planet”. Right…? Years later, and with a lot more education behind me, I’ve learned more about the recycling system and

In conjunction with my recent post Zero Waste Grocery Shopping, I want to follow up with a post regarding what I actually buy that is still in packaging. If you’ve seen my monthly trash jars, you know that I put a small amount of packaging into the landfills each month. I still, however, have items that I purchase in recyclable packaging that don’t end up in the trash can but do end up in the recycling bin. Pause here for a minute – the zero waste movement is not just a movem

Thanksgiving usually comes with a lot of things - too much food, family, arguments, holiday cheer, and shopping. Now most of these are quite easy to do zero waste (nothing quite as zero waste as family time!) but shopping for Christmas gifts or holiday gifts can present quite a challenge. And it all starts with Black Friday. To be honest, I have gone to Black Friday with my family for as long as I can remember. And I went this year too. but before you yell "Consumerism!" and

My teeth are nice. By that I mean they work! I had lots of cavities as a kid and currently I suffer from receding gums. Because of that, it has taken me a while to find sustainable alternatives that don’t aggravate my problems. I hope that in sharing my experiences with many different dental products, it may shed some light on what you can do to improve your bathroom routine and help eliminate the waste produced there. So let’s take a look at each of the alternatives I have f

BeeEco Wraps are my new favorite item in the kitchen! Not only are they gorgeous, unique, and smell like delicious beeswax, but they are totally eco-friendly! Get this: BeeEco Wraps are designed to replace plastic wrap! A mixture of beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin is infused into organic cotton cloth to create a malleable cloth. The wraps are then dyed in gorgeous patterns to add a colorful touch to your kitchen! When the wraps are warm, they are pliable and able to mold

Creating a plastic free and waste free kitchen is no easy task. Over time, however, slowly replacing items with sustainable alternatives with become easier and easier. The following is a list of products that I recommend you switch to in order to decrease your trash production, limit your chemical usage, and support good companies. I always believe in buying items second hand whenever possible so please visit your local thrift shops, Buy Nothing groups, and Next Door communit