ZERO WASTE CONVERSATION WITH BRITTANY KARNS Co-op Market Grocery & Deli March 23 & 24, 2019
• “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” – Anne Marie Bonneau • “What we don’t need in the midst of struggle is shame for being human.” – Brene Brown • “Planet or Plastic.” – National Geographic • “If you can’t reuse it, refuse it” • “Convenience at the expense of the planet is not convenient at all.” • “Waste is a design flaw” • “The generation that destroys the environment is not the generation that pays the price. That is the problem.” • “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” – Native American Proverb • “The greatest threat to our planet is the believe that someone else will save it.” • “Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without.”
Caveats: - Privilege - Time - NOT perfect at low waste - I drove here - I eat meat and animal products – which come in plastic - Pets - We live in Alaska - Drive a car, fly in planes - Plastic IS useful - Zero-Waste is an idea. It doesn’t really exist. But let’s live lower-waste. - So much I still don’t know
Conversation: - I want to learn from YOU - Main benefit of this workshop is connecting like-minds and creating a local community interested in decreasing waste - PLEASE, chime in with tips, recs, questions
Principles of Zero-Waste
/REPAIR
Minimize, Think Through Object Life
Minimalism, Longevity, Legacy, Getting Rid of Things - The biggest way to prevent waste is not to buy/have it in the first place - Try to buy things that will last, will benefit future generations - Borrow, Rent as much as possible o Friends o Chena Tool Library o Actual Library - Buy Second-Hand as much as possible - Community Swaps o Clothes o Outdoor Gear - Recycling is not a great answer – but for things that can’t be avoided, we are glad it’s here - Green Star org is **AWESOME** - Duty to think through where your things go, not just sending to the landfill o UAF Free Store o Women’s Shelter o The Door o Small Free Pantries o Return hangers to dry cleaners o Donate things to work places, to schools, to others in the community o Transfer site is an easy option, but not always the best - Shop Local As much as possible Trash: - Skip the bag liners, tip the bin straight into the dumpster - Hopefully by changing lifestyle, there won’t be that much trash anyway Out and About: - “No bag, thank you” - “No straw, please” - Choose to go places that you know don’t use plastic cups or cutlery - ASK! If they will use your container or cup (they almost always say yes!) - Always have on hand: o Reusable water bottle – water is free! o Reusable coffee mug – almost everywhere in town offers a discount for using your own mug o A glass jar or two --- never know when you’ll need a receptacle or to buy a random bulk item o A Tupperware or two --- use all the time for either takeout or restaurant leftovers o Silver wear --- leave yourself no excuse for using plastic o Reusable straw if that is important to you Compost, Gardening: - Do it o It can be very easy: ratios matter if you want fast decomposition, but if your goal is to return earth to earth, don’t stress it o Everything that was once alive can be composted, for health and pest reasons you shouldn’t add feces, meat, or bones - Food that gets wrapped in plastic trash bags, then goes to the landfill where it is buried under thousands of other plastic bags - doesn’t biodegrade - Great for your garden! Great for others gardens! - Golden Heart Utilities biosolids compost - Other Fairbanks compost options? - Plant bee-friendly gardens - Try to grow from seeds or buy from places that don’t grow their plants in plastic - Try to get dirt from places that will allow you to shovel into buckets instead of buying wrapped in plastic Food, Shopping for Food: - Minimize food waste o Buy only what you need o Shop your fridge/pantry! o Turn scraps into carrot top pesto, citrus peels into cleaner, make veggie soup stock, bone broth - Compost absolutely as much as possible - Eat more plants – lower carbon foot print, less plastic waste - Eat as local as possible! Eat is in season as possible! o Grow your own veg, invest in a CSA, shop the Farmers Market, buy local veg featured at places like the Coop o Local meat, milk share, local eggs o Local bread and baked goods - Buy in Bulk! o Huge bulk sections at both Coop and Fred Meyers o Coop will allow to use your own containers and subtract the weight o Extra great for expensive things you only need small amounts of, like spices o Nowhere in town doing liquids like soap that I’ve found, yet at least o Anchorage has bulk/refillable olive oil and vinegar o Growlers for bulk beer, wine, kombucha, tea - Either bring cloth bags for your produce or PUT IT IN YOUR CART NAKED - Put brad straight into cloth bag - BREAK THE PLASTIC BAG HABIT: Always have reusable bags in your vehicle or bag, if you forget them go out and get them, or carry things in your arms, or put them back in the basket/cart and unload them into the bags at your car, or ask for a cardboard box and then recycle the box - Can make several of your own fermented foods with relatively small amounts of time, including apple cider vinegar, kombucha, yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut Kitchen: - Compost Jar - Wash things! - Reusable everything – plates, silver wear, glasses, mugs - Biodegradable soap, soap bars - Wash and reuse existing plastic ziplocks, consider replacing with silicone options like Stasher or Re-Zip - Wash and reuse existing Tupperware, consider replacing with metal tiffins - Cloth Napkins - Reusable rags/washcloths (old t-shirts work great) instead of paper