Step Twenty-Seven: Explore Some Thrift Stores

I have a confession: I love to shop. Even buying groceries brings me intense pleasure, so imagine what shopping for clothes or home goods does for me. This love for shopping was not well harnessed in my past, and it got me into some money troubles. Part of the appeal of zero waste was buying only what I needed,  and being surrounded only by things I loved and used often. I have drastically reduced my shopping and spending, and can truly say I only make purchases which I can afford and which bring some measure of utility or joy to my life. However, I still find myself in need of things occasionally, and so I have re-channeled the thrill of shopping into the satisfaction of the hunt. By purchasing items in thrift stores, I reduce my impact on the planet, spend my money on a good cause, and have a little fun exploring all the weird stuff people collect.

Today's baby step is to explore some thrift stores. For some this will be old hat, for others a novel, scary adventure. Thrift stores can be challenging, as they don't have multiple sizes, back-up inventory, or customer satisfaction guarantees. We've become accustomed to these conveniences, and so may balk at their absence, but how many things do you really need multiples of, or a lifetime guarantee for? I buy my underwear, socks, and shoes new, without hesitation, but everything else is much more interesting when I've found it after a long thrift store hunt. Coats with secret pockets, a porcelain pig pot that has a facial expression that is the definition of wabi-sabi, and even high-quality cookware are all treasures I've been amazed I only had to pay a few dollars for.

If you are new to the thrift store game, it's best to go with a rough plan of what you want. Remember back when we found our style? That will come in handy now. Knowing what gaps you have in your wardrobe, tool collections, or home inventory gives focus to your search. Knowing what characteristics you appreciate, what colors will mesh well with your home, and what features in an item you require will keep you from coming home with a dud. And knowing how much time you have to spend, what stores are the best organized, and which days stock is replenished will help expedite your search.

For example, in my home town, I have a favorite thrift store for clothes shopping, but I know my best bet is to check craigslist for gardening tools. It takes a little while to learn where to go for certain items, but I've found that stores are pretty reliable in what types of things and what range of selection they carry.

When I go shopping, I usually have an item in mind to fill a hole in my home, like khaki pants, a picture frame of a certain size, or a stainless steel mixing bowl. There are also times I have a nebulous idea of what I want, like a gift for a friend, or something I can turn into a planter. Even the roughest of ideas helps guide me through the store and narrow my search. Plus, then I can enlist the help of friends in searching the store, before we retire to a more entertaining activity, like gossiping over smoothies or people-watching at the mall.

Lastly, the key to thrift store shopping is patience. You won't always find what you want, and you may come home empty-handed. That's okay. Most of us are lucky enough to live free from true need; those extra dinner plates or perfect summer book can wait, and second-hand good can always be had almost instantly from e-bay if true need arises. Thrift shopping is something that takes a little bit of practice, but soon you'll be amazed at the great deals you can get with just a little bit of searching, and a sprinkle of savvy.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Twenty-Six: Organize Your Office

Whether you're a professional office manager or a first grader, paperwork is a part of your life. With paperwork comes tape, folders, paperclips, pens, scissors, staples, and a bunch of other stuff that clutters up drawers, desks, and entire office areas. Though paper is recyclable, it still seems wasteful when you think of all the business cards, calendars, newsletters, appointment reminders, and bills that have gone through your home. Today we're going to stem the flow and make your office, whether it's a  counter or a whole room, into a manageable, organized space.

Let's start by listing the things you need from an office. I surf the web, manage my finances, work on my writing, schedule appointments, write letters, put together photo albums, and review to-do lists.  You may draw, coordinate schedules, book vacations, conduct business, place orders, or plan for the future. An office serves many purposes, but I find it to be helpful to identify the ones you use most.  When you know what you do most often in your office, you know what processes you'll use often, and what supplies you'll need.

Luckily, we live in a time where almost everything  can be digitized and managed online. The fastest way to get rid of office supplies is to put everything online. When you e-mail documents, use Google calendar, shop and pay bills online, and keep digital records, all you need for an office is a laptop. I used to aspire to this kind of simplicity, but for many things I work more easily off of paper. For example, I keep a paper calendar, rely on a physical address book, and prefer to send handwritten letters and cards.  I also receive printed papers from organizations for my grant writing work, keep important documents in physical form, and relish writing and drawing in a journal. I used to have boxes of office supplies and paperwork, but have since cut my things down to one shoe-box of supplies and two magazine files of paper. I miss nothing, and actually find myself more creative without all the junk confusing my senses.

