TLDR;
Lauren Singer shares her journey into a zero-waste lifestyle, driven by environmental concerns and a desire to align her actions with her values. She outlines practical steps like buying in bulk, making her own products, shopping second-hand, and downsizing. Lauren also discusses the benefits of this lifestyle, including saving money, eating healthier, and increased happiness. Ultimately, she emphasizes the importance of individual action in reducing waste and its positive impact on the environment.
- Transition to zero waste lifestyle
- Practical steps to reduce waste
- Benefits of zero waste lifestyle
- Importance of individual action
Introduction to Zero Waste [0:08]
Lauren Singer introduces her zero waste lifestyle, showcasing all the trash she has produced in the past three years. She defines living zero waste as not sending anything to landfill, avoiding garbage cans, and preventing any form of littering. This journey began during her environmental studies at NYU, where she was inspired to change her habits after noticing her own plastic consumption.
The Turning Point: Recognizing Personal Impact [1:02]
Lauren recounts her frustration with a classmate's excessive plastic waste, which led her to examine her own consumption habits. She realized that her fridge was full of products packaged in plastic, making her just as culpable. This realization prompted her to quit using plastic and adopt a zero waste lifestyle.
Practical Steps to Reduce Waste [4:11]
Lauren outlines several steps she took to transition to a zero waste lifestyle. She started buying food in bulk using her own jars and bags, purchasing produce from farmers' markets, and making her own products like toothpaste from baking soda. Additionally, she embraced shopping second-hand and downsized her possessions to focus on essential items.
Benefits of Zero Waste Lifestyle [6:49]
Lauren discusses the numerous benefits of living a zero waste lifestyle. She saves money by avoiding packaged goods and shopping second-hand. Her diet improved as she began consuming more fresh fruits, vegetables, and bulk items, leading to stabilized weight, increased energy, and better sleep. Ultimately, she is happier because she lives in alignment with her values.
Understanding and Tackling Waste [8:09]
Lauren emphasizes the significant problem of waste, noting that the average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash per day. She suggests three steps to reduce waste: understanding your trash by identifying its sources, picking low-hanging fruit by making simple changes like using reusable bags, and learning to make your own products. By identifying and eliminating her main sources of waste—food packaging, product packaging, and organic food waste—she reduced her trash by about 90%.
Creating a Business Based on Values [10:37]
Lauren shares how she started her own company after noticing a demand for natural, transparent cleaning products. Frustrated by the lack of ingredient disclosure and the presence of harmful chemicals in conventional products, she quit her job to offer safe and effective alternatives. She believes consumers have a right to products that are safe for their homes, bodies, and the environment.
Living in Alignment with Values [12:38]
Lauren emphasizes that she lives a zero waste lifestyle for herself and aims to provide tools for others who want to reduce their trash. She concludes by stating that she wants to be remembered for her positive actions on the planet, not for the trash she left behind.