Delays, delays.

My life has been on a delay for a while due to Hurricane Isaac. I've been back at my mom's house in my hometown in northeast Louisiana waiting out the storm. Unfortunately no matter if I stayed in Baton Rouge or came to my hometown, being zero-waste isn't working out well.

If I were home in BR, I would have had to bought a ton of emergency supplies including bottled water (which was already sold out most places), packaged snacks, use-once batteries, and flashlights.

Coming back to my home town meant driving four hours and now living in a more disposable minded home. It's okay though. I suppose it's nice to be home, and I'm trying to adjust as much as possible. School keeps getting canceled, so I'm trying to be as productive while I'm here.

I've been needing a cup for my makeup brushes, so today after I ate some soup, I cleaned out the can to use as my new cup. It may not work for everyone due to the sharp edges on the cans, but my mom has a special can opener that gets rid of those. I found this article about upcycling aluminum cans. Apparently a sanding block or just sand paper is enough to get rid of those sharp edges. I had to soak it in warm soapy water for a while to make sure it didn't smell like soup anymore. But it's great now! A perfect cup for my brushes. Later on, I figured I could paint it or wrap it in paper to make it cuter, but I think I like the can look for now. But that's my reusing project for the day.

Unfortunate update on my brush holder: mom threw it away cause she didn't realize I was reusing it. But that's okay! I'll recreate it with another can when I go back to Baton Rouge and I'll make sure to get a picture of it.

I've also been brainstorming for preparations for the next storm. For now on, after my roommates and I are done with our jug of milk, I think I'll just wash it out and fill it up with clean water. I'll store it in pantry, and hopefully we'll collect enough water as to not have to buy any next storm (I really hate the idea of buying water and plastic). As for the batteries, I only own four. Literally. They're all rechargeable though. I plan on buying some more soon. You can always use extra when the powers out, and your only light is candles and flashlights. I own one flashlight, so I suppose I need another one.

Lately my mind has been more consumed with school than organizing my zero-waste thoughts. Because we've missed three days due to the hurricane, we'll be playing catch up for a while, and my mind will be completely consumed with school. I hope that after that, I'll become accustomed to my schedule and find more time to work on this which is all I ever want to do anyways.

Maybe I'll come up with something this weekend. For now, I'm heading back home and celebrating my water-free first floor apartment! Flooding would honestly be a zero-waste nightmare.

in.gredients

in.gredients is a zero-waste grocery store in Austin, Texas that I just recently learned about. PLEASE visit their website --> www.in.gredients.com

They have the idea of zero-waste so perfectly portrayed on that website. It's incredibly inspirational, and I wish we had one in Baton Rouge.

Something I read while I was browsing it, "Reduce, Reuse, then Recycle." And that sums it all up to me. Reduce our waste, reuse what we can, and then recycle as a last resort. Can you imagine the trash can not even needing to be an option? I can't either, but it is possible!

The fact that an actual grocery store like this has opened up serves as proof that this lifestyle is real, achievable, and growing.

Writing is coming difficult to me tonight. Maybe it's because I have the idea of school starting Monday morning looming over me? I'm not sure, but I will update soon with my personal progress.

But in the meantime, check out this chart I found on the in.gredients site! It's another one of those things that really inspires me. One might question the validity of the information, but that's what research is for (they have sources at the bottom of the chart, but my copy of the photo makes it too hard to read.)


 

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

On my vacation to Orange Beach last week, I noticed this plastic jug while I was relaxing in a beach chair reading a book. I watched it for a while, wondering if the water would reach it, taking it into the ocean with its force. The water was close, but it didn't quite reach it. I knew, however, that in a matter of time, the high tide would sweep in and take it away because nobody was going to pick it up. I watched for ten minutes while people stepped over it or around it. Who wants to be responsible for trash when they're strolling or relaxing on the beach? Nobody does, and that's exactly why it's there in the first place. Nobody felt like throwing it away, so they left it. And now it ended up here, right on the ocean's edge, just waiting for it a wave to sweep it away.

As I watched for these ten minutes, I contemplated what would happen to this jug if it were to go into the ocean. Where would it drift? How long would it take to decompose? Would it end up in someone's fishing net? Would that fisherman throw it back into the ocean when he realized that he caught yet another piece of garbage that he would just have to drag back onto shore?

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch came to mind. My friends and I went through a phase last semester where we discussed it a lot (I guess because I was learning about it in a class). I'm not an expert on this, so I'd rather not explain in great detail what it is for fear of me releasing false information, but here's a trust-worthy link further explaining what the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is.

