LESS is So Much MORE

"It seems that if you have little in life, you have little to worry about. If you have much, it seems you have much to lose" - 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama.

With Earth week, much emphasis is put on "Recycling" and "Reusing".

Yet, I believe that "Reducing" is an immediate aid to our environmental crisis. I believe that "Reducing" what we cannot "Refuse", has had the biggest impact (and is our "most potent secret ingredient") on our family's journey towards Zero Waste.

Some readers have mentioned that our voluntary simplicity might be off-putting to those interested in Zero Waste. I rather tend to believe that pretending to lead a Zero Waste lifestyle without "Reducing" would be hypocritical. Wouldn't it ignore the core issues of our waste problem? Wouldn't it ignore the depletion of our resources for the unnecessary items created? Wouldn't it ignore the true future of Zero Waste based on quality vs. quantity? Not to mention that living with more would make the logistics of Zero Waste unmanageable and way more complicated than it needs to be. No, I do not think that our minimalism is scaring people away, quite the contrary. I think it has made Zero Waste appealing to most.

It might take some thinking ahead, some thoughtfulness, but the advantages of "Reducing" are worth it.

Not convinced yet? Here are 8 reasons to "Reduce" (examples are based on what our household cannot "Refuse" or completely eliminate):

- Reducing your meat consumption means lowering your carbon footprint, and making composting logistics easier.

- Reducing your car usage, means biking or walking more, getting reconnected with the outdoors, getting exercise and vitamin D, lowering stress, living healthier, lowering medical bills and car trips to the doctor- and also means less car maintenance and repairs, less gas, less dependence on oil, less war (hopefully) and lower gas prices. Less shopping trips also mean less temptation to spend and fill your house with clutter.

- Reducing your home size, (very involved) means reduced utility usage (water, gas, electric), maintenance fees, cleaning time, and furnishings needed to fill rooms.

- Reducing clutter (toys, knick-knacks, clothes, holiday decorations, furniture, kitchen utensils, sports equipment, etc.), means not having to organize/store/dust/clean/repair or dispose of the products not purchased.

- Reducing heirlooms, means reduced heirloom guilt related to storing or passing down such items - and reduced heirloom guilt passed on to your kids.

- Reducing your home cleaning products and toiletries, means more room under the sink, and no worrying about the toxicity or recyclability of the products not purchased.

- Reducing technology, means less frustration from the lack of technical support, less time spent researching fixes, less technology to update, upgrade, keep current or dispose of, and less toxic e-waste created. It also means spending more time outside (hopefully) and caring for the real world.

- Reducing paper load and photos, means less to print, recycle, waste (photo paper) or download, but also less to sort thru, organize, send or store, leading to savings on ink, paper, memory, storage, energy.

- Reducing magazine reading, means eliminating images that make you feel like you don't have the right stuff, and ultimately means feeling content with what you have and what you are.

- Reducing your home projects or hobbies, means letting go of unfinished projects, allowing more time to focus on your passions and aspirations.

"Reducing" makes sense beyond the obvious environmental (what you don’t have, won’t eventually go to waste), health (what you don't have, won't harm you), financial (what you don’t have, won’t cost you), and organizational (what you don't have, won’t need organizing) reasons. Above all, "Reducing" means leading richer lives, with more time doing the things you truly enjoy, and with more time spent with the people you truly care about. But it also means increased creativity and thoughtfulness. Priceless commodities when trying to save the world;)

I enjoy and benefit from this lifestyle - every second of it. I have come to realize that stuff takes us away from our roots, from the outdoors. It's only by being in the outdoors that we can truly care about the environment. With more time to spend outside, I no longer take Earth for granted.

Over the next few weeks, I will go in depth about reducing in different areas of the home as I do with my clients. It is no coincidence that Earth Week lands in the spring. Are you in the mood for some spring-cleaning?

On the Today Show this morning!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Once upon a bumpy road

This is post is about a comment that Jessica posted this week on "Six Month Tally", which I thought worthy of highlighting in a blog post. My response to Jessica, follows.

"Bea,

I really appreciate your blog and am thinking of ways to improve our consumption and waste in our home.