The first, and most expensive (but also most impactful) thing I did was get a scanner and scan everything I could. I took apart my yearbooks, went through years of letters, and got rid of all of my old schoolwork. I have everything in digital form now, which gives me peace of mind (further enabled by regularly backing up my computer), and I keep only the most important things in their original paper form. This allowed me to get a  few vertical files and keep all of my papers in six inches of bookshelf space, rather than several cubic feet of file-box storage.

Next, I went through my common processes, and looked at what I needed to complete them. A dependable pen with a few replacement ink cartridges in reserve, index cards, post-it notes, a pair of scissors, some glue, a Sharpie, a small amount of paper clips, note paper, a few vertical file folders, and some art supplies were all I really needed. Staples were replaced by paper clips, tape was replaced by glue, and I saved a lot of space by choosing not to have a printer. What I do need to print off I can go to the local copy shop for; the extra effort makes sure I don't mindlessly print anything I don't need.

Now I have more space in my home office (really just a desk in the corner), and I never wonder what to do with myself when something comes up. I have a dedicated to-do list on my phone, a calendar in the back of my journal, an index card full of thoughts and ideas, a computer for my bills, and a scanner for anything I want to look at later. I decline reminder cards by writing appointments in my calendar as soon as they're made, take pictures of business cards with my phone and hand them right back, and get so little junk mail that it's easy to call the company and be removed from their mailing list. By identifying things I do regularly, and working out the best way for me to take care of them, I've streamlined my time, gotten rid of clutter I don't need, and ended the once-endless flow of paper through my home. I have a lighter footstep on the planet, but more importantly, less weight on my mind.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Twenty-Five: Pamper Yourself

If you've followed along in the one hundred baby-steps to zero waste thus far, you are a quarter of the way done with the list, and now create significantly less garbage.  Congratulations on all your hard work and thoughtful effort. I'm confident that you've seen benefits in your health, your finances, and your free time. To celebrate, step twenty-five is to pamper yourself. Take a few hours, or the whole day, and do something to boost your happiness, help you relax, and commemorate how far you've come. It's likely that you already know what you want to do with your time, but keep reading if you'd like some (zero waste) ideas.

• Take a friend, your significant other, or the whole family out ice skating, bowling, swimming,  or to an arcade. Even if you're a novice at the activity, you'll have a great experience playing with people you love.
• Use your time to make it to that museum, art display, or botanical garden you've been wanting  to explore. Don't rush, part of pampering yourself is enjoying things leisurely.
• I know some people will call this a waste of time, but I always enjoy a day at the movies. There are a lot of great films playing now, and most theaters don't have a problem putting popcorn in a bowl or bag you brought from home. If you want something a little more special, find a concert or play showing in your area and book tickets now.
• Get thyself to the spa, or better yet, bring it home. Whip up some moisturizing recipes courtesy of Crunchy Betty, buy some waste-free beauty products from Lush or Etsy, or even just put a dozen drops of essential oil (easy to find at any health food or vitamin shop) in a hot tub and soak your cares away.
• Read. It's so enjoyable, and we rarely give ourselves the time to spend a whole afternoon with a book. If it helps you feel productive, you can call it research, and use that as a justification to turn your phone off for distraction-free reading.
• Eat with people you love. Homemade meals are a joy for some, but if you'd relish having someone else do the cooking (and the dishes) take tonight to try a local restaurant, and maybe find a new favorite hangout.
• Move your body for joy, not exercise. For some this means tossing a ball in the backyard, playing Frisbee,  or just taking a walk around the neighborhood. In this weather I bet a lot of us could even go sledding. Whatever it is, make sure it's something you like to do, not something you're motivated to do purely for your health.