To sum it up for those of you that aren't interested in the site, there are a ton of different currents in the ocean along with a ton of garbage from humans (mostly from boats). The trash is caught in these currents and drifts. Some trash sinks, some trash (like paper goods) breaks down, some is eaten by sea life, and some (primarily plastic) will continue to travel with the currents (possibly breaking down into smaller bits), and, depending on where it is released into the ocean, ends up in this "Garbage Patch." 

Here's an image of the currents, so you get a better idea.

There are two notable patches found in the Pacific. I was told last year in a class at LSU, that the Patch goes on for miles, but the site I linked you to says that the small amount of research that has been done makes it hard to properly predict the size.

Now of course, I retrieved the plastic jug and tossed it into a recycling bin on my way back to my grandmother's condo, but if that jug would have gone into the Gulf of Mexico, it probably would have been taken by a current into the Atlantic. There it would have caught another current, and then who knows where it would have ended up.The point is, the existence of that jug is completely unnecessary. We don't need to buy plastic jugs of water when we have free water running out of our sinks, and reusable jugs to fill. And even if it must be bought, it could be reused or recycled or simply sent to a landfill. It doesn't have to go into the ocean or onto the beach. I understand that on vacation that may be difficult, but it's just something to think about.

The Garbage Patch is something that has inspired me in the beginning to pursue Zero Waste. I catch myself wondering how much trash I've produced in my lifetime, and how much of that trash is floating around in the ocean. I hope it can inspire you, too, if only a little.

The Beginning

My journey with the idea of zero waste began with Bae Johnson of zerowastehome.blogspot.com. I began reading her blog around November of 2011, and I quickly read every single post within a few months. I follow it religiously, and in my eyes, she is the goddess of zero waste. Of course, there have surely been people who have practiced zero waste before her, but Bae has exposed a majority of her life to share her story. It has changed my life and began my inspiration for this blog.

However, keep in mind that Bae's blog is very different than what mine will end up as. First of all, I am  a 19 year old sophomore at Louisiana State University. Second of all, I am starting my blog from the very very beginning of my journey. Four days ago, I moved into my very first apartment with my two roommates and a schnauzer. I was going to begin from August 4th, but unfortunately our internet wasn't set up until today, so today will have to do.

So essentially, I'm a complete amateur. If you are looking for a success story, you're in the wrong place. I suggest you check Bae's blog for that. She is years into her journey and is very successful and has great advice. I am nowhere near my goal of zero waste. It will be a hit-and-miss for a very long time.

Now of course, I've had a bit of preparation before today. But there's also a ton of preparation to come within the next month before I can start trying out new ways to reduce my waste. First, I'm starting from the basics. This is what I have so far:

• Two water bottles. One is a simple plastic Nalgene bottle I bought a few years ago that I rediscovered at my mom's house when I was moving out. The other is a Lifefactory glass bottle, and I'm honestly obsessed with it. I found it in a little local shop in Asheville, North Carolina, but you can also buy one here.
• I also have three reusable snack bags that I bought at the same local shop in NC. Those were made locally there, but I found some similar bags here. I'll be bringing lunch on campus a ton this upcoming semester, and these are a great alternative to zip-lock bags.
• At the same store, I found some Fullcircle wash rags to replace sponges (although we do have a few sponges). Once those are no good anymore, I plan on replacing them with a compostable cleaning brush like this doubled with baking soda and castile soap.
• I bought some dish towels and cloth napkins at World Market a couple of days ago to replace our paper towel and napkin use. Unfortunately, all of our parents stocked us up with paper towels, so we're stuck with about 8 rolls. (I assume my roommates and guests will use those though)
• I bought some microfiber cloths at Target for cleaning (like this but Target brand). I've only used them a few times, but they worked great. 
• My roommate Kelcee brought a plastic cover like this for food being heated in the microwave, so we won't be using paper towels or wax paper to cover our food.
• We have a water purifier, but the tap water is great in Baton Rouge, so we're considering giving that away. Water purifiers are a great alternative to disposable water bottles, but can still be wasteful when considering the filters. 

These may be the only things I feel completely honest about to share. Obviously I have a lot of room for improvement, but this is the beginning. My next steps include:

• Buying some mesh bags from this site for the fruits and veggies I will buy at the Farmer's Market (hopefully).
• Finding some mason jars at a thrift shop or antique store that I can use to buy deli and other bulk items with.
• Purchasing a couple of efficient, ergonomic totes for grocery shopping. (I absolutely despise everything about plastic grocery bags)
•  Explore Whole Foods some more and figure out what their bulk items are.
• Buying some compostable tooth brushes.
• Finding a local provider of castile soap.

Thank you for your interest, and I will update soon!