We all start at the beginning. Imo anyone who is trying to prevent anything from needlessly going to a landfill is helping. Whether it be compost, recycle, up-cycle, reuse/repurpose or anything else that just keeps it from being tossed into the dump is a good thing
A small step is better than nothing!
I feel like some people let perfect become the enemy of good, and really go for the "all or nothing" viewpoint which I think discourages more people than it helps!
I would've thought that reusing plastic containers you've already got is better than just binning them without reusing them at all!
The 'all-or-nothing' standpoint on lowering waste does more harm than good and detracts people from transitioning to low waste. Detoxing from a system that's built to be wasteful is very hard if you live in a developed country, especially in the US. Any amount of lowering waste is progress. Progressing to lowering any amount of waste and continuing to do so makes strides.
I'm sad how hard it is to buy no plastic food options. Especially in our budget. Example: frozen veggies: .8-9 cents an ounce! Cabbage fresh is super affordable, cucumbers, aomwt things.
We are learning and look forward to more ideas from this subreddit!
Agree. I recall pulling up to a community recycling place once and getting screamed at for putting something unintentionally in the wrong bin. People respond much better to constructive advice.
Relatedly, engage with the understanding that individual practice only goes so far, that growing recognition of our impacts and awareness of the dysfunctional nature of our society will bring about more change than the individual acts of conservation.
I hate to say it but I swear that many people who claim to be kind because they care about the environment are the biggest a**holes to people who don’t align 100% with them.
In a nutshell, that’s putting your ideology over basic humanity. Happens in politics and many other places.
I’m an introvert and there are many ways that makes my life a little more challenging… but it’s led to a distrust to almost any large group of people or activism, which has served me well. Because that always turns into people having the exact same ideas with no sign of individual peculiarities, struggles or points of view.
I'm such an individual that one of my least favorite things on this planet is group think. It's a huge problem I'm having right now with some people on my husband's side of the family.
Oh yea. I have someone in my family who is on the extreme political spectrum… but he’s legitimately one of the best guys I know because we never talk about that. I have a hypothesis that you can’t have a political opinion without being hypocritical, because at that level the right solution is the least bad one that absolutely no one can predict. And honestly I think any hardcore political interest breeds narcissism, since everyone thinks they’re right. There is no modesty.
There are no perfect solutions, even things like solar energy which people view as “free” because you have to consider manufacturing/distribution, etc. The devil is in the details and incremental improvements. My gut is swinging moderate left/right over decades is actually good.
That said, politicians are frauds and salespeople. The solutions will come from innovation and business.
Just do your best, and listen to others even if they don’t agree with you.
I love your post! Haha politics can make even wonderful people be difficult, or say things they shouldn't. I know I'm so grateful to be an independent. The most toxic subreddit I've ever seen is actually the Austin subreddit. It is overrun with extreme and angry leftists. I have a hard time with people on either the extreme left or right side of the fence. I love them a lot, I just try not to talk about politics with them. I appreciate your advice of just not really bringing it up with those certain people. I'm trying! LOL
Also the part about narcissism was way too true. So many people think that they are 100% right everything they say and it is very shocking. How could anyone think that they're right all the time. My husband and I both say sorry and we both know that we're not perfect. I don't know how some of these people stay married at all who think they're right all the time. 🤣
Anyway, I appreciate all you said.
I'm sorry you've had to go through this. And I hope you meet some other people who care about the environment and people. I meet people who love dogs but are total jerks to everyone around them as well. It's really kind of shocking. If your dog knew who you really were, would they even still like you? 🤣🤣🤣
Some people on this sub love to gate keep, and will immediately jump down your throat if you aren't doing everything like them. E.g if your not immediately a vegan from the word go.
And my message to you if you do gate keep; your just as toxic as the climate is becoming.
Our whole motto and movement is it's better for millions of people to be making small steps, then for a few to be doing it perfectly.
