How I Fit 5 Years of My Trash In This Jar
Summary
TLDRLauren Singer, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and founder of the zero-waste lifestyle blog 'Trash is for Tossers', shares her journey towards sustainability. An Environmental Studies major at NYU, she was inspired to make a change after realizing her own consumption habits were as harmful as those she criticized. Singer transitioned from a plastic-free to a zero-waste lifestyle, which involved composting, shopping at farmers' markets for packaging-free food, and creating her own beauty and cleaning products. She addresses common criticisms, such as managing menstruation and bathroom habits without waste, by using a menstrual cup and a bidet. Singer emphasizes the significant impact individuals can have on the environment and climate, encouraging small, collective steps towards reducing waste to make a substantial positive difference.
Takeaways
- πΏ Lauren Singer is the founder of a blog called 'Trash is for Tossers' and a company called 'The Simply Co', promoting a zero-waste lifestyle.
- ποΈ She was inspired to live a zero-waste lifestyle after realizing the contradiction between her environmental studies major and her own plastic use.
- π During her senior year at NYU, she was motivated to change her habits when she saw a classmate producing a lot of waste despite studying environmentalism.
- π« Lauren decided to first go 'plastic-free' and then adopted a 'zero-waste' lifestyle to align her actions with her values of environmental sustainability.
- π± She eliminated food packaging waste by composting, shopping at farmers markets, and making her own beauty and cleaning products.
- π₯€ To reduce waste, she avoids single-use items like straws and uses a menstrual cup to manage her menstrual cycle sustainably.
- π½ Addressing the criticism about toilet paper, she mentions using a bidet as an alternative to reduce waste.
- ποΈ Lauren emphasizes the importance of being prepared with reusable items like stainless steel containers to prevent trash generation.
- π± She believes that individual actions, such as reducing personal waste, can collectively have a significant positive impact on the environment.
- π₯ Initially, she thought political solutions were the answer to environmental problems, but now she recognizes the power of individual choices.
- πΊπΈ She highlights that the average American produces 4.5 pounds of trash per day, contributing to climate issues, and advocates for small daily changes for a bigger impact.
Q & A
What is the name of Lauren Singer's blog?
-Lauren Singer's blog is called 'Trash is for Tossers'.
What is the name of the company Lauren Singer founded that makes organic vegan laundry detergent?
-The company is called 'The Simply Co'.
What is the name of the zero waste lifestyle store that Lauren Singer has?
-The zero waste lifestyle store is called 'Package Free'.
What book influenced Lauren Singer's passion for environmentalism?
-Rachel Carson's book 'Silent Spring' influenced Lauren Singer's passion for environmentalism.
How did Lauren Singer realize she was not living in an environmentally friendly way?
-Lauren Singer realized she was not living in an environmentally friendly way when she saw all the plastic packaging in her fridge and around her apartment.
What was the first step Lauren Singer took towards a zero waste lifestyle?
-The first step Lauren Singer took was to go plastic free.
What are the three main sources of trash that Lauren Singer identified?
-The three main sources of trash are food waste, food packaging, and product packaging.
How does Lauren Singer eliminate food packaging waste?
-Lauren Singer eliminates food packaging waste by shopping at the farmers market for unpackaged food.
What does Lauren Singer use instead of single-use menstrual products?
-Lauren Singer uses a menstrual cup, which is a washable silicone cup.
What alternative does Lauren Singer propose for toilet paper to maintain a zero waste lifestyle?
-Lauren Singer uses a bidet as an alternative to toilet paper.
How does Lauren Singer feel about the impact of individuals on environmental problems?
-Lauren Singer believes that individuals have a huge impact on the world and the climate, and that every small step taken by individuals can make a big positive impact.
What is the average amount of trash produced per person per day in the United States according to the script?
-According to the script, the average American produces four and a half pounds of trash per day.
Outlines
πΏ Introduction to Zero-Waste Lifestyle
The paragraph introduces Lauren Singer, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the founder of a blog called 'trashes for tossers', focusing on a zero-waste lifestyle. She also owns 'the Simply Co', which produces organic vegan laundry detergent, and has a zero-waste lifestyle store called 'package free'. Singer's journey towards zero waste began with her realization that despite her environmental concerns, her lifestyle was not reflecting her values. As an Environmental Studies major at NYU, she was inspired to change her ways after noticing her own consumption of products packaged in plastic. She decided to adopt a zero-waste lifestyle to align her actions with her values, which involved significant changes in her consumption habits, such as composting, shopping at farmers markets, and making her own beauty and cleaning products. Singer emphasizes the importance of individual actions in contributing to environmental sustainability and reducing waste.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Zero-Waste Lifestyle
π‘Plastic Pollution
π‘Environmental Studies
π‘Silent Spring
π‘Simply Co
π‘Package Free Shop
π‘Composting
π‘Farmers Market
π‘DIY Beauty and Cleaning Products
π‘Menstrual Cup
π‘Day So
π‘Individual Impact
Highlights
Lauren Singer, founder of 'Trash is for Tossers', lives a zero-waste lifestyle in Brooklyn, New York.