Whatever you do, remember that a big part of the reason we're reducing and eliminating waste is to allow ourselves to devote our resources to creating a remarkable, enjoyable life. Pampering yourself isn't a one-time reward, but a lifelong habit we want to make room for. If you relish your life, you're not wasting it.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Twenty-Four: Reduce Your Meat Consumption

Our modern meat industry is one of the biggest sources of waste and greenhouse gas emissions, and not just from all those animals farting. The majority of animals are raised in feed lots, where they are fed on grains which have been grown on other industrial farms using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, then harvested, processed, and transported on trucks and machinery run by fossil fuels. The livestock themselves are transported across the country for butchering, processing, and shipping to your town's supermarket. The packaging for meat often involves plastic wrap and Styrofoam, both of which are difficult to recycle and impossible to compost. All of this results in an industrial meat complex which is incredibly intensive in its resource use, just so we can have cheap hamburgers on demand and never go a day without some kind of chicken product. Livestock cast a long shadow across our health, our global community, and our environment, not to mention our wallets. So today's step is to reduce our meat consumption, if only by one serving a week. This will save you money, contribute to a healthier lifestyle, and let you do your part for a healthier planet.

I am not a vegetarian, and am unlikely to ever become one, but I have come to believe for health reasons that meat should be an occasional part of our diet, not a daily staple. Though some disagree sharply, I think Dr. Campbell's book The China Study clearly establishes that a diet low in meat and other animal products is much healthier than our standard american fare. Books like In Defense of Food and Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy support Dr. Campbell's work, though are not so adamant about eliminating animal products entirely from one's diet. Having less meat, animal products, and refined or processed foods in our diets will make more room for plant-based whole foods that are richer in nutrients, provide more filling carbohydrates, and work with our bodies' processes, rather than stressing or over-taxing them.

I initially lowered my meat consumption out of budgetary concerns. I could afford five pounds of potatoes, or two pounds of beef. The potatoes went farther, so they won out. I'm a little better off now, but still consider meat to be a treat, not daily fare. I have tried to increase my bean consumption, as new studies show that increases lifespan and overall health. Plus they  cost pennies from the bulk bin, and are actually quite easy to make a part of any meal. When I do buy meat I can afford to get responsibly produced varieties (like free-range and grass-fed), and the rest of the time I can afford more interesting dairy products like cheddar from a local cheese maker, or raw milk to make my Greek yogurt from. Now my money goes towards food I feel good about purchasing and enjoy eating, plus I have enough to treat myself to top-quality cuts when I do eat meat.

Lastly, I keep my meat consumption to a twice-weekly event because it's good for the community and the environment. Less land has to be deforested and stripped to raise beef cattle, less chicken farmers get trapped in vicious cycles of debt trying to keep their contracts with mega-corporations, and less resources have to be devoted to packing, shipping, and chilling the meat. I use my spending to vote for small, lovingly-managed farms, humane animal treatment, and more organic produce in my local market.

If I had made these changes quickly, they probably wouldn't have stuck, so if you feel better gradually reducing your meat consumption, take as much time as you need. Use this opportunity to be more creative in your cooking, find ways to say yes to adding more vegetables to a recipe, or even to make things more simple for yourself by cooking more one-dish meals like rice pilaf or chow mein. Try making eggs or beans the protein feature in your food, rather than pork or chicken. These all can be small, enjoyable changes that help make your new lifestyle stick.

I found I didn't even need to try new recipes to reduce the meat in my diet. For example, I always used to make spaghetti sauce by sauteing ground beef and onions, then stirring in olives, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, and tomato sauce. When money got tight, I could afford everything but the ground beef, yet the sauce was just as flavorful and filling. Rather than dice ham into my cheesy potato-broccoli soup, I made due with all the rich flavors of cheddar and broccoli  and allowed myself to be satisfied by the fullness of potatoes. Cooked lentils go over rice just as well as beef stew, beans are as satisfying on fajitas as chicken, and feta cheese makes to-die-for lasagna, sans meat.

One thing I don't recommend is trying to find meatless varieties of foods, or tofu replacements. The facade only highlights the absence. Instead, have a hamburger, meatballs, or even a steak once in a while. You'll savor it more, and appreciate it better. The point with this step is not to eliminate meat entirely, only to reduce your consumption of it. Even if you just commit to Meatless Mondays, you'll be making a difference. Personally, I eat meat around twice a week, and am perfectly happy with that amount; it's just enough for me to find pleasure in life and my favorite foods; any more than that and meat becomes something I eat to fill up, not to enjoy.