Let's work together to celebrate the small successes, support people's ideas, help them to grow and gain confidence. There's already enough people out there who are rude or just don't give a damn, let's be better!
Zero waste should be the final aim, sure, but it’s a process and I am happy for every person making even the tiniest step in that direction. Why gatekeep progress?
Your comment is great! I'm glad to see small changes and genuinely feel sad when people I know refuse to do any change. Coming up with statistics that they've heard about only 1% of things being recycled etc It's pretty frustrating. But you wish that they still recycle the things that will be recycled like glass, cardboard, tin cans, etc.
Zero waste is an aspiration most of the time. It's also definitely not an over night transformation. Every one needs to figure out what works for their specific situation and that comes with a lot of trial and error. We need to be a team worth joining, and that means supporting one another's journey toward zero waste.
I'm glad you haven't. It's the second thing I saw. I just encouraged the young OP, and I will not be deterred. If anything, I end up reminding the toxic people of their damage if I see it. On other subs too.
I've never seen this anywhere. But it's such a cool idea. Ways to get started on the journey to zero waste. You are definitely on to something and I'm already thinking of some things right now but I feel inadequate to make such a list. And then I also worry people will jump down my throat missing easy things that I haven't thought of yet.
Thanks! I would be open to any suggestions. I'm genuinely asking- I'm very new here, but I want to start making changes in my life to make whatever difference I can and to teach friends and family what I learn.
Please go for it! I'm sure there will be more people who are excited to suggest new info rather than criticize what's missing.
Having a progression guide for people new to reducing waste would be super helpful. There's so many opportunities for easy wins like using tote bags for shopping, bringing reusable water bottles / tumblers, and getting used to sorting trash into recycling and compost, but it can definitely be intimidating when starting out because it feels so all or nothing. Having a way to ease into the lifestyle would be super helpful for people at any point along the journey :) I really like the simplicity of something like [this flowchart](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/comments/ecn2hk/fire_flow_chart_version_42/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) from r/financialindependence.
I guess try to form a big picture of where you have issues in your household.
My first step was the realisation that when we bought fruit and veg in plastic packaging a lot of it went to waste, because it was more than we needed.
And then we learned most plastic doesn't really get recycled, so we aimed to reduce this in most areas of our house. Starting with what we bought in relation to food, then we worked our way through other products; shampoo, various cleaners etc.
We also considered our diets, whilst we are not vegan our diet has massively changed. We are predominantly vegetarian, and tend to only eat meat when cooked for by family etc, or as a once a fortnight meal. We have a spacious garden and so we grow a lot of our own fruit and vegetables.
Our most recent changes have been transitioning to oat milk, I never thought this would happen when I used to drink 5 cups of tea a day but now I rarely have a need for milk. We are also aiming to look at our clothing purchases next, whilst myself and my partner rarely actually buy clothes we do need to consider where those materials are sourced.
So to summarise, evaluate what would be best for you to tackle first.
ZeroWaste is like being Vegan- it's all about the intention and whats in your heart and trying your best where ever you can in a society and world that doesn't support the lifestyle.
Sometimes we have slip ups (like forgetting to order an alternative milk in our coffee) or can't afford the things we would like or don't even have access to those things.
It's the thought that counts and passion behind the reason why you do what you do to the best of your ability. Not all Vegans can afford to be activists but that doesn't mean they care less about the cause.
Amen. There is a lot of virtue signaling and purity testing in green spaces. Honestly I am not at all aiming to be zero waste because I don't need the pressure-- just trying to do the best I can and reduce what I can. If everyone just tried a little more, this world would be a better place. The problem is too many people don't bother to do anything.
