Why I live a zero waste life | Lauren Singer | TEDxTeen

Summary

In this inspiring talk, the speaker shares her journey of living a zero waste lifestyle for three years, producing no trash and sending nothing to landfills. Initially motivated by frustration with a classmate's wasteful habits, she realized her own reliance on plastic and committed to change. She explains practical steps like avoiding packaged food, making her own products, shopping second-hand, and downsizing to reduce waste. The benefits include saving money, eating healthier, and living in alignment with her values. She encourages others to assess their waste, make simple changes, and consider DIY to reduce their environmental impact.

Takeaways

• 🚮 The speaker has been living a zero waste lifestyle for 3 years, producing no trash that goes to landfills or garbage cans.
• 🌱 The zero waste journey began during an Environmental Studies course at NYU, where the speaker was inspired to change after observing a classmate's wasteful habits.
• 🔄 The realization that personal consumption habits were contributing to environmental harm led to a commitment to stop using plastic.
• 🛍️ Transitioning to a zero waste lifestyle involved significant changes, such as avoiding packaged food, making personal care products, and shopping second-hand.
• 🍎 Adopting a zero waste diet meant buying fresh produce from farmer's markets and avoiding processed foods in packaging.
• 🧼 The speaker learned to make personal care products like toothpaste and lotion from natural ingredients, eliminating plastic packaging and harmful chemicals.
• 👕 Shopping second-hand for clothing reduced waste and saved money, aligning with the zero waste philosophy.
• 🏡 Downsizing possessions to only what is necessary led to a cleaner, less cluttered home and better care for the items owned.
• 💰 Living a zero waste lifestyle has financial benefits, including savings from avoiding packaged products, second-hand shopping, and reduced impulse buying.
• 🌿 Eating a zero waste diet has health benefits, such as weight stabilization, increased energy, and improved sleep, due to a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.
• 🌍 The speaker's zero waste lifestyle is a personal choice driven by environmental values and the desire to leave a positive impact on the planet.
• 📚 The 'Zero Waste Home' blog by Bea Johnson was a significant influence, demonstrating that a zero waste life is achievable for families.
• 🛠️ DIY personal care and cleaning products offer complete control over ingredients, allowing for customization and transparency.
• 🗑️ The average American produces a significant amount of waste daily, highlighting the need for individual action to reduce personal waste output.
• 👗 The benefits of a zero waste lifestyle extend beyond environmental impact, including improved health and financial savings.
• 💡 The speaker encourages others to examine their waste, identify sources, and make simple changes to reduce their environmental footprint.
• 🚀 The speaker's blog and business aim to provide tools and alternatives for those interested in reducing waste, promoting transparency and safety in products.

Q & A

What does the term 'zero waste lifestyle' mean according to the speaker?

The term 'zero waste lifestyle' means not generating any trash, avoiding sending anything to landfill or garbage can, and not littering, as described by the speaker.

What was the speaker's initial reaction when she saw her fridge full of plastic-packaged items?

The speaker was shocked and couldn't believe that she was just as bad as the girl she was judging in her class, realizing that she too was contributing to plastic waste.

What were the main sources of trash the speaker identified in her life?

The main sources of trash the speaker identified were food packaging, product packaging, and organic food waste.

How did the speaker start making her own products?

The speaker started making her own products by learning how to make them through research, beginning with toothpaste made with baking soda, and gradually extending to other items like lotion and deodorant.

What is the significance of shopping second-hand according to the speaker?

Shopping second-hand is significant as it prevents new waste from entering the waste cycle and contributes to a zero waste lifestyle by reusing and recycling existing items.

What benefits did the speaker experience from living a zero waste lifestyle?

The speaker experienced benefits such as saving money, eating a healthier diet, having a cleaner and less cluttered home, and living in alignment with her values.

How does the speaker suggest people start reducing their waste?

The speaker suggests starting by examining one's trash to understand its composition, picking low-hanging fruit by making simple changes like using reusable bags, and learning to make DIY products.

What is the average amount of trash produced by an American per day, according to the speaker?

The average American produces approximately 4.4 pounds of trash per person per day.

Why did the speaker decide to start her own company?

The speaker decided to start her own company because she found a gap in the market for safe, effective, and transparent cleaning products and wanted to provide consumers with better choices.

