Beginning in Part 1: https://zen.yandex.ru/media/id/5d63be1de4f39f00aebf062b/living-zero-waste-why-avoid-waste-part-1-5d95da66c31e4900b2f96be6
plastic paradise movie
Plastic Paradise is an English documentary that we recommend you see to get an idea of the levels of pollution in the ocean caused by plastic.
Scientific studies have also demonstrated the negative effects of plastic and its disposal and dispersion in the environment on human health. Substances such as Bisphenol A and phthalates released from plastic (which covers the food we eat and the water we drink every day) and the waste of energy used to produce this material should be sufficient reasons to push us to say stop plastic.
What can we do?
Let's get to the concrete things. As usual, we return to the focal point: choices.
It's all in our decisions that can be more or less sustainable, aware, healthy (and I could continue). It is not necessary to radically change one's habits. How is it unthinkable to believe that you can eliminate plastic from today to tomorrow, under pain of frustration and inadequacy because - if you have not yet noticed - plastic is everywhere! Also in some body creams (paraffin is a derivative of oil from which plastic in turn comes) and in the water we drink (in the form of invisible fibers).
But what we can do right away is: 1. To start looking around critically, is everything we have really necessary? 2. Let's start with the simplest things, a few tricks like that are enough:
- get a water bottle instead of buying bottles of water;
- shop at the market and take your own containers/bags for bulk products with you;
- use ecological means (especially for short stretches);
- Some cleaning products can be made at home. Hurray for bio-cleaning!
- buy locally and prefer handcrafted and durable products rather than those of large chains (created to self-destruct and be bought back after a short time);
- for women only: use your menstrual cup and/or washable pads or remove makeup with fabric cloths rather than disposable pads;
- think before buying and avoid impulse buying: shopping therapy makes you feel good on the spot but leads to the accumulation of unnecessary things. Buying less and better can give great satisfaction.
These are just a few ideas but they are already a start. No one is perfect but everyone can improve themselves (and do good to the planet too!).
zero waste waste
Living zero waste. Mission impossible?
Many of the authors of this blog have only been interested in this topic for a few months. But immediately most of us realized that many so-called zero-waste practices were already part of our routine. This has heartened us and stimulated us to reflect on what else we could do. If some gestures succeed spontaneously there are certainly many others that with little effort can help us achieve the goal of reducing waste.
And so it was. And you know what I understood? That there are a million things that we can put into practice without traumatic upheavals or epoch-making sacrifices. And the great thing is that these little tricks - considered by the majority of the sacrifices - can even make us feel good!
The first thing not to feel overwhelmed by all the things you realize you have wasted, ignored, bought unnecessarily so far, is to see in your own small and immediate what we could do (or avoid doing) without too much effort. A list in this case can help, draw up a list to be updated calmly, without the anxiety of "having to succeed immediately" and starting from the most banal things perhaps is already a great start.
There are still many, many things to think about but to proceed in small steps is a good strategy, not to feel demotivated at the start.
Why a zero waste network?
The reason why we decided to open this blog comes from the need to create a space to compare and inform, create a community and create a network of people. Hence the name of the blog.