One frustration I have while reading your accounts is the judgment you bestow onto others, such as:
"For now, I blame the ignorant adults who buy and feed harmful and wasteful junk not only to their children but also to others."

Perhaps a bit of compassion and understanding for those unlike you could help people hear your true message more clearly.

I thank you for your blog and your great, great tips. I appreciate your openness for comments.

Sincerely,
Jessica "

"Thank you so much for your comment Jessica:

I could not agree with you more. That sentence is harsh and uncompassionate... Afterall, I was one of those "ignorant" adults myself, not so long ago...

I particularly appreciate your comment, because it points out to the frustration phase that I went thru back then. For me, it seems that Six Month Tally was written decades ago on my Zero Waste path (although I wrote it only 10 months ago). I do not condone my mean comment, but one has to understand that a road leading to Zero Waste is bumpy.

When I look back, I can see that we went thru the following 6 phases (with the time that it took me to graduate from each phase):

Step 1 - Denial (33 years): One can only identify the denial phase once step 2 has been completed. I belonged in this category when stuffing Safeway plastic bags into my kitchen trash can, itself lined with a refuse bag, which I would then proceed to throw "away" into the larger city can... Silly isn't it? Well, it all seemed normal to me back then. I was in denial, as if brain dead, with no thought put into the consequences of my actions.

Step 2 - Realization of the facts (on-going): Thru educating ourselves on environmental issues, and watching simple kid friendly documentaries such as Earth and Home, the light bulb switched on. Oh my gosh! I can't believe what is happening! (if there was a green welcoming committee, I would have been greeted at this point)... Once the light-bulb has turned on, one of two things can happen: Eco-depression followed by action paralysis OR motivation followed by action. I chose the latter path, which took me to step 3.

Step 3 - Action boost and trial (2 years): I need to do something! and fast! Deciding to do something about those environmental issues if not for myself at least for the future of my kids, meant doing a little research and jumping on the learning wagon. It started with the reusable water bottle, shopping totes, and bulk shopping. Since I could not find websites addressing my further waste concerns, I resorted on creativity and Googled my way thru finding the alternatives that I now share with you. During that phase I even tested the extremes, such as no poo, making cheese, butter, soy milk, bread, ice cream, olives, soap, paper, candles, dishwasher detergent, etc...

Step 4 - Loneliness and frustration (1 year): This step is very much linked to how much support one receives. Embarking on the Zero Waste road gets eased by the support of a friend or this blog's community. I found that having to constantly explain myself to my surroundings, haters, and compulsive recyclers made me feel singled out, while my efforts lead me to notice the inaction of others. That was 9 months ago, when I wrote Six Month Tally...

Step 5 - Balance (6 months): My summer break in France last year allowed me to step back, look at my life from a different perspective, and enjoy life away from the computer and the Googled searches. Upon my return back home, I decided to slow down writing about Zero Waste, as I simply wanted to live it, without having to talk about it. It helped me let go of frustrations, accept criticism and find comfort in Zero Waste by simply living it and not worrying about others' inaction or judgement.

Step 6 - Auto-pilot (current): The subject of an upcoming article: That's where we are today. We are completely at peace with our lifestyle. We realize that the road was bumpy along the way, we can now see clearly all the positive effects of Zero Waste on our lifestyle. We have a system that works for us, we have let go of some unrealistic tasks that did not work for us, without compromising our trash level (for example, why make cheese, when I can buy it in the jar?). Our system is simple, we can stick to it, we're in it for good.

Thanks for keeping me honest, Jessica. "

Where are you, readers, on your Zero Waste experience?

How to make a Zero Waste Lunch

As you may know, Max is in 5th grade. As part of his classwork, he was asked to create a blog, and he chose "Environmental Tips" as a subject. He was then asked to give a short "How to" speech to the class. So here he is on "How to make a Zero Waste Lunch"...



PS: Max recently went on his outdoor education trip. His wonderful teacher proudly announced that her grade received the record for the number of zero waste meals at the facility. During that trip, Max also joined the Hard Core club. Members of the club eat a whole apple (core, stem, seeds and all), and share a secret hand-shake. Love the concept. I joined the club too, but I have already forgotten the hand-shake ;)