How does the speaker respond to criticism that she lives a zero waste lifestyle for attention?

The speaker clarifies that she lives this lifestyle for herself and not for attention, and she aims to provide tools for others who want to reduce their waste production.

What is the speaker's ultimate goal with her zero waste lifestyle and business?

The speaker's ultimate goal is to be remembered for the positive impact she made on the planet rather than for the trash she left behind.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Embracing a Zero Waste Lifestyle

The speaker, Lauren Singer, introduces her zero waste lifestyle, which she has been practicing for three years. She defines zero waste as not producing any trash, including avoiding landfills and not littering. This lifestyle began during her time as an environmental studies student at NYU, where she was inspired to stop using plastic after noticing her own hypocrisy in criticizing a classmate's wasteful habits while contributing to the same problem. Lauren emphasizes the difficulty of quitting plastic and the necessity to create her own products, such as deodorant, due to the prevalence of plastic packaging in everyday items. She discovered the 'Zero Waste Home' blog by Bea Johnson, which further inspired her to live a completely waste-free life.

05:02

🛍️ Transitioning to a Zero Waste Lifestyle

Lauren outlines the steps she took to transition to a zero waste lifestyle. Initially, she stopped buying packaged food, opting for bulk or package-free items and shopping at farmer's markets. She then began making her own products, learning to create items like toothpaste, lotion, and deodorant to replace store-bought equivalents. Lauren also started shopping second-hand for clothing to reduce waste and downsized her possessions to only what was necessary, which led to a cleaner home and better care for the items she owned. She highlights the benefits of this lifestyle, including saving money by avoiding packaging costs, eating a healthier diet, and aligning her daily life with her environmental values.

10:03

🏡 The Impact and Future of Zero Waste Living

Lauren discusses the broader impact of waste on the environment, noting that the average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash per day. She offers three steps for others to reduce their waste: examining one's trash to understand its composition, making simple changes like using reusable bags and bottles, and embracing a DIY approach to product creation for greater control over ingredients and packaging. After college, Lauren turned her blog 'Trash is for Tossers' into a business, motivated by the desire to provide safe, transparent, and effective products for those interested in reducing waste. Despite facing criticism for seeking attention, she remains committed to the zero waste lifestyle as a reflection of her values and a desire to leave a positive legacy.

Keywords

💡Zero Waste Lifestyle

A zero waste lifestyle is a commitment to minimizing waste to such an extent that no trash is produced that ends up in a landfill or incinerator. In the video, the speaker defines this concept as not sending anything to landfills, not using disposable items, and not spitting gum on the ground. The theme revolves around the speaker's personal journey and advocacy for this lifestyle, illustrating it through her own experiences and the changes she implemented in her life.

💡Environmental Studies

Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field focusing on nature and the relationship between humans and the environment. The speaker mentions being an Environmental Studies student at NYU, where she took a course that was pivotal in her decision to adopt a zero waste lifestyle. This concept is central to understanding her motivations and the knowledge base that informed her actions.

💡Plastic

Plastic is a synthetic material widely used for manufacturing a variety of products due to its durability and versatility. However, it is also a significant contributor to environmental pollution. The speaker's realization of her own plastic consumption and her subsequent decision to stop using plastic is a key turning point in the narrative and a major component of her zero waste philosophy.

💡DIY (Do It Yourself)

DIY refers to the practice of individuals making, modifying, or repairing things for their own use rather than buying them pre-made. The speaker emphasizes the importance of DIY in her lifestyle by making her own products like toothpaste, deodorant, and lotion. This not only reduces waste from packaging but also allows her to control the ingredients and quality of the products she uses.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability generally refers to the ability to maintain processes or states in a certain way into the indefinite future. In the context of the video, the speaker discusses sustainability in terms of reducing waste and living in a way that does not deplete resources or harm the environment. Her actions and lifestyle are aimed at promoting a more sustainable world.

💡Composting

Composting is a process of decomposing organic waste into a form that can be used as a fertilizer for plants. The speaker mentions composting as one of the methods she uses to reduce waste, specifically organic food waste. This is a practical example of how she addresses waste management in her zero waste lifestyle.

💡Second-Hand Shopping

Second-hand shopping involves buying previously owned items, often to reduce waste and save money. The speaker discusses shopping second-hand as a way to avoid contributing to the waste cycle by purchasing new clothing, thus embracing a more sustainable consumption pattern.