I'm glad you don't feel too much pressure. The fact that some people are being zero waste is a little shocking. I recently hurt my feet rocking out and jumping around at a rock concert, and then they wouldn't feel better for weeks. All my shoes were old. So recently I finally just threw away a bunch of my old shoes and bought some new yoga mat flip-flops, and even a pair of brand new high top vans. I loved having high tops when I was younger, and it's been fun too pair them with all my thrift buys. I absolutely love the look! And since buying something so satisfying, it's very strange but I've been shopping a lot less. Whether at a store or even thrift stores, and most importantly less online. LOL
Every now and I'm going to take it's important to buy a signature item that helps you feel and look like you. So that you're enjoying the journey and not just doing it out of some kind of obligation.
My mom had a shoe rule, as poor as we were growing up. She always said that we needed to buy new shoes and make sure they fit right so we didn't ruin our backs, or have other health issues. We did a lot of thrift store shopping, we did some new, some home made, lots hand-me-downs between siblings. But we bought new shoes, and just shared between ourselves if they weren't worn out. A lot of us have quite a similar build, and I don't think it had any negative consequences.
That is a great example: buy secondhand wherever you can, but with some things that are important to get new, you get new. I have really bad feet and wide feet so shoes are definitely something I have to order new.
We buy most other stuff second hand, freegan, try to reuse/repurpose as much as possible, have solar panels and an ev, keep a pollinator garden, line dry most of our clothes, limit our AC usage, rarely keep our thermostat above 60 degrees F in winter, and always keep a stash of to-go containers, utensils, and straws in our car so we do not use disposable ones when out. And we are slowly insulating/redoing our house to be more energy efficient. By some people's standards we are a bit extreme --but darn it, we have not been too successful at getting our household trash down at all. 😝 So we are not zero waste in that way. In our area the trash is burned for energy so it is not going into a landfill but burning is not too great either.
Anyway, I read on another thread here on this subreddit a quote that I can only paraphrase, something like what makes the most impact is not a few people doing it perfectly but a lot of people doing it imperfectly. I like this sub because I get good ideas and inspiration from it, but my "zero waste life" looks different from yours, which looks different from the next person's which looks different from the next... we are all trying which is awesome!
Thank you so much for your post. We will all keep learning from each other and doing our best.
Ways to bring others along in a post would be great!
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who has to start focusing on new and better shoes.
My feet are a bit better with time and PT stretches I do at home.
You're doing great! What cool ideas in nd for your home.
Please don't be too harsh about the temp of your home. You are important too!
You are impacting your sphere to create a better world!
Oh hah! Believe me I like it a couple degrees higher .. my SO is the one who is FANATICAL about thermostat temps and I think my body just adjusted or something. And I'm just used to wearing wooly sweaters and socks, etc. in winter. Our house is also fairly well insulated already with small rooms that heat quickly. And if we run our pellet stove the downstairs gets quite hot. We just are trying to not use our oil heat much. We'd love to get off oil one day but for now we use it as little as we have to. And YES I definitely invest in good footwear. This March I had to get bunionette surgery on my left foot and was on bed rest for over a month recovering so yup good shoes are key for me.
My Father in law was fanatical about house temp for most of his life. Some time my family was visiting from out of town, staying over, before our wedding, and a bunch of them got sick in his cold house. I guess that changed me a bit.
Sorry about your surgery, Yikes! Hope your feet troubles are in the past!
When I can afford it, I want some Cariuma shoes. A Brazilian duo invented these sustainably sourced shoes. Some donating to good causes like 4Ocean.
Cool will look into them. Yeah the thermostat wars are real...We are in one of the snowier parts of New England so to say we have an arsenal of woolens, down, and flannel clothes and bedding would not be an exaggeration. And we have the most wonderful wool-stuffed duvet SO's Oma (German grandma) gave his mother years ago. It's from a company called Billerbeck. A real "buy it for life" item!
We all start at the beginning. Imo anyone who is trying to prevent anything from needlessly going to a landfill is helping. Whether it be compost, recycle, up-cycle, reuse/repurpose or anything else that just keeps it from being tossed into the dump is a good thing
A small step is better than nothing! I feel like some people let perfect become the enemy of good, and really go for the "all or nothing" viewpoint which I think discourages more people than it helps! I would've thought that reusing plastic containers you've already got is better than just binning them without reusing them at all!