Hopefully you're convinced that reducing your meat consumption is something you can do, and have fun with. If you need a little idea of where to start, I recommend trying some of the recipes or looking for inspiration on the Zero Waste Kitchen blog, The Whole Food Diary, the In.gredients Store blog, and, my favorite, Eggton.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Twenty-Three: Find a Local Farmer's Market, CSA, or Friendly Gardener

Buying locally helps keep money in your community's economy, encourage responsible business practices, and  often means less waste and chemicals put into production and shipping. Nowhere is this more true than with local food. When you can talk to the person who grew what your family eats, you'll get a level of assurance that beats any organic logo or freshness guarantee. Local farmers markets and CSAs  (Community Supported Agriculture) provide so many blessings to so many different groups that it doesn't make sense not to patronize them. Of course, that's if you can find one in your area.

Since local farmers markets tend towards the grassroots in their organization, it can be tricky to find one in your town or county if you don't know where to look. There are several directories and resources at the end of this post to start off with, but you can also check bulletin boards at health food stores, city hall, and locally-owned establishments. Additionally, look around your neighborhood to see who has fruit trees, a garden, chickens, or a beehive. It's likely that these people are willing to share their bounty, either to keep the food from rotting off the tree, for a little help with the work, or for a small fee. Often hobbyists with enough to share are enthusiastic in their passions, and would be glad to help you turn a corner of your yard into a food-producing Eden. If your neighborhood is devoid of food gardens and small farm animals, check your local library, Craigslist, and national directories to find seed exchanges, gardening groups, chicken clubs, and more. Give shyness the night off and make some friends who are as passionate about what they do as you are.

One of the greatest things about local food is the community that grows alongside it. And just like with the soil, the more love you put into community, the richer it grows.

Local Harvest
A national directory of farmers markets, CSAs, local food restaurants. Also has forums and photos. One of my favorite go-to sites.

Farmingo
Kind of like shopping online, but for fresh produce, and instead of delivering to your door, they assemble your order and bring it to a food community site. An interesting concept, but not available nationwide.

Pick Your Own
An international directory of Pick Your Own farms. These are places where farmers have raised vegetable, fruit, and herb crops, but leave them on the plant until customers show up and pick everything themselves. Quite a fun outing for a date or family night.

Neighborhood Fruit
It's the Craigslist of fruit trees. People who have too much fruit (and anyone who's not a farmer but has a fruit tree does) list their trees and let neighbors come pick for free. There are even trees listed on public land, and the site lists herbs, vegetables, and nuts as well.

Eggzy
A national directory of local egg producers and stands. With this kind of local food, you can ensure the chickens are truly free-range and well-loved, as many people consider their laying hens to be pets who just happen to pay a nutritious rent.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

P.S. If you are very interested in local food, I highly recommend Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. She and her family eat only local food (within a five hundred mile radius, if memory serves, but most of the food is homegrown or bought from neighboring farms) for one year; it is a fascinating look at regaining a sense of the seasons, how delicious whole foods can be, and learning respect for the bounty the earth provides.

Step Twenty-Two: Organize Your Living Room

I love browsing through better living-type magazines and Pinterest in part because of the beautiful homes they showcase. Looking at an organized, color-coordinated, and cozy living room makes me want to jump into the picture so that I too can curl up with a book or host game night on a whim. Of course, it only took a few moments of introspection to realize that I don't want a cottage-style home or the latest side table from Pottery Barn, what I want is a clean, comfortable space of my own, where gathering friends and family is convenient and fun, and which only contains things I love, use, and am willing to dust.

Part of the appeal of a zero waste lifestyle is the clearing of things you don't need to make room for the experiences you want. Humans are social creatures, and so in one form or another we crave contact and positive interaction. That's why today's baby step is to clean, clear, and organize your living room. Having a comfortable common space will give you the opportunity to gather your loved ones together, enjoy your hobbies, and provide you with a concrete reminder of why you're working towards zero waste.

Many wonderful people advocate clearing out a space entirely when  reorganizing, then returning only the functional or beautiful things. I'm kind of lazy, so instead I like to take a pen and paper into a space completely separate from the one I plan to declutter. Sometimes that has meant leaving the house entirely, in which cases I've been very grateful for my local library. Being someplace out of sight of the space in question helps me to clear my mind of distractions so that I can freely visualize what I truly want the room to look and feel like.

When you think of your home's living room, what do you want from it? A place to watch TV, play games, have friends over, engage in hobbies, read, visit with loved ones, exercise, or nap? What furniture and items make you comfortable? Do you like walls lined with bookcases, family photographs, framed art, your children's drawings? How do you want to lay out the room so that you and your guests can comfortably move and interact? Would you rather usually be facing the TV, the window, or have options for both? Now is the time to daydream until you have a clear and happy idea of your ideal living room.