She also founded 'The Simply Co', which produces organic vegan laundry detergent.
Singer operates a zero-waste lifestyle store called 'Package Free'.
She was inspired to go zero-waste after realizing her own environmental impact as an Environmental Studies major.
Reading Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' in high school sparked her passion for environmentalism.
A college classmate's wasteful habits made Singer reflect on her own lifestyle.
Singer's personal epiphany led to her decision to eliminate plastic from her life.
She transitioned to a zero-waste lifestyle to align her actions with her environmental values.
Food wrappers, straws, and clothing tags were identified as her main sources of waste.
Singer composts, shops at farmers markets, and makes her own beauty and cleaning products to eliminate waste.
She uses reusable containers and a stainless steel coffee cup to prevent trash generation.
Singer addresses the challenge of menstruation in a zero-waste lifestyle by using a menstrual cup.
She uses a bidet as an alternative to toilet paper, further reducing waste.
Singer initially believed political solutions were key to environmental issues but now sees individual actions as impactful.
The average American generates 4.5 pounds of trash per day, contributing significantly to climate issues.
Small steps in waste reduction by individuals can collectively have a large positive impact on the environment.
Lauren Singer's journey from recognizing her own waste to leading a zero-waste lifestyle demonstrates personal change as a form of activism.
Transcripts
this is all of my trash from the past
five years
[Music]
I am Lauren singer I live in Brooklyn
New York and I'm the founder of a blog
called trashes for tossers it's all
about living a zero-waste lifestyle I
also have a company called the simply Co
where we make organic vegan laundry
detergent and may have a zero waste
lifestyle store called package free I
realized that I cared about the
environment but I wasn't living that way
so I decided to go zero waste I was an
Environmental Studies major at NYU and I
always was really passionate about
environmentalism since I read Rachel
Carson's book Silent Spring in high
school but it wasn't really until my
senior year of college when I was in a
course called the Environmental Studies
capstone course which is the last class
II of to take as an Environmental
Studies major and in that class there
was a girl that every day would bring a
plastic bag full of food a plastic
clamshell plastic fork and knife a
plastic drink and a bag of chips and she
would eat her whole dinner and then
throw it in the trash and I thought she
was the worst person that I've ever seen
for being an Environmental Studies major
but making a lot of trash but one day I
went home after class to make dinner and
I opened my fridge and I realized that
every single thing that I had in there
was packaged in plastic and I looked
around my apartment and found that all
of my beauty products were packaged in
plastic my cleaning products were
packaged in plastic my clothes
predominantly were made of plastic and I
realized that I was just as bad as the
girl that I was staring at and in class
thinking that she was the worst and so I
decided to make a change first I decided
to go plastic freak but then I learned
about the zero waste lifestyle and I
decided to go zero waste to really align
what I cared about which is
environmental sustainability with my
day-to-day actions and really live my
values wrappers of food that I had in my
house before I started going stairway
straws that I got from restaurant I've
learned to ask for my drink without a
straw things that connect pricetags to
the clothing protective seals tags that
come on like the inside of clothing
silica packets a credit card present
ribbon band-aids and lots of festival
bracelets my three main sources of trash
for food waste food packaging
and product packaging and so to
eliminate those I just started
composting I started shopping at the
farmers market so I could get food
without packaging and I started making
all of my own beauty and cleaning
products and by doing those three things
I eliminated essentially all of my waste
for me how I do that is by being
prepared by leaving my house with my
stainless steel containers and my
reusable coffee cup and all of these
multi-use items that help me prevent
trash in the first place so I don't even
have to make it at all
one criticism is how can you have a
menstrual cycle and live a zero-waste
lifestyle but I use a menstrual cup
which is a washable silicone cup that
enables you to go completely single-use
disposable free on your period another
criticism that I get is toilet paper how
can you go to the bathroom and live a
zero-waste lifestyle well I just got a
day so you can actually stop using
toilet paper all together haha so there
I used to think that the solution to
environmental problems was through
politicians and proactive policy
decisions but I realized that
individuals have a huge impact on the
world and the climate and so with every
American making four and a half pounds
of trash per person per day we
contribute to this overall climate issue
and so by us taking simple steps to
reduce our waste if we all take little
steps and all make little changes that
has a big positive impact and I believe
we can make a difference
[Music]
[Music]
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