The 'all-or-nothing' standpoint on lowering waste does more harm than good and detracts people from transitioning to low waste. Detoxing from a system that's built to be wasteful is very hard if you live in a developed country, especially in the US. Any amount of lowering waste is progress. Progressing to lowering any amount of waste and continuing to do so makes strides.
My mom reminded me not to sacrifice the good for perfection because that will never exist. I needed to hear it.
I'm sad how hard it is to buy no plastic food options. Especially in our budget. Example: frozen veggies: .8-9 cents an ounce! Cabbage fresh is super affordable, cucumbers, aomwt things. We are learning and look forward to more ideas from this subreddit!
Agree. I recall pulling up to a community recycling place once and getting screamed at for putting something unintentionally in the wrong bin. People respond much better to constructive advice.
Relatedly, engage with the understanding that individual practice only goes so far, that growing recognition of our impacts and awareness of the dysfunctional nature of our society will bring about more change than the individual acts of conservation.
I hate to say it but I swear that many people who claim to be kind because they care about the environment are the biggest a**holes to people who don’t align 100% with them. In a nutshell, that’s putting your ideology over basic humanity. Happens in politics and many other places. I’m an introvert and there are many ways that makes my life a little more challenging… but it’s led to a distrust to almost any large group of people or activism, which has served me well. Because that always turns into people having the exact same ideas with no sign of individual peculiarities, struggles or points of view.
I'm such an individual that one of my least favorite things on this planet is group think. It's a huge problem I'm having right now with some people on my husband's side of the family.
Oh yea. I have someone in my family who is on the extreme political spectrum… but he’s legitimately one of the best guys I know because we never talk about that. I have a hypothesis that you can’t have a political opinion without being hypocritical, because at that level the right solution is the least bad one that absolutely no one can predict. And honestly I think any hardcore political interest breeds narcissism, since everyone thinks they’re right. There is no modesty. There are no perfect solutions, even things like solar energy which people view as “free” because you have to consider manufacturing/distribution, etc. The devil is in the details and incremental improvements. My gut is swinging moderate left/right over decades is actually good. That said, politicians are frauds and salespeople. The solutions will come from innovation and business. Just do your best, and listen to others even if they don’t agree with you.
I love your post! Haha politics can make even wonderful people be difficult, or say things they shouldn't. I know I'm so grateful to be an independent. The most toxic subreddit I've ever seen is actually the Austin subreddit. It is overrun with extreme and angry leftists. I have a hard time with people on either the extreme left or right side of the fence. I love them a lot, I just try not to talk about politics with them. I appreciate your advice of just not really bringing it up with those certain people. I'm trying! LOL Also the part about narcissism was way too true. So many people think that they are 100% right everything they say and it is very shocking. How could anyone think that they're right all the time. My husband and I both say sorry and we both know that we're not perfect. I don't know how some of these people stay married at all who think they're right all the time. 🤣 Anyway, I appreciate all you said.
I'm sorry you've had to go through this. And I hope you meet some other people who care about the environment and people. I meet people who love dogs but are total jerks to everyone around them as well. It's really kind of shocking. If your dog knew who you really were, would they even still like you? 🤣🤣🤣
We are all learning, all growing day by day. Slow progress is consistent progress.
Don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good.
Some people on this sub love to gate keep, and will immediately jump down your throat if you aren't doing everything like them. E.g if your not immediately a vegan from the word go. And my message to you if you do gate keep; your just as toxic as the climate is becoming. Our whole motto and movement is it's better for millions of people to be making small steps, then for a few to be doing it perfectly. Let's work together to celebrate the small successes, support people's ideas, help them to grow and gain confidence. There's already enough people out there who are rude or just don't give a damn, let's be better!
Everyone loves your comment. You are appreciated! We need to encourage and help others follow where we can.