Once you have this picture in your head, write down what physical things are there. Furniture, electronics, decorations, and functional objects like scissors or clocks all should be written down. Don't be intimidated or feel pressured if your list is long; it often takes many things to make a home. The most important part of the exercise is that you write down only what you truly want in your ideal space. Any heirloom, just-in-case, or there-out-of-habit things that you don't freely imagine as part of your dream room don't get written down. I recommend writing a list because I tend to think in lists and charts, if you're more visual, draw a picture of your ideal space instead, or you could even assemble an inspirational collage.

It might take several tries before your list is refined and you feel confident that it's what you want. That's okay, take your time. Once you have your list, use it as a guide to clean, clear, and reorganize your living room. Don't be afraid to modify your list, even after you've started working from it. Being flexible is an important part of being happy.

When you're ready to tackle the physical work, start by clearing the room of things that don't belong. Donate things that you don't want or no longer use. Return out-of-place items and family member's belongings to the correct room. Compost, recycle, and even trash things that won't be useful to you or others. I find it helpful to have a dedicated tote bag for returnable things like movie rentals and library books so that they have a place when they're in your home, and you don't have to scramble when it comes time to return them.

Give everything that remains in the living room a designated home so that you and those you live with always know where to put it away. Now is the time to rearrange furniture if you like, or even to go shopping for any missing items that would enhance your quality of life (check the thrift store first!). Don't wait to paint the walls, hang art you've always loved, organize your personal library by color, or set out knick-knacks that make you smile. The more welcoming your living room is, the more time you'll spend in it, and the more likely you'll want to keep it neat  and usable.

If you have financial constraints and can't afford the extra bookcase you need, chair you'd love, or paint you adore, make space in your budget now to start saving for these items, even if you can only put away a little at a time. Freecycle and Craigslist are great resources for affordable things, or even just make-do items. In the meantime, use what you have until you can afford what you want. Books can be stacked on the floor and space left empty, it's likely no one will notice. While waiting you might even decide you don't need that thing after all, you may come up with a solution you love more, or, at the very least, you'll become more assured that you've made the right decision to buy the item you've waited so patiently for.

Now the best part, go live in your living room. Use it to scrapbook, talk, host cookie exchanges, tickle your children, watch Frontline, knit, sew, play games, send e-mail, pet your dog, assemble puzzles, gather your family around pizza and movies, take a well-deserved nap, write letters, and, most importantly, keep dreaming of what you want in life.

Feel like you need more intensive help in cleaning and organizing your living room? I highly recommend The Joy of Less by Francine Jay, and Unclutter Your Life in One Week by Erin Doland. These two books cover everything you need to know to simplify and streamline your home, and were my two favorites in helping me transition from pack-rat to minimalist.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Twenty-One: Write a Letter

I make about a half gallon of garbage a month, more if you count the things I recycle. If I wanted to I could probably make less trash and recycling, but to do that I'd have to cut enjoyable and stress-reducing things out of my life. Reducing waste is important to me, but being happy comes first. However, if I could find these happy/necessary-conveniences in bulk or without waste, I'd get them that way in a heartbeat. To that end, I usually write about a letter a week to various companies asking them to find a better method.

I choose to send physical letters containing examples of the waste a company's product makes because I feel that these have more impact, and are less likely to end up in a junk folder on a computer somewhere. Even if they do get misdirected, I send letters every time I have waste from a specific company, so I know my voice is likely to be heard at least once, if not multiple times. The garbage made from the product still counts in my personal tally, but I think it becomes a little more useful if it can make a point about waste before going to a landfill. It's also pretty standard practice in offices now to recycle paper, so I don't worry about the physical letter becoming trash.

I typically start the letter by explaining that despite my zero waste efforts, I love the company's product(s), and have made an exception to my zero waste policy in order to continue using this thing that enhances my life. I then say that despite its quality and excellence, I wish the product came in a zero waste way (and often I can even volunteer that I'd be willing to buy it in bulk if that meant no garbage), and I go on to describe the various waste-free and low-waste options available for packaging products (usually packaging is the waste problem), things like cardboard boxes, plant-based compostable plastic, paper tape, shredded paper or cornstarch-based packing peanuts for shipment padding, and even mushroom-based packing forms in place of Styrofoam. If the product itself is an issue, I express the desire that the product be more easily recyclable or repairable. Lastly, I tell the company I've included the resultant trash from their product, and ask them to imagine that trash multiplied thousands, or hundreds of thousands of times to represent all of the waste their product is responsible for. I finish the letter by thanking them for their time and consideration, telling them they are welcome to contact me at any time, and referring them to my blog if they have further questions about zero waste.