towels - How to store food without plastic: o Wrap bread in cloth (or pillow case), store in bread bin ---- can also reuse plastic that you have from other things o Stand celery and float carrots in water o Steel and glass freeze well o Roll lettuce, wrap beans and peas in a damp cloth, store in fridge o Beeswax Wraps instead of cling-film o Store onions and potatoes in a basket in a dark space o Store left-overs in glass or bowl with dish on-top Coffee: Anything is better than Keurig, French press is potentially least wasteful (opinion) - Loose-leaf tea and infuser instead of tea bags - If turning the oven on, try to maximize the time - Wooden-handled brushes Bathroom: - Paper-wrapped TP, Bidet - Package free soap, or plastic-free - Package free shampoo & conditioner bars (also lots of other options, like skipping shampoo altogether, using normal ingredients like lemon etc) - Biodegradable toothbrush, like Bamboo Handle toothbrush (that doesn’t come in plastic packaging) - Tooth powder (buy or make your own), tooth tablets, baking soda - Compostable floss, like silk - Steel/Safety Razor - Reusable face wipes - Lotion Bars, Coconut Oil - Plastic-free deodorant (buy or make) - Menstrual cup, reusable pads - Cloth diaper - Wooden combs/brushes - Loofah Cleaning - Own less: clean less - Vinegar, baking soda, castile soap, lemon can do a lot o Toilet Vesuvius - Biodegradeable products - H20 Products, lots of other companies Transportation: - Bike as much as possible - Fly as little as possible - Public transportation! - Carpool Traveling, Backpacking - Skip hotel toiletries (what you don’t use doesn’t have to get replaced), BYO - BYO waterbottle, coffee mug, reusable bags - Backpacking: lots of bulk options to skip MRE’s and individually wrapped bars Clothes, Cleaning Clothes - Buy as little as possible o Repair as much as possible o Shop friends closets o Go to the UAF Free Store - Buy second hand as much as possible - Buy ethical brands - Buy non-synthetics: Cotton, wool, hemp, merino, silk, linen, bamboo, Tencel fibers o Microfibers are a problem § Laundry balls that catch/collect microfibers - Compostable laundry soap (make your own, buy), soap nuts - SKIP THE DRYER – air dry, we live in Fairbanks, things dry fast o Invest in clothes drying racks, or just hang things off of available doors and counters (…. That’s what I do) o Or consider re-usable wool balls instead of - Hankies, reusable tissues Gifts, Hosting Events: - Reusable packaging: o Tins o Bags o Fabric and ribbon - Think about how to gift less THINGS, be less consumeristic o Experiences (tickets, outings, concerts, museums, hikes, memberships) o Time o Consumables (bath items, lotion, candles, foods) o Reusable things o Things actually needed o Upcycle things o Buy second-hand o Make things (“draw, sew, cook, sing, build, read, play, make”) o Zero-Waste tools o Buy nothing o Buy Ethically - Hosting: o Be willing to wash! o Don’t do disposable, even if it is more work o Refuse plastic cutlery o Put out all your jars: easy way to immediately have a lot of drink receptacles without plastic cups Decorating: - Decorate with plants - Decorate with heirlooms - Holiday décor made of natural materials o Dried oranges, cranberries, popcorn, pine, pinecones, flowers, etc Mail: - Cancel all Junk Mail, recycling mail - Go electronic or no-receipt as much as possible - Avoid 2-day shipping Home Efficiency: - Change your lightbulbs to LED’s - Look for ways to conserve water o Aerators on faucets o Bricks in the toilet tanks o Rain barrel o Shorter showers
Babies: Disclaimer--- these are per the zerowaste community from other mothers. I don’t have babies (yet?) and I recognize that it is hard, hard work without anyone telling you how to do it or how to do it harder - Reusable diapers instead of disposable - Reusable wipes instead of disposable - Don’t buy new or unnecessary - Skip individually packaged baby food pouches, individual formula packets Electronics: To be honest, I haven’t found a lot of ways to eliminate electronics from my life (yet?), but a couple points: - Green Star does Electronics recycling – this is critical – please take your electronics here - Green Star also fixes and resells a lot of electronics – try looking here before buying new - Streaming Activism: In the end, I strongly believe in the impact of the individual – but we really need government and industry changes. Individual plastic packaging isn’t going to stop being cheap or convenient in the near future, nor will it stop being bad for the planet. Work on your habits, vote with your dollars, but also contact your politicians and vote for change. - “If your bathtub was overflowing, you wouldn’t immediately reach for a mop – you’d first turn off the tap. That’s what we need to do with single-use plastics.” Personal Goals: - Goal for 2019: No new-to-me clothes or frivolous, non-necessary items, with several caveats for food, experiences, and outdoor/exercise items; will reconsider next year - Repair as much as possible - Bike to work at least once a week and build up from there - I have a huge reading list, I’d like to understand more of the macro global footprint and things like total life cycle and embodied energy of items - Try to coordinate a re-usable bag swap with the Coop - Try to coordinate cloth produce bag swap for the Farmers Market (anyone want to help me sew a bunch?) - Try to figure out how to encourage more recycling from the landfill - Start asking about city-wide compost - Think about the carbon footprint of my food - What things would you all like to see in Fairbanks?
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