💡Downsizing

Downsizing refers to the process of reducing the amount of physical items one owns, often to declutter and live more simply. The speaker describes downsizing as part of her zero waste journey, focusing on owning only what is necessary, which leads to a cleaner, less cluttered home and a more mindful approach to possessions.

💡Transparency

Transparency in this context means openness and communication about the ingredients and processes used in products. The speaker criticizes the lack of transparency in cleaning product manufacturing, advocating for the right of consumers to know what they are using. This is a key principle in her decision to create her own company and products.

💡Benefit

In the video, the term 'benefit' is used to describe the positive outcomes or advantages of living a zero waste lifestyle. The speaker lists several benefits, such as saving money, eating better, and aligning one's lifestyle with personal values. These benefits illustrate the broader impact and appeal of adopting a zero waste lifestyle.

💡Legislation

Legislation refers to the process of making or enacting laws. The speaker mentions that cleaning product manufacturers are not legally required to disclose their ingredients, highlighting a gap in legislation that she finds concerning. This lack of regulation is a motivating factor for her advocacy and business venture.

Highlights

The speaker has been living a zero waste lifestyle for 3 years, producing no trash and not sending anything to landfill.

Zero waste is defined as not creating any trash, including no landfill, garbage cans, or littering.

The concept of zero waste was inspired during an Environmental Studies course at NYU, where the speaker noticed a classmate's excessive waste.

A realization that the speaker's own lifestyle was contributing to plastic waste, leading to a decision to stop using plastic.

The challenge of quitting plastic due to its prevalence in everyday items, such as toothbrushes and face wash.

Learning to make personal care products to avoid plastic packaging, starting with homemade toothpaste.

Discovering the 'Zero Waste Home' blog by Bea Johnson, which further inspired the speaker's zero waste journey.

Implementing zero waste values in daily life, beyond just avoiding plastic, by making and using one's own products.

Transitioning to buying unpackaged food and using personal containers for shopping to reduce waste.

The benefits of making your own products, including cost savings and customization.

Shopping second-hand to avoid contributing to waste cycles and to reduce consumption.

The process of downsizing possessions to only what is necessary, leading to a cleaner, less cluttered home.

The psychological benefits of a zero waste lifestyle, including happiness from living in alignment with personal values.

The average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash per day, emphasizing the scale of the waste problem.

Three simple steps suggested for reducing waste: examining one's trash, picking low-hanging fruit, and DIY products.

The empowerment of making one's own products for complete control over ingredients and packaging.

The speaker's decision to quit a job in sustainability to start a company focused on safe, transparent cleaning products.

The motivation behind living a zero waste lifestyle: to be remembered for actions, not the trash left behind.

Transcripts

Translator: Bob Prottas Reviewer: Leonardo Silva

This is all of the trash that I've produced in the past 3 years.

When I say that, people think that I'm crazy, or that I'm lying,

or they'll ask me questions like:

"Hey. So, how do you wipe your butt?"

(Laughter)

I live a zero waste lifestyle,

and I have for the past 3 years.

Now, zero waste, that's a pretty big idea. Right?

So let me define it for you.

To me living zero waste means that I don't make any trash.

So no sending anything to landfill, no sending anything in a garbage can,

and no spitting gum on the ground, and walking away.

Right? No trash.

This is a big concept, and this all started

when I was an environmental study student at NYU.

My senior year, I was taking a course called:

"The Environmental Studies Capstone course",

which is the culminating course that all environmental study students need to take

in order to go out into the world, and make it a more sustainable place.

Well, there was a girl in this class,

and every class she would have this big plastic bag,

with a plastic clamshell full of food,

a plastic fork and knife, a plastic water bottle,

and a plastic bag a chips,

and she would eat all of this,

and then class after class, would just throw it in the trash.

This was really frustrating, because here we were

these environmental study students trying to make the world a better place,

and there she was, throwing all this stuff into the garbage.

One day after class,

feeling still particularly upset about watching her throw everything away,

I went home to make dinner,

and I opened my fridge,

and noticed something that I had never seen before.

Every single thing in my fridge was in one way or another packaged in plastic,

and I couldn't believe it.