I put the letter and the garbage (clean trash only, no food-soiled or greasy things) in a standard envelope, use a regular stamp (unless it will make the envelope too heavy, then I add a 20 cent stamp for the extra weight), write 'hand cancel' on the front if the trash is too stiff to go easily through the post office machines, and send it off. There's usually some sort of mailing address on a company's webpage, so finding where to send the letter to is easy, and I often address the letter to "[Company's Name] Customer Service Team" if I can't find a specific person in the company to send it to.  Sure, there's a little work involved in the process, but it's really quite easy once you've done it a couple of times. I find it about as bothersome as mailing in a check to pay a bill (can you believe some businesses still don't take online payments?), but reap considerable satisfaction once the letter is in the mail.

The hard truth of the world is that not all companies care about the environment. Some do, and some only care for money. However, if enough customers demand it, a company will bend over backwards to please them, so I make it my business to ask companies, politely and consistently, to change for the better. I believe we'll eventually have to move as a country, culture, and world to more conservative, waste-free practices, but I hope we can work together to make it happen sooner rather than later. Take some time to write a letter or e-mail to a company whose products you still use, or would like to be able to use, and let's move forward together.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

P.S. In case you're wondering, the products I use regularly and the waste they create are as follows:

• Fischer space pen cartridges. They come displayed in plastic with a cardboard backing, and have a plastic extender so the refill can fit a standard sized pen if the customer wishes. I send both of these back to the company and recycle the cardboard backing.
• Moleskine shrink-wrapping. These notebooks make writing a joy, so I use them despite the shrink-wrapping, though I do send it back to the company.
• Plastic clothing tags. Some of the thrift stores in my  area use those little plastic things to affix price tags to their clothing. Since this is a store issue, I simply write my letter, enclose the tags, and hand deliver it to the manager on my next trip.
• Ghirardelli chocolate wrappers. I love Ghirardelli's chocolate squares, and still find myself buying them on occasion. The squares come individually wrapped though, so it's a habit I'm trying to break. In the mean time, I write my letters.
• Res-Q Ointment shrink-wrap. This salve comes in a recyclable tin, but is sealed shut with a ring of shrink-wrap. 
• Altoids shrink-wrap. My husband would be very unhappy without these mints, so I send the shrink-wrap back to the company, compost the paper wrapper inside the tin, and reuse or recycle the tin itself.
• Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut-butter Cups packaging. These delicious little candies are helping me break my Ghirardelli habit, but they come in a plastic tub (plastic #1, so I recycle it) which is sealed with a shrink-wrap band.  I send the band back, as it's not recyclable, and ask Trader Joe's to consider a wax-paper or cellophane bag for packaging, with a cardboard box if the candy needs more protection during shipping.
• Shipment packaging. I order things from people on e-bay and various companies from time to time. Though I request they use plastic-free shipping products, my requests are not always honored. Amazon uses plastic air-pack bags, which are a better choice than Styrofoam packing peanuts, but still are not ideal. Almost everyone uses plastic tape on their boxes, but I usually let this slide.

Step Twenty: Zero Waste Snacks

If I'm feeling cranky, frustrated, or tired, usually a good snack helps. When switching to zero waste, I almost gave up because of what I perceived to be the dearth of convenient, simple, and appetizing zero waste snacks. However, I did a little research, tried a few things, and now never find myself without a zero waste treat I look forward to eating, which is important for me in order to keep my productivity up.

If you're finding you have the same problems, I encourage you to look at what you require from  your snack food (convenience, portability, appeal, etc.), and then brainstorm how you can meet those requirements but with little or no packaging. I've found I need to invest half and hour a week into preparing my snacks (washing, chopping, mixing, etc.), but I do this immediately after returning from the grocery store, so it's become an expected part of putting away the food when I get home.  The following is a list of goodies I always keep on hand, and am sure you'll enjoy as well.

