Thinking Thoughts

One thing I like about taking a zero waste initiative is that it’s making me think a lot and reflect on my trash, recycling, and me as a consumer.

One thing I don’t like about taking a zero waste initiative is that it’s making me think a lot and reflect on my trash, recycling, and me as a consumer.

Nobody likes to think about their trash or how we, as humans, are harming the environment. We are very fortunate in many ways because typically, in America, we pay people to cart our trash away and we give it no further thought. Which is great…but means that many people don’t think about their trash and won’t until it’s knocking on their door. Which probably won’t happen in any of our lifetimes…but it means leaving a mess for future generations. Which isn’t cool.

Anyway, yesterday we all partied like it was 1999. So today, we had some really cranky boys and lots of naps. And for me lots of thoughts:

-I wish it wasn’t called zero waste. I feel like that puts on a lot of pressure to be all or nothing. Which I think can turn a lot of people off of even trying anything, because why try if you still have waste? I guess zero waste SHOULD be the goal and can understand why it’s called that. Remember, that ANY reduction in waste is a major win.

–Why did I post about toothpaste first??? If 1 of my 4 readers doesn’t do anything eco-weird yet…TOOTHPASTE is NOT the place to start!!! There are much better starting places, like reusable bags and recycling! Ugh…I’ve now turned off 3 people off of zero waste. Hopefully my mom is still reading (Hi, mom!). Which brings me to…

-Should I write this blog to record my changes or inspire others? Do I post about eco-things I already do? What’s the best approach? Does it matter? Do I care how organized or what order my posts are in? (I mean, of course I care – I teach writing and organization to America’s youth! But do I really care? Really?)

-I had no idea there were already SO MANY zero waste things out there! Holy moly, Pinterest and Etsy have so many things to look at for zero waste! All the more reason to write down any and all changes I make and think about because sometimes people JUST DON’T KNOW. Just like how I don’t know many of these things.

-I don’t need to rush out and buy all new expensive eco-stuff right now. I just want to. And a want is not a need. But as things break, look into eco-friendly options and try my best to avoid plastic. And don’t feel guilty for really liking all my Tupperware.

-I’m going to have to give myself a pass for a little while on food. And that’s OK. I really want to start right away, but changes need to be sustainable too and it’s important to not make too many changes at one time or else I may give up. It’s more important to do it right, than to do it fast. So it’s OK to go for the slow play in some areas. Like cheese. I’m not giving up cheese. WE are not giving up cheese.

-My target starting place for food packaging is going to be starting on those items that have packaging that can’t be recycled. Like meat. Then, slowly work on reducing plastic recyclables. It’s going to stink. That’s a big change. I need to suck it up and try it though.

-I’m not going to stop buying frozen, processed chicken nuggets and fruit snacks for my kids, even though I can’t recycle the packages. They LOVE both of those and I think going cold turkey would be like getting the gremlins wet. BUT…I am going to try to REDUCE the amount we let them eat those. And I will stop handing out packages of fruit snacks constantly to keep them quiet. And stop them whining. Fruit snacks are not the answer. I can be a good mom. Repeat. I can be a good mom.

-Although I’m interested in trying (and probably will for the sake of Science), I’m pretty sure I don’t have the time to make my own fruit snacks. Even though I think I’d feel like Super Woman if they were awesome and I made them myself. …I think I’d like to feel like Super Woman for a day…should I try making them while wearing spandex and a cape or is that too much?

-Is the only solution to go zero waste for milk by buying a cow? Because that’s just not happening… (Although if I did get a cow I would love my cow. And name her Lyla. And make her flower chains to wear.)

-REALLY need to work on being more diligent about menu planning and I do not need to stockpile things.

–Having kids made me get a little lazy in many areas. I should clean more… That has nothing to do with zero waste…I still should do it…

-How am I EVER going to pick a different deodorant and lip balm??? I still have a stockpile of both, but I should start now to experiment.

-I should come up with a solution to my flimsy plastic recycling because this collection of random bags is really annoying. I wish I could give it fruit snacks to make it go away.

I don’t have a good conclusion section for this post, so I’m going to default to generic student conclusion statement: “And those are some of my current thoughts on zero waste.”  Jazz hands.