You know I was getting so mad at this girl for making so much plastic trash,

and it turns out that I was just as bad.

I was that girl, and so I made a decision in that moment.

I was going to stop using plastic.

Well, quitting plastic --

(Laughter)

not so easy of a thing. Right?

When you think about your everyday life,

when you wake up in the morning, go into the bathroom, and you brush your teeth.

What is your toothbrush made out of?

(Audience softly) Plastic. LS: Plastic.

What is your toothpaste probably packaged in?

(Audience) Plastic.

LS: Your face wash, your moisturizer, your contact solution.

So many things that are in our everyday lives come packaged in plastic,

and so I realized that if I was going to move away from plastic,

the only way that I was going to do that

was to learn how to make my products myself.

Well, I don't know about you,

but I certainly didn't know how to make deodorant.

I didn't have the recipe just hanging out in my back pocket,

and so I realized that I had to do some research,

and while I was doing research online, I came across a blog called

the "Zero Waste Home" started by a woman named Bea Johnson

who is a wife, and mother of 2 kids, out in Mill Valley, California,

and the 4 of them live a completely zero waste life.

When I learned about Bea, and her family, my mind was completely blown.

I thought that I was doing the best thing for the planet

by not using any plastic.

But the idea that I didn't have to produce any trash,

was so empowering, and so inspiring,

and it made perfect sense. Right?

Because I was this Environmental Studies student,

I cared about the environment, studied sustainability,

talked about sustainability, protested for sustainability.

But I realized, that I wasn't actually implementing any of those values

into my day-to-day life, and so I made the decision to go zero waste.

Let me break it down for you, and tell you some of the things

that I did in order to make this transition a little easier.

The first thing that I did was I stopped buying packaged food.

So instead of going to the store, and buying things packaged

in paper, and glass, and plastic, I started bringing my own jars,

and bags to the store to fill with bulk, or package-free items.

I also started buying my fruit, and vegetables from the farmer's market.

So, package-free.

The second thing that I started doing

was I started making all of my own products.

Before I started living this lifestyle, my boyfriend at the time,

used to brush his teeth using baking soda,

and I thought he was probably the grossest person in the entire world. Right?

There's no way that you can get your teeth clean

using something like baking soda, it's gross.

Well fast-forward, and it turns out that the first product that I made

was toothpaste, made with baking soda.

So overtime I started making all of my own products.

When I would run out of something, instead of going to the store,

and buying a new one, I would learn how to make it myself.

So when I would run out of lotion, I learned how to make it myself.

Run out of deodorant, learn how to make it myself.

Over time, all of the things I had previously purchased,

were now, ones that I made myself.

The third thing that I started doing, was shopping second-hand.

So instead of buying new clothing,

and putting new waste into the waste cycle,

I would buy things that were totally recycled, second-hand.

So not making any new trash.

The fourth thing that I did was I downsized.

So I focused on having only the things that were truly necessary,

and that I really needed.

Well this was really, really hard

because I'm the kind of person who's really sentimental,

and I can tell you as to why a toothpick needs to be in my life.

But after I really got through that process, and I completely downsized,

I realized that I had so many fewer things in my life,

my home was less cluttered, and everything with easier to clean.

And when you have fewer things

you realize that you take better care of them. Right?

When you take better care of your things you don't have this mentality like:

"If I don't want this anymore I'll just throw it out and I get a new thing later."

No, I only had a few things and so I took care of them,

and wasn't sending anything to the landfill.

All this must sound pretty difficult. Right?

I assure you, it's not that hard.

I'm just an average, lazy person,

and I wouldn't live this lifestyle if it was difficult.

In fact the benefits of living this lifestyle

far outweigh any of the negatives that you can imagine.

The first benefit is that I save money.

So I save money when I buy my food,

and the products, and when I make my own products,

because I'm not paying for the embedded cost a packaging,

so things are cheaper.

I'm also saving money by shopping completely second-hand,

because second-hand clothing is usually less expensive than new clothing.

I'm also saving money because I've downsized.

I don't go shopping all the time now

and you know just buy things on impulse.

I only have what I really need.

The second benefit is that I eat better.

When I go shopping now I don't have the option to buy processed food products,

package-free, and so now my diet consists of things like fresh fruit and vegetables,

or bulk greens, and nuts that I buy with my jars and my bags.

