Zero Waste

  • Zero Waste

    Summer Zero Waste Swaps

    Living in Texas, I’m used to brutal summers. However, summer came early this year! We’ve already had our 100+ degree days and the humidity is downright oppressive right now. The heat has me thinking about all the little things we can do this summer to cut down on waste. Ice cream: Get the cone instead of the cup! No wasteful plastic spoon or cup required. And for at home ice cream, I DIY my own 4-ingredient ice cream with our secondhand ice cream maker (it’s so easy)! Also — you can take a pint or quart container to a local ice cream shop and ask if they will fill it…

  • Tips,  Zero Waste

    A Zero Waste Period

    Oh yeah. We’re gonna talk about it. Like most women who get their periods, I used to use tampons… but ~20 tampons (or pads) a cycle? That’s a lot of waste. And a lot of money. So I started exploring the world of reusable feminine hygiene products. And color me impressed. While initially kind of scary, once I got the hang of all the products (and learned about the different options) — I can confidently say that my periods don’t feel quite so arduous. So let’s go from easiest to hardest with three different reusable period products. 1. Cloth pads 2. Period panties 3. Menstrual cup 1. Cloth Pads Exactly…

  • Zero Waste

    Minimal Waste Grocery Haul

    Took some quick pictures of our weekly grocery run. We went to the Central Market in Dallas, which has a great selection of bulk items (and loose salad greens!). As you can see — this isn’t 100% zero waste but I’m happy with where we are at. From top left to bottom right: Canned La Croix: 100% recyclable. I use this to make homemade soda. Beef burger patties: Wrapped in butcher paper (I’ve heard mixed things about whether this can be composted or not). When I open this up, I’ll see if the paper has a “plastic-y” coating on the inside or not. If it does — trash. If not,…

  • Tips,  Trash,  Zero Waste

    Minimal Waste Travel

    As someone who travels a fair amount, I really do try to be mindful of the trash I produce while exploring the world. But. Reducing waste while traveling is HARD. Between all the trash created during long haul flights, hotel toiletries, quick meals out in a new city… it’s easy to create a significant mound of trash during a week-long trip. So… what do we do? Nope — we don’t need to be perfect. My primary reason for traveling is to explore. And if exploring leads to a bit of waste… it’s okay. However, I am mindful to not create too much unnecessary waste. Here are my tips for reducing…

  • Tips,  Zero Waste

    Zero Waste Doggos

    Meet our dogs, Scout and Sydney. Sydney is our 14 year old golden and Scout is our 1 year old golden. Aren’t they cute? Now. Dogs sure do produce a lot of waste. They eat a lot. Poop a lot. Destroy things a lot. BUT it is possible to reduce the amount of dog related things that go to the landfill. Here’s what we do for the most commonly used/needed items. Food: Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find bulk dog food — especially for the brand you might want. We do a combination of canned food (which we recycle) and Holistic Select dog food. Holistic Select is part of…

  • Minimalism,  Recycling,  Trash,  Zero Waste

    Out of Sight, Out of Mind

    Or…. not. I wanted to share some pictures today from my recycling classes with the city. We toured multiple facilities including a single stream recycling plant, a textile recycling facility, and an electronics recycling facility. I think we all have a feeling of “go me!” when you declutter, take things out, and drop them off at whatever place takes that particular item. But then… we kind of forget about it. We forget that our decluttering leads to clutter and trash and stuff elsewhere. So here’s a little reminder that while the stuff is no longer in our possession… they are now stuck being dealt with by someone else. And guys……

  • Favorites,  Minimalism,  Zero Waste

    On Minimalism and Finding Your Passion

    Read this lovely article about how to find your passion as an adult. Now — how does this tie in with minimalism and zero waste? I think a huge reason we’re constantly buying and consuming so much is that… we’re bored. Rather, we don’t have an activity that we so desperately want to do, that instead, we spend our free time shopping or watching YouTube vloggers telling you about the best new items out there or researching future purchases… you get the picture. We think we need the stuff to be happy. And the cycle of buying, consuming, throwing away, learning about the new bright and shiny object, then buying…