We need to go zero waste and focus on sustainable, reusable, environmentally friendly products – before it is too late. It’s no secret that the earth is in trouble. Landfills are overflowing, our water systems are polluted, animal species are endangered and going extinct at an alarming rate, and we are finding toxic chemicals in our food and beauty products.
Modern humans have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, yet in the last 150 years alone, we have driven greenhouse gases to unnatural levels and we are, quite simply, destroying the planet. In the past 40 years, our population has doubled, and it continues to grow. We’re all dependent upon a limited number of natural resources for survival. And we’re rapidly burning through these resources. .
Every single time that we extract materials to produce, consume and dispose of everything that we use in our every day lives, we create a lot of greenhouse gases and we burn resources such as fossil fuels, water and energy.
We extract natural resources like trees, precious metals, and petroleum, and we manufacture them, often through polluting, toxic, and wasteful practices. We turn them into products that are designed primarily for convenience. We distribute these products to communities, often shipping them very long distances. And after we all buy and use these products, we throw them away where they end up in landfill or in a recycling system which uses more resources.
This sums up why we need to strive towards a more zero waste society. Reusable products have to be the focus of our efforts. If we use less wasteful products, we prevent litter from spoiling nature’s beauty. We use less valuable resources. We create less greenhouse gases that are causing global warming.
Building a zero waste community is bigger than just changing individual behavior, and it’s bigger than just recycling or composting. Zero Waste addresses the entire social system of how we make, consume and dispose of our “stuff.”
While we wait for fundamental changes to occur within our society, we can make small changes every day to help.
Here are 5 things you can do to strive for a more zero waste lifestyle:
1. Compost
2. Recycle
3. Say no to single-use
4. Choose the sustainable option
5. Reuse