Trail Mix and Nuts: At its simplest, I mix one cup peanuts to three-fourths of a cup of chocolate chips. I don't care much for the texture of dried fruit, so raisins and the like rarely make it into my mix. When I'm feeling more adventurous I'll mix in almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, white chocolate chips, or M&Ms. Quite a few stores that stock bulk food will also have a few varieties of trail mix in bulk, so getting it can be as easy as bringing an extra cloth bag on your next shopping trip. Often I'll keep jars of nuts on hand too, as it's nice to just grab a handful of almonds occasionally. I use old Altoid tins, small cloth bulk bags, and small metal containers to carry my trail mix or nuts when I'm out and about.

Dried Fruit: This is not my cup of tea, but any store with a bulk section will stock some kind of dried fruit, and usually a good variety of it. Raisins, craisins, prunes, banana chips, and the like are very healthy, require only a jar to store them in, and are one of the most convenient snack foods you'll find.

Cookies: I love cookies, so I usually make a batch every Sunday, and help myself to a few every day out of the cookie jar. It's easy to wrap a couple of cookies in my Bird-e towels for when I want to pack them along. If I were disinclined to bake, as I have been at times, I just bring my own box or bag to the bakery and ask for them there. One inquiry means you'll know the baking schedule, and can often put in requests the day before so that your cookies are ready and waiting package-free for you.

Carrots and Celery Sticks: I thought carrot and celery sticks would be my zero waste snack salvation, but I've found that if I don't cut them up as soon as I get home, I never snack on them because of the preparation time (I didn't think about how spoiled I was by those bags of baby carrots, or about how much waste I made because of them). So now I rinse, peel, and chop up whole celery and carrots as soon as I get home from the market. Some people keep them in water in their fridge to retain their crispness, but as long as I can just reach in and grab them I always eat my vegetables faster than they go limp. I like my carrots naked, but I have been meaning to try out a homemade ranch dressing recipe for the rest of the family. Celery I always eat with peanut butter bought package-free and freshly made from the peanut butter station at the health food store. When I travel with these things, I carry a little metal bento box with a scoop of peanut-butter in one corner.

Fruit: I keep a fully-stocked fruit basket at all times. I don't find fruit to be filling, but it does take the edge off of hunger and gives me a healthy snacking choice. Plus it's the easiest, most convenient, most portable zero waste snack I can think of.

Crackers, Pretzels, and the Like: As stated before, I'm lucky enough to live near a Winco, so I'm never left wanting for all the great snack foods they carry, like goldfish crackers, pretzels, cheese doodles, pita chips, and popping corn (There's a great how-to video on popcorn over at Small Notebook). Honestly though, if I didn't have Winco I'd buy the biggest packages of these things I could find (usually at Costco; the bigger the package, the less plastic waste to food ratio there is) and dole them out over a few months. When traveling I use a bento box or other lidded container, but I'm coveting these snack wraps for regular use.

Candy: I don't consider candy a snacking item, but a little sweet treat now and then can hit the spot just right. Again, Winco has a wide range of candy (my favorite are the jelly beans, hot tamales, and tootsie pops (the wrappers and sticks are compostable)), but I've found that many drugstores have Jelly Bellys in bulk, and I love the decadence of buying a pound of See's candies at a time (from the counter, not in the pre-packaged boxes) and enjoying one truffle a day. I dream of having a special wooden box like in the movie Matilda designated  specifically for my chocolate indulgence. Many malls have some sort of chocolate shop where you can buy taffy, truffles, and even plain squares of chocolate in bulk and packaging free. I know these options are more expensive than just buying a candy bar at the Walmart, but I appreciate more, and eat less, when it's something special. Of course, I've sometimes made homemade Twix candy bars and eaten half the batch in one sitting.

Rolls and Bread Items: I'm happy to just smear bread with homemade Nutella, peanut butter, or regular butter and snack away, but I've picked up bagels, doughnuts, dinner rolls, crescent rolls, and cinnamon buns at the local bakery  in bulk from time to time. Again, if you request them made fresh, or find out  what the baking schedule is, it's easy to get these items packaging-free. I've also found that the best way to keep butter fresh on the counter is in a butter crock, which immerses the butter in water to keep it well-preserved, but lets it be warm enough to spread on bread without any problem. I change the water in mine everyday, and would never be without it.

Yogurt: I love Greek yogurt, and always have some on hand. I like mine with just a little honey drizzled on top, or maybe a pinch of cinnamon, but other appetizing options are to stir in some fruit, granola, preserves, or even nuts.

