Why We've Gone Zero Waste
Becoming eco-friendly is not a new concept by any means, however it seems like there is only a faction of people who care or have even caught on. With all of the research and documentaries out there about big corporations taking advantage of capitalism and misinformation in order to push their pollutive products, you would think things would change more rapidly.
Perhaps the people reading the environmental research and watching the documentaries are already those of us who are in the sphere of environmental justice. How can we get people on the outside to care if they don't care already? Maybe spreading the word means looking like a spectacle while walking through your neighborhood with multiple bags full of trash and recyclables hanging from your Camelbak.
That's what I did this fine Saturday. I took to the streets of my neighborhood, returning to a construction site that I had previously found absolutely littered. I was armed with four bags, which I knew would not be enough to put a dent, but it's a start. On my way to the site, I picked up trash along the sidewalk and came upon an empty lot that stole my attention. My bags were already filled before I was even halfway through the lot. I guess I know where I'll be going on the weekends to come.
I hope that the importance of being eco-friendly continues to gain awareness in media and social media alike. If there are going to be people who continue not to care, who continue to consume plastic water bottles day after day, drink after drink, who continue to throw trash out of their moving vehicles, who continue to buy plastic wrapped in other plastic, then I'm going to make as little waste as possible to compensate. In fact, we all only have control over our own actions. I can't convince everyone of the importance of the environment; I know that full well. I can keep my negative impact on the environment small and positive impact as big as possible by cleaning up.
This is why I have changed how I shop for groceries entirely. If it has plastic packaging of any kind, I don't buy it. Try it and you will be surprised at how limiting this is, even in the fruit and vegetable section! I use reusable produce bags and reusable grocery bags. I started a worm compost and feed them all of my organic scraps, which is pretty much everything that I buy now. I use revivEARTH shampoo bars and conditioner bars exclusively and revel in the fact that my hair is softer than ever and that I will never consume a plastic bottle again.
I challenge you to make small changes like these, at a pace that works for you. Whatever we accomplish individually really does make a difference. We all add up, people. Let's be on the positive side.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rihanna,
E.H., revivEARTH Co-founder
P.S. My serendipitous clean-up sound track today was:
https://www.npr.org/programs/invisibilia/812703083/two-heartbeats-a-minute
P.S.S. May this live on in the eco-friendly sphere for all eternity: