Spring is accelerating, and every morning we wake up to see more and more greenery and blooming flowers. We are inevitably overwhelmed by the urge to go into nature and spend as much free time as possible breathing the fresh air. However, all the positive emotions are instantly evoked by the view that we also see in forests, parks, near lakes and rivers. That is the trash piling up and polluting our planet together with our bodies. Although the problem worries people worldwide, it is up to each of us to start tackling it.
New Trend or Life-long Mission?
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure – this saying has been with us for what seems like forever, yet as we mentioned, one person is enough to make a change. Quite recently various social media platforms and people on them started to go crazy due to this relatively new trend – zero waste living. As some, of course, saw this just as another crazy trend to gain more attention, for thousands of people going zero waste is a conscious action they take to free the planet from waste.
Even though the term ‘zero waste’ was first used only in the early 2000s, this environment-saving practice began way earlier in the 1980s. Back then, ‘zero waste’ was better known as ‘total recycling’ – Daniel Knapp and his wife tried to prove to everyone that all types of waste could be diverted from landfill and reused within the community. They then breathed in the life to the concept by opening a salvation market. A decade later, the same man set up a program to eliminate all waste in Australia by 2010. It formed a strong and successful concept with other initiatives, which now is known as Zero Waste Living. It is pretty amazing to see such an idea evolve and include more and more people each year united to save the planet from over polluting.
Basic Deeds Saves All
If we tried to explain the concept of zero waste living to our grandmothers, we should just say that we are aiming to send nothing to a landfill. The practice includes reducing what we need, reusing as much as we can once things cannot fulfil their original purpose, sending as little as possible to recycling centres, and composting. As all four components constitute the unified zero-waste system, they, of course, should be standard in every people’s lives. However, all should also be aware that recycling is the second to last option as growing consumerism goes hand in hand with mixed materials, which are almost impossible to recycle.
By committing to zero waste living, we generally redefine the system and move from a linear economy to a circular economy. It means quitting the practice of making new materials every time they are needed and then getting rid of them when they don’t. As we connect two ends of a line and make it into a circle, we stop creating materials from scratch because we have plenty of them that we can use repeatedly. For example, various countries have adopted the practice of a deposit-refund system, where people purchasing beverages pay an additional amount of money, usually ten or twenty cents, which they receive back after returning bottles to deposit stations. Even though it seems like a small step, this initiative has already helped free nature from millions of plastic and glass bottles as well as metal cans. Therefore, a cleaner planet and healthier human lives all start with taking small yet incredibly responsible steps.
Same Vision – Different Devotion
We can all leave a positive footprint on earth if we put in the effort and turn all our thoughts in that direction. Yet as expected, people take different paths towards an outcome of clean and unpolluted nature. One of them is more like going backwards than moving forward. Many people would instead continue accumulating vast amounts of trash every day rather than rethinking their practices and making some changes; we can call such people ‘those who do not care.’ Another group of people may genuinely want to reduce the amount of plastic packaging they use but are forced against such a decision. Switching to more ecological, natural and recycled ideas is a more considerable burden for one’s bank account than buying factory-produced cheaper but often disposable items. Indeed, zero waste products are usually sold in small local shops and made from sustainable yet more expensive material alternatives – wood, bamboo, metal, glass, etc. So to say, people who decided to switch to this nature-friendly movement should have bigger expenses in mind.
Even though zero waste living now seems like a well-known practice with a clear goal in the minds of those who are determined to live more responsibly, there are at least two different levels of this sustainable devotion. Moving from a comfortable life using plastic goods to far more responsible consumption may be too much of an extreme change. Therefore, people start with the low-impact lifestyle, which focuses on holistically reducing one’s environmental impact – together with second-hand shopping, plant-based diet and similar practices, people are getting closer to their intention. Zero waste life includes all of the mentioned actions, but it focuses more on eliminating waste, as said. Many are hesitant to devote their life to zero waste as social media is filled with videos and stories of people fitting all of their trash accumulated within a year into a small glass jar. However, only the most extreme cases of a zero-waste lifestyle can be fit into a jar as it is quite a struggle to find all necessary goods unpacked or packed in recyclable materials. Despite differences, all situations are commendable as they add to a safer environment and brighter future of billions.
First Steps are the Hardest
We all know how much courage it takes to turn your life upside down. Therefore, we encourage to begin with small steps and gradually include more and more zero waste lifestyle practices into everyday life. For this very reason, we decided to help you by giving some tips our teammates swear by switching from unrecyclable plastics to one tiny glass jar containing all of your trash and other natural resources-preserving practices. Let’s begin!
Hobbies. We all can agree on how excellent new books smell: the smell of comfort on the rainiest autumn day. No matter how therapeutic paper books can be, this habit hurts the earth’s lungs – many trees are cut to produce one book, which most people will read only once after buying it. Solving this problem and becoming a zero-waster could be done two ways. One requires you to visit used book shops, search for people willing to exchange books or register for local library membership. All these ideas still give you the experience of holding an actual book in your hands; however, the following tips are more technological. Trees are saved by listening to audiobooks or reading electronic versions on a tablet.
Beauty. Most of the women wash their hair once every two days or even every day. Despite global quarantine and pandemic shifted their usual hair washing schedule, we can guarantee most of them using shampoos, conditioners and rejuvenating hair masks from plastic bottles. When they are empty, they are tossed straight to the bin and later end up in landfills worldwide. Solid shampoo bars have been available for quite some time, yet they are not that popular as shampoo bottles just for their packaging. Soon we will offer a fantastic solid shampoo with all the best hemp qualities – be patient!
Food. Oh, how sweet it is sometimes to take a day off from cooking and how convenient it is to have delicious food delivered right to your doorstep! Food delivery is a relatively new concept, yet it produces very much plastic packaging, which cannot be recycled and takes hundreds of years to decompose. Again, we can tackle this problem from two perspectives – restaurant and cafes should switch to recycled cardboard packaging and cutlery. As people mostly order food due to craving and impulses, one should be prepared for such situations in advance by filling their freezers with quick-to-made healthy food. Besides, we highly encourage you to buy all of the food in farmers markets – it is both more ecological and cheaper!
Many companies and brands are now changing their strategies to be as sustainable as possible. Biomedicanna is no exception in encouraging our customers to take care of nature; we at the same time are taking care of ourselves – our bodies, skin, mind, and well-being. We are advocating the reuse of items, thus preventing them from entering the landfill, so all of our cosmetic containers are perfect for a second life in your home – pour a bath salt, light a candle or put the jewellery. Remember, love for ourselves starts from loving our surroundings.