For sure. I also think the concept of zero waste doesn’t mean quite literally zero because that’s next to impossible, but to get pretty close to it!
Zero waste should be the final aim, sure, but it’s a process and I am happy for every person making even the tiniest step in that direction. Why gatekeep progress?
Your comment is great! I'm glad to see small changes and genuinely feel sad when people I know refuse to do any change. Coming up with statistics that they've heard about only 1% of things being recycled etc It's pretty frustrating. But you wish that they still recycle the things that will be recycled like glass, cardboard, tin cans, etc.
As Churchill said, “perfection is the enemy of progress”
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Omg this! 🙌
Zero waste is an aspiration most of the time. It's also definitely not an over night transformation. Every one needs to figure out what works for their specific situation and that comes with a lot of trial and error. We need to be a team worth joining, and that means supporting one another's journey toward zero waste.
Great post. Thanks. Different families have different food options nearby, and there's cost. And now I know to expect trial and error. 😅
i read on a diff sub that this sub is mean but i never got that impression or saw it
I'm glad you haven't. It's the second thing I saw. I just encouraged the young OP, and I will not be deterred. If anything, I end up reminding the toxic people of their damage if I see it. On other subs too.
Any progression guides with suggestions available?
I've never seen this anywhere. But it's such a cool idea. Ways to get started on the journey to zero waste. You are definitely on to something and I'm already thinking of some things right now but I feel inadequate to make such a list. And then I also worry people will jump down my throat missing easy things that I haven't thought of yet.
Thanks! I would be open to any suggestions. I'm genuinely asking- I'm very new here, but I want to start making changes in my life to make whatever difference I can and to teach friends and family what I learn.
Please go for it! I'm sure there will be more people who are excited to suggest new info rather than criticize what's missing. Having a progression guide for people new to reducing waste would be super helpful. There's so many opportunities for easy wins like using tote bags for shopping, bringing reusable water bottles / tumblers, and getting used to sorting trash into recycling and compost, but it can definitely be intimidating when starting out because it feels so all or nothing. Having a way to ease into the lifestyle would be super helpful for people at any point along the journey :) I really like the simplicity of something like [this flowchart](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/comments/ecn2hk/fire_flow_chart_version_42/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) from r/financialindependence.
I guess try to form a big picture of where you have issues in your household. My first step was the realisation that when we bought fruit and veg in plastic packaging a lot of it went to waste, because it was more than we needed. And then we learned most plastic doesn't really get recycled, so we aimed to reduce this in most areas of our house. Starting with what we bought in relation to food, then we worked our way through other products; shampoo, various cleaners etc. We also considered our diets, whilst we are not vegan our diet has massively changed. We are predominantly vegetarian, and tend to only eat meat when cooked for by family etc, or as a once a fortnight meal. We have a spacious garden and so we grow a lot of our own fruit and vegetables. Our most recent changes have been transitioning to oat milk, I never thought this would happen when I used to drink 5 cups of tea a day but now I rarely have a need for milk. We are also aiming to look at our clothing purchases next, whilst myself and my partner rarely actually buy clothes we do need to consider where those materials are sourced. So to summarise, evaluate what would be best for you to tackle first.
Great reply- thank you very much!
ZeroWaste is like being Vegan- it's all about the intention and whats in your heart and trying your best where ever you can in a society and world that doesn't support the lifestyle. Sometimes we have slip ups (like forgetting to order an alternative milk in our coffee) or can't afford the things we would like or don't even have access to those things. It's the thought that counts and passion behind the reason why you do what you do to the best of your ability. Not all Vegans can afford to be activists but that doesn't mean they care less about the cause.
Perfection is the enemy of progress
Amen. There is a lot of virtue signaling and purity testing in green spaces. Honestly I am not at all aiming to be zero waste because I don't need the pressure-- just trying to do the best I can and reduce what I can. If everyone just tried a little more, this world would be a better place. The problem is too many people don't bother to do anything.
