It’s been a couple of weeks that I’ve been thinking about starting a zero-waste lifestyle. I already compost, recycle and I’ve started buying only second-hand clothes but there’s still a lot of things that I’m doing wrong. I’ve stumble across a great article about a girl that didn’t produce trash in 2 years!! This finally made me realise that it’s possible to do so and that I should match my actions with my ideologies. The main reason that I’m doing this is that trash is synonym of disposing which means to get rid of or to give to someone else, and that someone else is the earth. It takes 450-1000 years for plastic to decompose and surprisingly, the most dangerous of all waste is organic waste: when food is thrown down in landfills, it becomes compacted and covered, which prevents the oxygen to reach it and thus produces methane. EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) states that ”the comparative impact of CH4 (methane) on climate change is 25 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year period”. Global warming is not the only consequence of our societies’ overconsumption rage: plastic is taking over our oceans, threatening marine life and we humans who consumes it, hazardous waste can affect the health of people living near landfills by polluting the air the groundwater and the soil. So starting now, I will try my best to:
- Start buying my meat, eggs and vegetables at an organic farmers market in Ottawa
- Buy in bulk
- Stop purchasing anything with a package (that’s a lot of things!)
- Bring my own plates/containers/utensils everywhere
- Say NO to things like straws, napkins, paper cups
During this process, I will post pictures and articles about my experience and I hope it will inspire some to do the same!
Interesting blog: http://www.trashisfortossers.com/2013/08/zero-waste-alternatives-ultimate-list.html
La Joie De Vivre 