Some aspects of zero-waste living cost more but most cost less.
consumer culture
Needs Are Problems Looking for Solutions, not More Products
The marketing industry has trained us well to buy products that will supposedly solve all of life’s problems. But you might already have what you need.
I’m not Extreme, Consumerism Is
A woman rides her bike to the farmers’ market to buy locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables. After carefully selecting some apples, oranges, avocados, potatoes and kale, all grown on small farms without the use of synthetic pesticides, she places them in her homemade cloth produce bags. Before she hops back on her bike, she […]
Kitchen Gadgets You Didn’t Know You Already Own
A flimsy plastic kitchen gadget that should not exist inspired this post: the Evriholder Avo Saver Avocado Holder. Shaped like one half of an avocado, with a round indentation for the seed and an adjustable rubber strap, this gadget buckles in the half avocado you didn’t eat so you can store it in the refrigerator and […]
But When You Do Shop, Shop Small
Shop small could mean shop less. And I do suggest we all do that. But in this post, by shop small, I mean shop at small independent businesses—the local bookstore, bike shop and bakery. Why? 1. Less packaging waste Which came first, our addiction to convenience or the convenience of online shopping? Either way, this […]
Please Do not Turn Zero Waste into Another Consumer Lifestyle
Every day, companies contact me about a “fantastic opportunity to collaborate” and peddle their wares for them on here, wares that apparently no zero waster can live without. I can’t possibly respond to all the messages I get, so I generally ignore these pitches—even for products and services I might like. But when I do […]
21 Consumer Products You Can (Likely) Live Without
Updated 12/18/17: This post does NOT contain affiliate links. If you buy any of the products I link to below, I will NOT receive a commission. I haven’t written a rant for some time… I was slow to see the hit show Mad Men. I found it difficult to watch a bunch of white, sexist, […]
Make Memories, Not Waste: 32+ Practical and Thoughtful Gifts
Gift-giving and low waste can happily co-exist. Studies show that experiences bring more happiness to people than stuff. Anticipating an experience—a trip, an upcoming concert, dinner with friends—makes us happy before the actual event. In other words, we benefit from the experience before we actually experience the experience. Afterward, we have fond memories. And even if […]
5 Activities for Buy Nothing Day, Formerly Known as Black Friday
Updated 11/27/20 Buy Nothing Day (previously known as Black Friday) may come around just once a year but you can embrace it year round. Adbusters launched the day in the early 1990s to protest the consumer madness that kicks off in the U.S. (and now all over) the day after Thanksgiving. You can read more […]