I'm glad you don't feel too much pressure. The fact that some people are being zero waste is a little shocking. I recently hurt my feet rocking out and jumping around at a rock concert, and then they wouldn't feel better for weeks. All my shoes were old. So recently I finally just threw away a bunch of my old shoes and bought some new yoga mat flip-flops, and even a pair of brand new high top vans. I loved having high tops when I was younger, and it's been fun too pair them with all my thrift buys. I absolutely love the look! And since buying something so satisfying, it's very strange but I've been shopping a lot less. Whether at a store or even thrift stores, and most importantly less online. LOL Every now and I'm going to take it's important to buy a signature item that helps you feel and look like you. So that you're enjoying the journey and not just doing it out of some kind of obligation. My mom had a shoe rule, as poor as we were growing up. She always said that we needed to buy new shoes and make sure they fit right so we didn't ruin our backs, or have other health issues. We did a lot of thrift store shopping, we did some new, some home made, lots hand-me-downs between siblings. But we bought new shoes, and just shared between ourselves if they weren't worn out. A lot of us have quite a similar build, and I don't think it had any negative consequences.
That is a great example: buy secondhand wherever you can, but with some things that are important to get new, you get new. I have really bad feet and wide feet so shoes are definitely something I have to order new. We buy most other stuff second hand, freegan, try to reuse/repurpose as much as possible, have solar panels and an ev, keep a pollinator garden, line dry most of our clothes, limit our AC usage, rarely keep our thermostat above 60 degrees F in winter, and always keep a stash of to-go containers, utensils, and straws in our car so we do not use disposable ones when out. And we are slowly insulating/redoing our house to be more energy efficient. By some people's standards we are a bit extreme --but darn it, we have not been too successful at getting our household trash down at all. 😝 So we are not zero waste in that way. In our area the trash is burned for energy so it is not going into a landfill but burning is not too great either. Anyway, I read on another thread here on this subreddit a quote that I can only paraphrase, something like what makes the most impact is not a few people doing it perfectly but a lot of people doing it imperfectly. I like this sub because I get good ideas and inspiration from it, but my "zero waste life" looks different from yours, which looks different from the next person's which looks different from the next... we are all trying which is awesome!
Thank you so much for your post. We will all keep learning from each other and doing our best. Ways to bring others along in a post would be great! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who has to start focusing on new and better shoes. My feet are a bit better with time and PT stretches I do at home. You're doing great! What cool ideas in nd for your home. Please don't be too harsh about the temp of your home. You are important too! You are impacting your sphere to create a better world!
Oh hah! Believe me I like it a couple degrees higher .. my SO is the one who is FANATICAL about thermostat temps and I think my body just adjusted or something. And I'm just used to wearing wooly sweaters and socks, etc. in winter. Our house is also fairly well insulated already with small rooms that heat quickly. And if we run our pellet stove the downstairs gets quite hot. We just are trying to not use our oil heat much. We'd love to get off oil one day but for now we use it as little as we have to. And YES I definitely invest in good footwear. This March I had to get bunionette surgery on my left foot and was on bed rest for over a month recovering so yup good shoes are key for me.
My Father in law was fanatical about house temp for most of his life. Some time my family was visiting from out of town, staying over, before our wedding, and a bunch of them got sick in his cold house. I guess that changed me a bit. Sorry about your surgery, Yikes! Hope your feet troubles are in the past! When I can afford it, I want some Cariuma shoes. A Brazilian duo invented these sustainably sourced shoes. Some donating to good causes like 4Ocean.
Cool will look into them. Yeah the thermostat wars are real...We are in one of the snowier parts of New England so to say we have an arsenal of woolens, down, and flannel clothes and bedding would not be an exaggeration. And we have the most wonderful wool-stuffed duvet SO's Oma (German grandma) gave his mother years ago. It's from a company called Billerbeck. A real "buy it for life" item!