And so when you eat better, you feel better.

Over these past few years, I've noticed that my weight has stabilized,

I have more energy, I need less sleep,

and when you're eating better, and you feel better,

and you save money, you're happier.

But besides those things I'm happier, because for the first time in my life,

I'm living in direct alignment with my values.

And why is this important? Right? Waste.

Well, waste is a really big problem.

In fact the average American person

produces approximately 4.4 pounds of trash per person per day.

Over the course of a year, that's like taking 8.5 of your best friends,

and throwing them in the trash.

(Laughter)

Don't do that, it's not nice.

(Laughter)

So, if you care about your friends, and you don't throw them away,

and you think that it's possible for you

to reduce how much trash you're producing,

I have 3 simple steps for you.

The first step is to actually look at your trash, and understand what it is.

Because you can't solve a problem of having a lot of waste

until you know what is it.

So when I did this exercise,

I realized that I had 3 main sources of trash.

The first was food packaging,

and so I learned how to shop in bulk or package-free.

The second was product packaging,

and so I learned how to make all of my own products.

And the third was organic food waste, and so I learned how to compost.

And just by identifying those 3 sources of waste and eliminating them,

I have reduced my trash by about 90%.

The second thing that I'd like to suggest is picking at the low-hanging fruit.

So doing little things, one-time changes in your everyday life

that have a large-scale, and long-term positive impact.

This includes things like using a reusable bag instead of a plastic or paper bag.

Or using a stainless steel, or glass water bottle,

instead of buying plastic water bottles.

Over the course of however long, you realize that these little changes

actually add up, and make a big difference.

The third thing that I'd like to suggest is the DIY

or actually learning how to make your products yourself.

Now I absolutely love doing this because when you go to a store,

and you have to buy products you kind of have to settle,

and accept them as they are. Right?

If you don't like the way they smell, too bad.

If you don't like the way they feel, sorry.

If you don't like what they're packaged in, you don't have a choice.

But for me, since I make all my own products,

If I don't like the way they smell, I change the scent.

If I don't like the ingredients in them, I change it.

If I don't like the packaging, it's my choice.

And so by making my own products I have complete control

over what I'm putting in my body.

Now I started living this lifestyle while I was still in college.

And when I graduated, I had a real job, a real-person job in sustainability,

which is exactly what you'd think I'd want to be doing. Right?

Well, at the same time I was still running my blog: "Trash is for tossers"

and I noticed that I was getting a recurring question,

and it went something like this:

"Dear Lauren, I absolutely love the products that you're making,

and I too want truly natural products.

But because of life, family, friends, blah, blah, blah, blah,

I just don't have time to make them myself.

Do you have any product that I can buy that are equivalent?

Thanks for your help. Lots of love. Person XYZ."

So I went to stores, and I started looking at products,

and while I found that they were beauty products

that were reminiscent of the ones that I was making myself,

I didn't notice the same trend for cleaning products.

When I looked at the ingredients of cleaning products,

even the "natural" cleaning products

contained ingredient that were really harmful.

Things that were carcinogenic, and endocrine-disruptive.

You know, when I looked into it further,

I learned that cleaning product manufacturers

aren't even legally required

to disclose the ingredients of their products

on the product packaging,

and so when we go and buy a product,

we're at the complete mercy of the company,

hoping that they have our best interest in mind.

I feel that we, as consumers, have a right to products that are transparent

and that aren't bad for us,

and so I started thinking about my own products,

the ones that I've been making for years.

That are safe, and effective, and have ingredients that I use to do things

like brush my teeth, or make salad dressing.

And I realized that I had an opportunity,

and so I quit my job, and started a company.

Because I feel like we, as human beings, have a right to products that are safe

for our homes, and our bodies, and the environment.

I get comments all the time, that I'm doing this for attention.

But I live this lifestyle for myself.

I would never tell anyone how to live

or how much trash that they should produce.

I just want to provide tools,

through my blog and my business,

for people, who like me,

want to reduce how much trash they're producing.

I live a zero waste lifestyle, because to me,

it's the best way I know, how to live a life

that aligns with everything that I believe in.

And what's the point. Right?

I'm just one person. What difference can I make?

The point is simple:

I want to be remembered for the things that I did while I was on this planet,

and not for the trash that I left behind.

Thank you.

(Applause)