Minimalwastelife - Minimal Waste Lifestyle

Guide to Zero Waste as a college student.

I know. Just the thought of it made me scared. When I first started a year ago, I dived head first and told myself if I didn’t start now, I would never start. It didn’t matter if I would make a mistake, I had to start and then learn from my mistakes.

Boi did I make a lot of mistakes. But I learned. Here are some steps you can take to become zero waste.

1. Look at your trash. 

What is in there? Plastic bottles? Straws? Jars? Wrappers? Foam containers of that one take away? Take a look at your trash and determine why you are producing that amount of trash.

2. Plan. 

After figuring out what’s in your trash think about what you can do to stop making it. I like to guide myself with these three questions:

Do I really need this in my life? If not, then it is a good time to stop buying/ using said thing.

If I do need it, is there an eco-friendly alternative? Do they sell it or should I look for a DIY-option? The important thing is not to get stuck just because you can’t get it!

What habits can I adapt to make transitioning easier for me?

3. Set goals. 

At first, I dived right into it. Which was probably not the best option. After some months I realized it would be better if I took one step at a time. Goals are a good way to get you there but the only way goals can actually work is of they are smart. These are some of the goals I had when I started.

Every day I must fill my reusable water bottle and take it everywhere with me. I am not allowed to drink from any plastic cups, straws any other form of packaging that is recyclable but not necessarily reusable.

Every day I must go out with my reusable straw and my utensils. In order not to forget them, I have to always keep a pair on each of my bags.

4. Keep track. 

I will admit: I am not perfect. But keeping tracks of what I do with zero waste helps me see what I can do better. And that’s what this movement is. What can we do to get a bit closer to producing no waste? Some people get discouraged but this personally encourages me to work harder.

So are you planning on becoming zero waste? Are you already part of the movement? Let me know!

-Shirou

Rosy morning porthole view.

Is it just me or has anyone else recently noticed more people and mainstream media are talking more about climate change? Are more people FINALLY realizing this is a serious issue and the state of the future is at risk?

Good reasons to get mad at a vegan:

-they implied everyone can/should be vegan, ignoring issues of poverty & health that make it impractical or impossible for many people

-they tried to make you feel bad about eating something

-they believe that the current animal abuse/environmental contamination/health crisis is caused by individual consumers rather than the manipulative capitalism of the meat and dairy industries

-they support PETA (eww peta)

Bad reasons to get mad at a vegan:

-they asked you about the ingredients of a food to find out if they can eat it

-they asked if your group could go to a restaurant with a vegan option

-you asked them to explain why they are vegan and they answered

-they got mad when you made fun of their diet

how do u actually save bees?

little snail!!

FYI

to help make a difference in climate change and to not contribute to human and animal suffering as much as possible i:

- am vegan in all aspects - do not have a car - walk and bike as much as possible - use public transportation when i can not - use reusable bags - use reusable water bottles - use reusable utensils - use reusable containers - refuse plastic at all opportunities - buy recycled/fair trade clothing as i can - try my hardest to be zero waste - throw away NO food - recycle everything i can - switched to having all of my energy come from renewable sources - appreciate all water i use - pick up trash - buy local produce when i can - forgo produce that uses many resources - donate money to vegan and environmental causes - live a minimalistic life - get furniture and appliances second hand if possible - sell and donate things i no longer use

does that make me better than you? of course it doesn’t. but i probably am doing better than you. what the fuck are you doing for the planet? do more.

500 followers!

Thanks to everyone following me thus far, I started this blog about 2 months ago to document my low waste/low impact journey but found that I also enjoy sharing resources to encourage others to do the same. If you are interested in seeing any specific content or have any comments, send me a message! Thanks again and Happy Earth Day!

Garden work makes me so happy 🌼