Reducing waste is hard. It can feel overwhelming to figure out where to start and how to make it a consistent practice. We know, we’ve been there!
As Anne-Marie Bonneau, Zero Waste Chef said, “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” She’s right, we don’t need to do it perfectly, and we can even look for support along the way.
There are tons of local groups where you can find others working to significantly reduce their waste. You can discover more convenient ways to combat waste, low waste recipes, DIY projects, and support along the journey. You can even make a new low waste friend or two!
Meetup.com is a great resource for just about any interest or hobby. There are Zero Waste Meet Ups aiming at accelerating the transition to a post-disposable world with past events such as How to Make Your Own Dish Soap and Toothpaste and film screenings of The Story of Plastic. They have in-person local meet ups and online meet ups as well.
Facebook groups have also gained popularity over the last few years and there is a Facebook group for just about everything. Here you can find and share zero waste tips, tricks, and related articles with local groups. Check out this Facebook group Journey to Zero-Waste to kickstart your zero waste journey.
A quick search on eventbrite.com for online zero waste events yields dozens of upcoming events like Zero Waste Mindset. You can virtually travel to Athens for an online Zero Waste Summit. If Athens isn’t for you, you can head to Southeast Asia, minus the carbon emissions, for another virtual zero waste event called TRUE. You can find both free and paid workshops, panel discussions, and more. You might even see one of our team members at Zero Waste Crafts Workshop: Mix, Make, Clean learning how to make healthier and plastic free cleaning supplies.
Instagram is another great resource for quick tips and tricks to make lowering your waste quick and easy. You can follow us @foodhuggers for our favorite tips for reducing food and plastic waste and other popular Instagram accounts with content related to low waste. Here are some we follow:
@thezerowasteguide
@zero.waste.collective
@zerowastehome
@reducewastenow
@zerowastechef
No matter where you start or how many times you mess up, simply taking one small step towards reducing waste makes all the difference. Good luck, we are rooting for you!