A couple of weeks ago, my brother gave me a Sunset magazine article on Zero Waste. He knows that I care about the environment and I try my best not to do further harm to the planet.
So, he thought I would like this article on this woman named Bea Johnson. Bea and her family live a life of “Zero Waste” and literally throw handfuls of trash away each year.
Handfuls of trash. Each. Year.
I throw away handfuls of trash each day.
The article sited a bunch of tips – no paper towels, no disposable napkins or tissues. Bea uses glass jars and fills them with items she buys in bulk from her local health food store. She uses mesh bags when she goes to the Farmer’s Market to put her produce in. Bea and her family have a small wardrobe, where she only buys clothes from a second hand store.
The article made me feel terrible about my lifestyle.
I love recycling. I recycle as much as I can. I will literally take things out of the trash and put them in the recycling bins.
But, I have never thought about reducing what I buy – so I don’t have as much to recycle or throw away.
In order to live Be Simpler – the title of Bea’s business, I have decided to make some life changes. In order to live a life like Bea, you have to have two things.
- An initial investment of money. (To buy all the glass jars, mess bags, water bottles, etc).
- An initial investment of time. (To figure out where you can eliminate waste, and how).
Well, I don’t have very much extra money to invest. I have set aside $20 a month to buy these products. But, as a single woman who has complete control over her free time, I do have some time to invest.
My first step to living more simply? Getting a new water bottle. After a lot of research (see, I told you that you need time…), I learned that Klean Kanteen is the best of the best in the refillable water bottle in the water bottle world. (I previously had a metal water bottle, but it always had a metallic aftertaste…) I did a bunch of price comparisons, and I learned that the Co-Op near my home sold them the cheapest – cheaper than online or at other stores.
So, today, I bought myself a new water bottle. It’s pink. I really like pink.
Sports cap and flat cap. Fantastic!
This is replacing my old wattle bottle. My BPA-containing plastic water bottle. The water bottle I used everyday, but that is made out of the evil plastic and is slowly seeping hazardous chemicals into my body everyday. (Or, so they say…)
Goodbye, old faded water bottle.
I’m pretty excited about this new path. I am pretty excited about reducing my waste and helping the environment.
And, I am particularly excited about shopping for all my new stuff. (Wait. Isn’t that the opposite of this whole thing? Shoot. It’s gonna be a looooong process).
BrittanyandTahn 