a couple of months ago, i heard an interview on CBC’s Freestyle program (if i’m ever listening to the radio, it’s almost always CBC in a vehicle or KCRW online) with a woman who was attempting to go garbage-free.
yes, zero garbage. i have mentioned here before that i try to be conscious of recyclables and will go out of my way when possible to reduce my landfill output, but this freaking blew my mind. can you imagine not producing any garbage for a month?
better yet, could you even do it for a day?
i later learned that the woman was Sarah McGaughey and her partner is Kyle Glover. their website is here and has been added to my blogroll. they completed an entire month without garbage at the end February 2007. their lesson:
“We still care about reducing garbage and we make about one small bag every three weeks. We found being completely garbage free in todays society wasn’t always the best choice ecologically, so now that we have completed our goal,we are trying to live with the smallest eco footprint possible in all aspects of life.”
i have decided i must try this. unfortunately, we don’t have a compost pile, so i’m not sure what to do with food scraps. and what about dental floss? band-aids? tampons? the liner in my cereal box? prescription medication bottles? and these are just the things i am confronted with in my morning ritual. i’m sure a million other questions would pop up as soon as i become aware of the stuff i’m consuming just to throw away.
consuming just to throw away. no wonder our planet is in trouble.
to me, being eco-friendly is sort of like improving your eating habits: instead of striving for perfection (NEVER eat a cookie again??), focus on the awareness. simply acknowledging the things you put in your mouth (or your trashbin) can make a huge difference. it is this awareness that changes lifestyles and habits. not strict rules and regulations.
i would challenge you to consciously note every single thing you throw in the garbage today. better yet, keep a bag by your desk and SAVE everything you would have contributed to your local landfill. look at the bag at the end of the day. take a picture of it. then multiply that by 7 days in the week… 30 days in the month…
365 days in the year(!!)…
the diva cup is a great alternative to tampons, once you get the hang of it… :)
i was JUST going to comment recommending the diva cup as an alternative, but someone beat me too it! it’s amazing, really.
Hey Jennifer
Thanks for the link. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me or do a search in my blog. Chances are I’ve posted about it.
1. To do this you need to compost. Can you get a composter for outside. If not, you can get worms to compost in a bucket inside. If you are in Toronto, you can purchase worms at Grassroots.
2.The Diva cup is a good alternative to tampons, there are also cloth pads or sea sponges
3.There is no solution I’ve found yet for dental floss. We did without. There is apparently a brnach that people in India use but I haven’t been able to find it here. The dental floss that is advertised as biodegradable a read the fine print).
4. Band aids too- I went without. If I really needed
one, I wound a piece of fabric around the spot tightly.
5. Buy bulk cereal in your own bag to avoid liners and boxes.
6. Sometimes the drug store will take the med bottles back. Other wise, art schools and kindergardens will sometimes take them.
You may want to make an exception to your rule, like if you are sexually active and not planning on having babies, allow condoms (I’m pregnant). Once I found out I was pregnant, I made an exception for garbage made at medical facilities that were out of my control (needles etc.) So I guess technically I didn’t make Zero garbage, but almost.
There is an artist who took a picture of her garbage for several years, and exhibited them around the world. It was quite interesting-reminded me of your suggestion.
that concept totally blows my mind. awe-inspiring to say the least.
i can’t even imagine what it would require during a typical day at work as well, not to mention my current govt job as well.
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