#now I see them all Im like “ok it's all over the place zero/100 aesthetically pleasuring post”

[collophora]

Do yourself a favor and go read the entire fanfic work of @fanfoolishness

(In order: Under sun and shade, Blind Side, and Breathless (patching up is one of my fav too, I just had no cool sketch idea for it)

[baby-cabana]

Zero Waste Beginnings

I enjoy the concept of zero waste and minimalism. I made it my New Years resolution to try and reduce the amount of non recyclable waste I produce in my home. 

Its been really fun so far and now that I have the support of my (reluctant) husband, its made it a challenge we can both aspire to! 

Im not 100% zero waste yet but I like to find all the possible ways to integrate the life style into my everyday life.    

Reducing waste is about a total overhaul of your learned behaviour and trying to make it as easy on yourself as you possible can. 

Usually this requires a little planning ahead; ie. bringing your own reusable cups or bags, buying consciously, making your own products etc. 

Usually these behaviours have many benefits such as saving money, being healthier in addition to reducing waste so keep those things in mind to encourage yourself to continue. And its about finding little alternatives to your everyday products. You can start small! IF you usually buy fizzy drinks in plastic bottles, try buying a can instead, you reduce the amount you will consume and the can is easier to recycle. IF you buy your meat at the supermarket, bring your own container! Just ask them to weigh it on the scales and put it in your box! Same with fruit and veg, try and buy locally and buy unpackaged! Most fruit comes with its own natural packaging, your bananas don’t need an extra bag! 

If you do it right. It’s about doing the best you can, not doing the ultimate best. My Grandmother use to say; do your best until you know better, then do better. This applies to everything in life, but its very apt on your zero waste journey!

Minimalism is about not buying more than you need. Do you need 25 t-shirts when you KNOW your going to wear the same five over and over again? Why do you need to buy an expensive brand new anything when there are literally hundreds of charity shops out there that sell exactly what your looking for! And who doesn’t love a bit of a rummage!! Donate what you don’t need anymore, if there’s life in it yet and let someone else get joy out of it! 

The amount of things I have decluttered from my home during my house move shocked me! And what’s even more shocking is there is SO MUCH left to go!! Why do you need it? What joy does it hold for you? Im resolved to keeping only the most sentimental keepsakes and items that are useful. Everything else, IM packing up and shipping on to kinder tides that will truly appreciate them far more than I ever did. 

The best thing about a zero waste journey is the journey itself, not the end result.  It’s about being your best self and being supportive of others in the community. Helping each other out, educating people.

Ive found the zero waste a perfect medium fo socialists. 

I'm sick of ‘zero-waste’ shops and influencers who advocate buying le parfait/mason/fancy new glass jars for storing your organic flour, couscous, oats, etc. Actually I detest those who pressure people attempting to make a change for the good of the planet to "buy" before reusing what they already have. 

I recently took a shopping trip in the hopes of filling my kitchen with pretty jars and containers to appeal to the aesthetic and let me tell you those jars are fucking expensive!! 

To me, it completely defeats the object of reducing your waste if you immediately go out and buy a whole set of brand new glass jars to store stuff in. there is loads of glass packaging already in the world. USE IT. That jar of pasta you have in the cupboard…its a JAR!! Ok, maybe not the prettiest, but its useful!!

Why do you need a whole new matching set of brand new storage containers when your cupboards may well be bursting with exactly what you need!

Try your local charity shops, hell, even try the restaurants! Do you know how many jars THEY go through in a day? It would be well worth an ask at least! 

To become zero-waste shouldn’t be an extra financial burden we place on ourselves to appeal to the middle class aesthetic we see on the Internet; it should be accessible to everyone because it matters. 

Im focusing on the individuals contribution to saving our planet from smothering under plastic waste, however we should be doing all we can to make big corporations HEAR our concerns. ITs all well and good one or two of us changing the way we live but it will mean nothing if big corporations keep dumping in the sea, using one use plastics, relying on fossil fuels, fracking, nuclear waste, air pollutions…Jesus, they want to dum TOXIC NUCLEAR WASTE in the Mourne Mountains!! Ireland doesn’t have Nuclear facilities and we’re still feeling the effect of Chernobyl and fukoshima!! 

The list is literally endless. So sign petitions, march in protests, get off your butt and realise if we don’t do something now, our children can’t later!