6 Things I Love about Living with Less

I see many parallels between minimalism and zero waste.

In my preparation for living in a tiny home I have gone through several pairing down processes. It's never easy parting with our belongings - we could make endless excuses for why we need 16 iPhone 3 charging cables, cracked tupperware without a lid, 10 year old worn out shoes, and remotes to TV's we no longer own. The list goes on and on. I know this because I've been there. Pairing down is a difficult process but as anything, it get easier with time. I've learned that pairing down is a skill that gets strengthened with practice and careful intention. Luckily I've never had to furnish an entire house or apartment so I haven't had the burden owning an abundance of furniture or decorative objects. Furniture tends to be one of the hardest things to get rid of, 1 because it's cumbersome and can be physically hard to sell, give away, or even move, and 2 it can be mentally difficult to part with something that was bought with hard earned money or passed down from a family member.

But minimalism is about much more than just getting rid of clutter - it's about finding your essentials. It's about quality over quantity. It's about learning how to live a happy life with only the things you truly need. It's about favoring experiences over objects. It's about making intentional decisions. It's about hyperawareness, conscious consumerism, and careful curation of everyday life. And this is where zero waste living comes in to play.

I'm not yet at the point where I'm living with zero waste or where I can gloat about my mason jar sized trash bin, but I have been able to significantly cut down on my waste. The zero waste and minimalism movements have provided me an outlet to embrace my drive to live more sustainability and have guided me toward making more conscious decisions about my everyday life. I'm much more aware about what I'm buying, why I'm buying it, and who/where I'm buying it from. These questions that never crossed my mind before now dominate my every decision.

As a result of these decisions, here are 6 things I love about living with less.

1. Freedom

Living with less clutter, less waste, and less stuff allows me to be much more flexible, more agile. If I were to get a job offer on the other side of the country or given the opportunity to travel around the world I'll be in a much better position to accept knowing I don't have too many things anchoring me to one place. It's the freedom from the burden of owning too much stuff. It's the burden from getting myself into debt with unnecessary spending. It's the freedom to travel, freedom to worry less, and the freedom to feel confident and satisfied in the decisions I make.

2. Deeper connection with the earth

The first time I saw that food and other "waste" could be converted into soil I felt invigorated. It's so empowering to know that I can provide a service to the earth while preventing my food and paper waste from ending up in a landfill. Furthermore, I had never really considered the process of decomposition or the fact that I could personally contribute, playing a vital role in the cycle of life. It was amazing how something so primitive, so essential to the existence of every being on the earth can be so vastly overlooked.

The first time I made pizza dough from scratch it was like a lightbulb switched on. I had never really considered the process of making bread or really any other food, cleaning, or hygiene products for that matter. I had completely disregarded the fact that when I buy store bought products, someone (or something) else is making it. They choose what's in it, how it's produced, how it's packaged, and how it's distributed. I had never considered any of this until I started making my own foods and products from scratch.

It's a magical process learning about the interworkings of the world around us.

3. Awareness

I've never wanted to be someone who kept their blinders on and refused to acknowledge the existence of worldly issues. I understand; however, that for some people this is the only way to keep their peace and continue to live their lives without worry. I'll admit there are times when I do this myself - especially with animal cruelty. Every time I see one of those horrifying commercials showing abused animals in need of rescue I immediately change the channel and force myself to think of something happy to take my mind off it. It breaks my heart so I mask the pain with something that brings me joy. While I recognize that I do this, I make an effort in return to take action to help when I can. All of the dogs my family and I have owned have been rescues - never from breeders, I stopped eating meat when I realized it didn't align with my values, and I refuse to visit zoos because I don't agree with confining and depriving animals for human entertainment. I like to educate myself on issues of animal cruelty, how our electronic waste get's transported to 3rd world countries, and I like to see how my everyday decisions affect the world around me. I like to know that my dental floss may end up wrapped around a seal's neck so I know to cut it down to smaller pieces, or that I want to avoid silk products which are made from boiling silkworms alive (with the exception of Peace Silk). I like to know that it takes an average of 450 years for plastic to decompose, that we're rapidly depleting resources such as Himalayan rock salts, and that 150-200 species are forced into extinction every day. I want to know these things so I can make better informed decisions in my everyday life. Making these informed decisions isn't even an inconvenience, it's simply a different way of doing things. Many times, I find that once I get used to doing things differently, it turns out to be better for me as well as the environment.

4. Healthier

Plastic is everywhere. It's one of the hardest things to get away from in the modern world we live in and will be here long after we're all gone. In an effort to avoid plastic made and packaged products I have resorted to making my own. In making my own products I have begun researching the ingredients used in the products I used every day only to find how toxic and unhealthy they are. I take a lot of pride in, and feel a strong, primitive, earthly connection in making my own products. In doing so, I have complete control over every ingredient, I understand the purpose of each ingredient, and I get to choose the way in which its stored.

Another benefit of avoiding plastic has been the decision to buy and eat local foods. I noticed that much of the food I previously bought was packaged in plastic - including a lot of the produce I was buying. I have researched nearby stores and farms in depth enough to understand whether or not I want to support them in giving them my business. In buying locally produced, organic foods, my food is fresher, unpackaged, and I have the comfort of knowing who and where it's coming from.

5. Saving money

Fighting the urge of giving in to consumerism has allowed me to save a lot of money and headaches in the long run. I have begun investing in quality products that may be more expensive upfront but will last a lifetime thus saving me money later. I am pushing back on purchasing disposable products - an industry model that thrives on the demise of poorly made goods. I invest my money in companies that align with my values so I can feel confident in my purchases. 

