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 educate, the movement is spreading rapidly! Today I want to highlight one of those individuals, and her non-profit organization, Andrea Sanders with Be Zero.
When I started my zero waste journey, I took to Instagram to find inspiration. One of the first people I followed was Andrea Sanders @bezerowastegirl. I was mesmerized by her focus on trash reduction and her soft, encompassing photos highlighting trash from all over her city of Boulder, Colorado. It wasn’t until a year or so later that I learned she founded an organization called Be Zero.
Be Zero is a non-profit that focuses on educating the public on ways to reduce their trash production. Andrea Sanders founded it in order to bring awareness to the general public and provide a resource that wasn’t readily available.
Be Zero Mission:
To inspire, educate, and activate individuals to dramatically reduce their individual plastic and trash footprint and to create simple and sustainable lifestyle habits.
Be Zero provides many resources such as their online Zero Waste Blog, local workshops and clean-ups in Boulder, Colorado, and an online 30 Day Zero Waste Challenge.
Recently Be Zero has expanded and developed an ambassador program as well. The Ambassador Program works by connecting like-minded individuals with Be Zero’s ideals from all over the world. The goal of the Ambassador Program is to encourage zero waste advocates to work locally at educating the public and provides resources to do that. I chose to become a Be Zero Ambassador a few months ago so I could support an organization I believed in that also wants to support me. It connects me with individuals who may be having similar issues in their towns with recycling systems, business cooperation, or social push-back at changing habits. It shows me just how wide-spread the movement is and how we can all help each other succeed if we share information. If you want to learn more about the Ambassador Program or to see a list of current Ambassadors, you can visit their info page.
One of Be Zero’s widespread images is their How to Make Less Trash graphic. It walks beginners through the basic steps they can take in their life to reduce trash production. Through the Ambassador Program, I have worked with Andrea to translate their graphic into a format accessible to Spanish speakers. Their poster/guide is currently available in English, Chinese, Hindi, German, and now Spanish too! You can see all their translations on their website here.
Be Zero is a non-profit and runs on donations only. So if you are inspired by their organization’s goals and enjoy using their resources, consider making a donation today to support a zero waste future!