One of the many benefits of a zero-waste or low-waste lifestyle is the recovery of life skills. Let’s teach these in schools.
sustainability
Is Zero Waste Possible?
Zero waste represents a goal that only a small number of people will reach. However, we’d make huge strides if everyone at least attempted it.
How to Cope With Environmental Guilt Syndrome (EGS)
We environmentalists have too much work to do to let perfection and guilt stand in the way of progress. Push those abstractions aside and do what you can.
How to Make Natural Homemade Wood Stain with Vinegar
Combine vinegar and steel wool in a jar to make homemade wood stain. No fumes! No VOCs! Spruce up bare wood with a rich, dark color.
A Use-It-Up Challenge (or What We Ate Last Week)
Forgetting to bring your money before you head out shopping can provide a great opportunity to re-examine your shopping list—and in the case of grocery shopping, prevent food waste. The Sunday before last, I arrived at the farmers’ market late. Once there, before even opening my purse, I realized I had neither money nor my […]
Why Cook Two Things at Once When You Can Cook Six?
I strive to run my kitchen as efficiently as possible—I use up absolutely every bit of food, do my best to dirty only one bowl instead of two or three or four and on an ideal day, cram as much as possible into my oven and cook a pile of food all at once. After working […]
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 […]
A Brief History of Recycling
“You must recycle everything.” That’s what I sometimes hear when people learn that I don’t generate any trash. In reality, I rarely recycle because I rarely buy anything in a package that I could put into a recycling bin. I bring my own packaging with me when I shop at the farmers’ market and bulk […]
Lose the Plastic not Your Mind During Plastic Free July
Plastic contamination has reached every corner of the planet. And while many, many organizations and individuals have been working on the problem of plastic pollution for years, thanks to David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II and National Geographic’s June issue focused on plastic, awareness of the crisis has finally reached mainstream consciousness. Plastic Free July this […]