Being mindful of everything that goes in and on my body has helped me become healthier. By eating organically, avoiding toxins, making well-informed decisions, and choosing quality over quantity ,I've been able to stay much healthier. By doing this, I not only feel great physically and mentally but I'm able to save money on medical expenses.

6. 19% Happier

Before making these changes in my life to live more mindfully, I never considered myself to be an unhappy person. I have always made an effort to find pleasure and happiness in simple things but lately I have felt a different kind of happy. I'm happy because I'm finally moving toward living a life that completely aligns with my values. I'm happy because I've started listening to my body and taking better care of it. And I'm happy because I see how making intentional decisions to improve my life can actually improve the quality of the environment around me.

Thanks for reading,

- Chelsea

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1 Month In - Zero Waste Blog #003

It has been 37 days since I decided to take the plunge into the zero waste lifestyle.

Some things have been surprisingly easier than I expected; some things have been predictably harder. I'd like to note that I am transitioning into the zero waste lifestyle, not going in cold turkey. It would be wasteful for me to dispose of perfectly usable plastic/unsustainable goods, so I plan to use them until they either run out or should be replaced.

Changes I've made so far:

1. Switched to a Bamboo biodegradable toothbrush* with BPA free nylon bristles - it's a cruelty free brush that isn't completely biodegradable but is a step in the right direction. The only completely biodegradable brushes use pig/boar hair for bristles which just doesn't align with my values
2. Making my own deodorant with just 4 simple ingredients
3. Buying whole bean coffee in bulk or in paper packaging
4. Buying and eat local fruits and veggies from farmers markets
5. Stopped eating meat* in August 2016
6. Drinking organic almond milk
7. Using grass-fed butter* - I've debated going vegan many times but much of my protein comes from eggs and cheeses and fats come from butter since I don't eat meat, this would be a difficult transition but something I'm considering for the future
8. Started buying only second hand clothing or very high quality clothing that will last forever
9. Buying food in bulk using glass jars*
10. Using canvas grocery and produce* bags instead of plastic bags
11. Unbleached coffee filters* in biodegradable packaging
12. Started making my own cleaning products again (recipes pending)
13. Using a reusable menstrual cup* rather than tampons and pads
14. Making my own toothpaste*
15. Making my own mouthwash
16. Avoid using non-stick cookware (fyi the non-stick coating burns off with each use leaking toxins into your food!)
17. Get beer in refillable bottle from local brewery
18. Composting food in an 18 gallon worm bin

Things that have been difficult:

1. Changing my habits
   I find it difficult to break the habit of using disposable paper products like napkins, tissues, paper towels, etc. Granted I haven't yet made too much of an effort in this area - I will be moving toward this in the coming month by investing in reusable handkerchiefs and napkins.
2. Finding meat substitutes like tofu in non-plastic packaging
3. Finding cheeses not wrapped in plastic. My greatest discovery, before this project, was finding the vast array of affordable exotic cheeses from the Aldi Food Market. It has allowed me to explore all kinds of different cheeses I wouldn't have tried otherwise. The unfortunate thing about these cheeses is they're all wrapped in plastic and not organic
4. Unpackaged bread (I'm going to start trying to make my own)
5. Food storage on the go. I have no problem storing food in glass containers if it's going to be kept in the house, but carrying around 3 or 4 containers to bring to work for sandwiches, leftover lasagna, pizza, etc. can get heavy and cumbersome
6. Wax paper and aluminum foil in baking. Sometimes recipes call for aluminum foil covered food in the oven or waxed paper for my delectable chocolate turtles! :)
7. Finding high quality dog food that's not in plastic packaging (I currently buy her Wellness Core Grain Free* dry food)
8. Excessive packaging from online sites/stores - sometimes it's plastic inside of plastic inside of plastic but other times it's just oversized boxes for tiny purchases.

My biggest issue so far has really been finding products that aren't wrapped or packaged in plastic. Even boxed item tends to be individually wrapped in plastic coated paper packets or plastic bags. Herbs, cheeses, yogurts, cleaning products, bathroom products, medicines, etc. are all packaged in plastic. Sometimes I'll get excited to see glass bottles but then I look up to see plastic tops! It's extremely frustrating. I'm met with furrowed brows and befuddled stares when I question why supposed health food stores and family owned organic farms and businesses that preach sustainability resort to using and carrying plastic packaging.

Just the other day I pulled into a local farm to pick up some vegetables. In the hopes of finding unpackaged organic cheeses I ran over to the small, run down dairy fridge only to find milk in plastic jugs and cheese in plastic containers! After taking a second to recover from my disappointment I gathered my veggies and proceeded to the checkout. In complete disregard to the bunches of canvas bags I was holding for my organic vegetables, I was offered plastic bags for my purchases. Here I thought by going to a small, local, organic farm I could finally get away from plastic but I was wrong. It's everywhere. I hadn't truly noticed the impossibility of living plastic free in our modern world until trying to avoid it, but it's everywhere around me. The computer screen I'm looking at, my computer speakers, mouse, podcasting mic and stand, headphones, phone case...

It's overwhelming to really analyze every one of my belongings and question the ethics and sustainability of each product. It would be crazy and almost useless to do this questioning experiment with products I already own because I already own them. There's not much I can do about something I already own except finding creative ways to reuse or recycle them. Moving forward however, I know I can use this knowledge to make more informed decisions as I make purchases overtime which will definitely help me in the long run.

Thanks for reading,
- Chelsea

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