I first want to start off by taking a second for us to collectively breathe. If you are here, you most likely want to be more sustainable, looking at articles and videos to find the best products to buy, and feeling guilty for all the waste you have produced in your lifetime (I feel you and have definitely been there). But I am here to help relieve some of that anxiety by telling you that you do not have to be perfect at sustainability to do it the “right” way.
Here’s the secret, there is no “right” way (I know! Who would have thought?).
While it can be a great goal to make as little waste as possible, you have to understand that you can never go completely “zero-waste” because that is extremely difficult and not feasible for most people. There is a great quote that is very popular among the zero-waste community and goes something like this:
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero-waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” – Anne-Marie Bonneau
This statement couldn’t be more true. A small change among thousands to millions of people is much more impactful than a couple of people being completely zero-waste. Once you realize that, it takes some of the pressure off of you as an individual and begs the question: “Well what should I do to help then?”
If you find that, for certain areas of your life, the non-sustainable option works best for you or is all you can afford at the moment, that is okay! There are so many areas of our lives that can be made more sustainable, so the key is finding one area that you are willing to make a change and start from there.
Here are my favorite tips to help anyone become more sustainable whether you are just starting out or have been a part of the zero-waste community for a while:
Reflect on Where You Make the Most Waste and Start There (it can be surprising!)
Choose one area of your life where you want to become more sustainable and focus on all the things you are throwing out, as well as what products you are using.
REDUCE REDUCE REDUCE
There is a reason reduce comes first in the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and that is because it is the best way to make the biggest positive impact on our planet.
Before you think about what products you should replace to make the area you have chosen in your life more sustainable, your first step is to buy LESS. Buying less is the easiest way to use fewer materials for production, contribute less CO2 emissions for transportation, as well as reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills.
If you simply try to buy fewer items or get an item that you KNOW will replace the use of a lot of other materials (such as a reusable water bottle), then you can quickly make significant strides towards producing less waste.
Use Up What You Have First
After you reflect on the areas that you make the most waste and begin to buy less, the next step is to use up what you have first before you go out and buy better products.
It does not matter if it comes in plastic or is not sustainable. It took materials to make it and it is more wasteful to throw it out. This is called the “material cost” of the product. While it may feel uncomfortable to use a product that you now know is not sustainable, I promise you that it is more harmful to throw out a perfectly functional product. Plus it saves you some money! Just make sure to use every last drop before you throw it out or recycle it.
Before You Buy New Things, See if There is a Way to Use Something That You Already Have in Your House
It can be easy to fall into the trap of only focusing on the aesthetic side of zero-waste living. I have no doubt many of you have seen the idealistic lifestyle and cute products that are ridiculously expensive. You may think that you need to purchase these expensive items to be sustainable, but the reality is that a lot of sustainable living is not very glamorous and there are a lot of cost-effective sustainable solutions out there. While at some point you might need to invest in some more expensive sustainable options, you definitely do not need to start there.
Don’t be afraid to get creative to use what you already have for sustainable solutions. For example, bring a knife, fork, and spoon wrapped up in a napkin instead of buying travel bamboo cutlery. Other options I’ve seen include food jars for pantry items, rubber bands on a jam lid for a soap holder, and so on. There are tons of options already out there and I challenge you to think outside of the box with whatever solution you are trying to create!
Get in The Habit of Buying Better Next Time
Once you use up what you already have (don’t be afraid to cut the packaging to really get all the product out), then you can start to think about how you want to buy better for next time. I always recommend doing your own research to find products that work best for you and embody your values. If you don’t know what to look out for in regards to overall sustainability, a great place to start is to look for a company that is a B-Corporation. This is a certification that means the company pays attention to its impact on its “Workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.” (https://bcorporation.net/). In other words, this certification means that it is a sustainable and ethical company.
When looking for other types of products to buy, the different sustainable options might look weird and can seem like something you would never want to use. I felt this way for some of the sustainable “swaps” out there, but I found that if I focused on using the swaps that I was comfortable with, I eventually became comfortable enough to use products that I never would have thought I would. Because of this, I always recommend starting with switching to products you are comfortable with and then coming back to those other swaps later.
Understand That it is Okay to Become Overwhelmed
Understanding the amount of waste we make daily takes time to process, and thinking you have to be perfect to make a difference is an unrealistic goal. It is more important for you to do what you can and what you are comfortable with to start. As I mentioned above, you might be surprised how easy another swap can become once you get used to the ones you were comfortable with. So start to think about the power you hold and take it one step at a time. Nobody does zero-waste perfectly, and you are able to make much more of an impact if you change a couple of things within your routine versus not doing anything at all.
Learn From People Who are Already Living More Sustainably to Find Out What Has Worked for Them
Something that is always helpful when trying something new is hearing from more experienced people and listening to any tips or recommendations they have for beginners.
The two YouTubers that I have really enjoyed learning from are Sedona Christina and Shelbizlee. They both have a different style of video and both offer great advice, so I recommend you check them both out. There are also a lot of great articles about zero-waste and all the different swaps there are in the world.
I have been living a more sustainable lifestyle since the beginning of 2020, and I have learned a lot since then. Because of this, I will be sharing some of my favorite swaps on this blog as well as talking about sustainable companies so you can increase your knowledge and try some of the ones that you are comfortable with.
Understand the Power You Hold and That We Need a Lot of People to Make as Much of an Impact as Possible
As I mentioned above, we need as many people adopting the zero-waste mindset to make the biggest impact on our Earth. However, I also want to point out the potential you hold as an individual by being more conscious of your daily choices. The little things add up quickly, so if you become more conscious about changing one or two things about your routine today, you will prevent a lot of things from going into the landfill when you think about the total amount of that product you use in a five to ten year period.
I know that thinking about sustainability can quickly become a source of anxiety for people, so I am hoping this article has helped by acknowledging that you can make an impact by simply focusing on what you buy and how much you buy. I believe we still have a chance to make a more sustainable future, but a big part of that will be collectively buying less and buying better.
