Zero Waste Conference
On November 2nd my friend Gabriela Mesquita and I attended a presentation quite interesting at Anticafé, here in Montreal, about the lifestyle/philosophy called Zero Waste. As the name says, the meaning of this philosophy of life is to not produce garbage (meaning the non-organic or the impossible to be recycled waste), or at least to produce only a small quantity of it, possible to fit inside a small glass jar (maison jar), like this one below that belongs to Bea Johnson (this is the whole waste she and her family produced in 2015):
Sara, our speaker, gave us extremely valuable tips in a 80-minutes-speech, some easier than others. Adopting and effectively practicing some of the clues will made your life more sustainable whereas you will produce less garbage. The clues are:
1. Daily routine:
Replace paper tissues (Kleenex) for cloth tissues;
Replace paper napkins and paper towels for cloth napkins;
Keep a folding pot/container inside your bag/backpack for those days when you forgot to bring your lunch/snack. Then, you just need to ask the attendant to put the food or sandwich in your own pot;
Keep a folding tableware inside your bag/backpack, avoiding plastic and disposable ones;
Always have your personal bottle of water.
2. Kitchen:
Buy bulk food (grain – bean, rice; flour, olive, etc.) without package – take your own jar/container/pot/bottle, etc.;
Prefer those fruits and vegetables selected to be sold at reduced prices – most of the time the greengrocer/groceries stores rearrange those foods at the end of the shop;
Use returnable bags;
Use cloth bags to buy/weigh fruits and vegetables and refuse plastic bags.
3. Bathroom:
Use a tooth brush with wood cable;
Buy a natural toothpaste or do one by yourself using baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and coconut oil;
Make your own deodorant;
Depilation: use an iron razor or an electric shaver;
Use almond oil as makeup cleaner;
Use makeup brands that reuse the packaging returned by their costumers;
Use shampoo bar and soap bar;
During the menstrual period, use menstrual collector or cloth pads;
Replace the cotton swabs for your little finger (your otolaryngology will be thankful);
Use the bidet or hygienic shower to clean the intimate areas;
Look for toilet paper made with biodegradable fibers (it seems that Cascade make this type);
Look for separately sold toilet paper, wrapped in paper (avoid plastic, the most difficult, expensive and polluter product to be recycled);
Medication – Here in Canada, at Jean Coutu pharmacy is possible to reuse the container for your medication.
4. Clothing:
Adopt a minimalist style;
Buy second hand shoes and clothes;
Donate/sell clothes and shoes that no longer fit your style or you;
Eventually send clothes to recycling fabrics;
Prefer versatile pieces, which combine with others you have in your closet.
5. Office:
Avoid printing;
Look for a supplier that recycles pens, mechanical pencils, highlighters, etc. Here in Montreal the store Staples (Bureau en Gross) does it;
Recharge the ink cartridges;
Forward electronic products for recycling.
6. Final consideration:
Buying higher quality products, and generally more expensive, is usually more sustainable than buying low-quality products that will have to be replaced sooner;
Do a proper research to find better prices;
Give preference to local and organic products;
Reflect about what is better for you: to buy a local product heavily packed in plastic or to buy an imported product not packed but that needs to cause pollution to be transported;
Behave in accordance with your values and beliefs;
Have fun with DIY (Do it yourself), gifts, foods, cosmetics, clothes, bags, etc., let your imagination run wild;
Implement the previously mentioned 5R’s with a single change: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot (compost);
Start slowly, one step at a time, do the easier first and then go through the most complicated changes.
In short terms, the advice is to recover a little (or a lot) of our grandparents’ lifestyle.
If you live in Montreal (or nearby) and are interested in a list of stores that sells products with the characteristics above, ask me and I can send you by email.
List of the top three blogs:
Jule’s blog (Montreal – in French): https://leblogdejule.wordpress.com/
Here is the list of blogs from all over the world: http://zerowastebloggersnetwork.com/network-members/
