Zero waste: a novel.

Last summer I had an epiphany. I realised how wasteful and stupid my lifestyle was. I'm writing this and I'm not even the biggest consumerist of my surrounding. One evening I looked at my tootbrush and I just had enough: buying it so frequently, using it even faster... This weird, ugly piece of plastic.

This epiphany started a big thought process. 

After the toothbrush, it was the shampoo bottle... on top of being expensive, tacky and heavy perfumed I switch products regularly because my scalp and hair were getting used to it and felt less washed (as most people feel I'm sure). 

Plastic toothbrush, shampoo, shower gel, deodorant, disposable cotton pads, mascara's packaging.... 

I decided to take action. In august I bought a bamboo toothbrush, a solid toothpaste stored in an stainless steel container and one reusable makeup remover pad. * just to try*

I then had to tackle food packaging.

Luckily I have quite a crafty/thrifty family and my mom like to cook quite a lot. From very early on, she taught me the joy of cooking, baking and sharing meals. 

I started with breakfast. I thought it would be easier since it's the "less varied" meal of the day, at least for me since I either eat things in a bowl or I eat toasts. As I wasn't in one of my toast phase I had to face the more complex task of replacing my morning muesli. It would have been much easier to make zerowaste homemade bread toast but ha.

Having an organic shop close to my house (15min walk or 5min bike ride) I scanned their bulk section which are more and more frequent nowadays *yay* and I found oat flakes, and different seeds to make homemade granola. I add figs, raisins and other fruits depending on the season and mood!

I'm fighting processed food and industry products since I'm 12. I'm quite a sweet tooth and packaged food rarely satisfies my appetite: too saturated, too much highly processed sugar and bad fats. In France we have a huge culture of dairy and more particularly Butter. I like my cake with fresh eggs, brown sugar and good quality butter. Thus fighting / refusing processed cakes was not that hard. Having less uni work I was able to bake more (even for my sister) and avoid useless not-to-my-taste processed cookies. 

I then replaced cow yogurt. -I'm willing to become vegan but I have not yet found the way that suits me best, I'm getting there though-. I figured that making my own cow yogurt with recyclable plastic bottles and cardboard milk powder would be a better alternative than un-recyclable plastic pots.

I won't list all the vegetables and carbs I eat, describing the choice I make for each. That would be dantesque my friend! But you get the idea.

 

I quickly discovered THINX, an american company selling reusable period underwear, you can trustfully bleed in. Their design are great: sexy, comfortable, practical and efficient. I will do a proper post and video about sustainable period because I have so much to say about it. I also discovered reusable cloth pads. We have two main options in France: 'Plim' and 'Dans ma culotte'. I chose Plim because they had more material choices *purely an aesthetic reason*. I carefully chose a feather print and a doted print. The Plim pads are made in France with organic coton. #ethic

In winter I replaced my deodorant and shampoo. I made a trip to Lush, the closest cruelty-free alternative to me *avoiding long distance purchase duh*. I bough T'eo, which I still love after a good six months use (read my review). Althought I would love to try even more natural recipes later, I'm really happy with this product right now. 

I also purchased a hiking backpack, which came with a waterbottle (basically had 20% off if I spend 5euros on top of the bag... so I chose the waterbottle and nearly had it for free). Turned out the backpack is entirely made of synthetic/plastic material... yes it was naive of me, but I learned my lesson and I'm now checking the composition of Everything I buy #noplasticnotoxic. During winter sales, I was on the hunt for office clothes. I was lacking 'adult clothes' as I call them and since I had an intership I needed them quite quickly. So I shopped in conventionnal shops PetitBateau and Gap, but I made sure I was buying 100% coton shirts, so that at least I will not buy plastic based fabric. I also got my hands on two Lucy and Yack pieces: dungarees and trousers.

In March I purchase my first solid shampoo, 'Honey I washed my hair' which is from Lush too. I have a Lush shop around my office's corner, which comes handy! This shampoo lasted me three full month, washing my hair twice a week -and having a long bob-(read my review).

Few weeks ago I treated myself to organic coton handkerchiefs. I could have search for secondhand material or grand-dad ones, but I wanted to treat myself to some new ones, I chose lovely fabric I really really liked so that I would be proud in the office using them, and not feeling an ounce of shame. It worked really, and it's even difficult not to show everyone my reusable tissues "BUT AREN'T THEY SO PRETTY, PATRICK?"

As you may have seen on the blog I sewed my own bulk bags and found secondhand glass jars and jumpers in flea markets. It's hard in such a consumerist society and industry to deconstruct your materialistic desires. We're exposed to so much advertising, in the tube, on social media, emails, in magazine, on youtube. Everything is turn forward spending money, buying things, buying more and more. But I dont want to 'buy therefor I am' I want to 'think therefore I am' #heyDescartes.

Last week, on my way to the swimmingpool I found some abandonned clothes and baby equipment in the street. They were all packed in shopping bags and clean. I took two grandad-chic trousers and a few baby bibs. The bibs are made of coton and polyester but since I'm saving them from the bin and not creating or supporting the creation of more plastic fabric I brought them back home. My goal is to cut and sew them into soft makeup remover pads.

All in all I'm pretty satisfied with my path yet. I still have to find moisturising body and face cream alternative, as well as a makeup remover and low waste makeup when mine will be gone. 

I found it quite hard daily because so much of our life is unsustainable and the richer you become, the more you are expected to consume. But I don't want my identity to resume to my consumption, even more if I keep spending my money on disposable single-use product. What a waste! 

The feeling I really like though is the autonomy. Autonomy not independance because you still live around people, I still met sellers but they often are crafters and makers of quality goods. It's refreshing to think that your money is spend in good-use, supporting local jobs, fair trade, sustainable production.
Once I went on holiday right after work and I was on my period. Because I was at work and wasn't then used to reusable pads, I used disposable pad during the day. The morning after I realised, horrified, that I didn't pack disposable pads for saturday and sunday and that I would have to go first thing in the morning outside the house buying it from the local shop... I then realised that I did packed my reusable pads and pants and that no journey to the shop was in fact needed. I peacefully went back to sleep or had a "grasse matinée" as we say in french.

Hard moments:

When you fancy a chocolate snack but everything available is single-use plastic packaged. I'm eating more fruits now, how cliché? When in Paris bakeries are either too expensive and not that good or less expensive but even worst. It's so frustrating as well.

Also trying to plan holidays with friends without taking planes.

It does get overwhelming sometimes. It's a daily task. Refusing, searching alternatives and reflecting on your desires can be hard. Sometimes I feel very lonely in this battles. 

The system I live in is not sustainable and however how hard I try, there're failure time to time. Fighting a system so big and so long established cannot be easy whatever the way you choose to contradict it. I started reading 'How to be a craftivist. The art of gentleprotest' by Sarah Corbett. She explains that being angry and exhausted is totally normal when you're protesting a Great injustice. But that being a tired activist, or an agressive activist won't welcome other people to join the movement. And ultimately that's what I want to do, bringing awareness and action to more people.