Living more simply isn't so simple.
In the past few months I have been on a search to discover my true interests in an effort to live a more meaningful and intentional life.
In July of 2016 I was introduced to the Tiny House Movement, which is what really began my journey to where I am today.
As an architect I was not only interested in the idea of living tiny but what that means for the architecture industry and how this could potentially solve many of the housing crises around the world. My mind wandered as I fantasized about an idealistic world where instead of people ironically seeking independence by going into debt to own a home, people could now live comfortably with less in a tiny house, living more sustainably, with more flexibility in terms of location, finances, etc. I wanted to know everything about tiny living.
While investigating the magic of the tiny lifestyle, I came across this idea of minimalism which really compliments the intention behind tiny living. Minimalism is the idea that people can find happiness and purpose by living with less. It's a carefully curated lifestyle that embodies only the essentials and rids itself of excess, making room for what's most important.
In the midst of learning about all these different but interconnected ways of living I heard about a documentary called the No Impact Man. About 15 seconds in I was hooked. 1 hour and 33 minutes later I was looking around my bedroom for all of the wasteful, excessive, useless crap strewn about and started imagining a simpler life for myself, a life I could be proud of. I wanted to feel the purity of a truly intentional, sustainable, waste free life.
From here I discovered an idea of living more sustainably, i.e. the zero waste lifestyle.
It has been exactly 30 days since I started intentionally living with reasonably less waste. I am really just beginning my journey. There are some aspects that have been harder than others such as finding food alternative for things such as yogurt, cheeses, meat substitutes, and changing my daily habits like using disposable products like plastic bags and containers. This way of thinking really requires a change in mindset but has been relatively simple to find helpful resources and stores offering alternative solutions such as unwrapped produce and offering food in bulk.
Thanks for reading,
-Chelsea
Below are some of the essential resources I've found thus far which have helped me immensely in getting started with my zero waste project.
Bulk store finder
Zero Waste Home Blog
Trash Is For Tossers - Zero waste blog
No Impact Man Documentary
The Minimalists Blog (they also have a great podcast!)
Homemade Products Blog
More posts you might like:
Kitchens are riddled with toxic and disposable items - there is so much potential for reducing waste and toxicity!
Disposable products may appear to be cost effective however, the fact that you need to keep buying them indefinitely has proven to be more costly, and the lack of quality in these disposable products have proven to be costly for our health too.