Granola: As always, this is easy to find in the bulk foods section, but there are many recipes to make it yourself online. I like to pour a little milk over mine, but have also been known to eat it by the handful as well. I especially like stirring in some dehydrated strawberry slices to add a different texture and extra layer of flavor.

Cheese: I buy my cheese at the upscale grocery store in my neighborhood. I can get all kinds of cheeses, from hard to soft, and in my own containers. Cheese and crackers are always appetizing, and I love spreading a soft goat cheese or brie onto a bagel. I also find it easier to cut slices of cheese when I'm dealing with a glass storage container, rather than the fussy little plastic wrappers cheese normally comes wrapped in. Of course, I always keep Tillamook cheddar on hand, just stocked from the regular store's deli counter (even Walmart will do this)(honesty time: while I buy it from the deli counter, my family eats enough of this cheese that I just buy the giant five-pound bricks they normally sell for deli use. I cut the brick into smaller, more manageable blocks and store them in lidded Pyrex containers in my fridge).

Soup: This one of my dirty little secrets; I eat canned soup (and even Spaghetti-o's). When nothing else is appealing, I have no money for pizza, and I'm at the point where I'm shaking from hunger, a can of soup always hits the spot. Cans are problematic because of their plastic liners and the fact that new cans aren't made from old cans, so there's not true recycling, but I still indulge in this food on occasion. It's a little more hearty than a simple snack, and allows me to work longer after eating it. Of course, I rinse and recycle the cans, and try to save this as a true treat, rather than a regular staple. I am looking into better, faster homemade soup and ramen recipes, but I'm still in the researching stage, so it'll be a while till I'm ready to write about it. Still, the point of me listing this food is to emphasize the fact that it's important to keep yourself healthy, comfortable, and well-feed, even if that means dealing with a little food packaging.

I hope you've found some inspiration in this list for you and your family, or at least can use it as a springboard to make your own favorite treat. As always, share your ideas with us in the comments, and happy snacking!

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Nineteen: Green Your Cleaning

Cleaning is literally a chore, but I've found it becomes much easier when I simplify my routine, get rid of clutter, and use zero-waste methods to clean my home. I have less products to decide between, never suffer from nasty chemical smells, and am always confident that my family is safe from the worst kinds of bacteria and grime. What I like most of all is that my entire cleaning arsenal fits in an old ice cream bucket, with my broom and dustpan right next to it.

What I hated most about switching over to zero waste cleaning was doing it responsibly, by using up what cleaning products I had. I feel that working your way through what you have is the best way to get rid of things, and for me it helps drill home the message that I'd rather be doing things in a more natural way, so that when I finally do run out of the store-bought product and recycle the container, I'm not at all tempted to just buy another one. Additionally, using up what I have allows me a long experimentation time, so I can figure out what's the best way of doing things in the new, natural way.

If waiting isn't your game, you can drop off old cleaning products and chemicals (current and expired) at your community's hazardous waste dump, or even give them to friends who aren't quite on the zero waste bandwagon. Pouring them down the drain or throwing them in the garbage isn't recommended, as this could lead to groundwater contamination. Once you're rid of your old cleaners (no matter what method you choose), I'm sure you'll love the following zero waste ways to keep your home sparkling clean.

Before we start I thought I'd warn you: this is mostly going to be a post extolling the virtues of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, because I use it to clean everything in my house, including myself on occasion. Many people advocate using baking soda and vinegar for most ecologically sound household work, and while I employ these on occasion, my fallback is always Dr. Bronner's, because it's produced by a responsible company, leaves a wonderful, natural scent wherever I use it, and can be used on almost anything, meaning I have less hassle when it comes to cleaning and more space under my sink.

My go-to solution is two tablespoons of liquid Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap to five cups of water. I mix this in a spray bottle I saved from my before-days, and use it to clean counters, sinks, tubs, toilets, appliances, and floors. I make sure to wipe down whatever it is I'm cleaning several times after spraying it to make sure no soap residue is left behind, but this is worth it to me because of the confidence I have in my cleaning and the wonderful peppermint smell (Dr. Bronner's comes in multiple scents, I just like the peppermint the best right now). I also use a tablespoon in a sink full of hot water to do my dishes (for dishwasher detergent,  you lucky dogs, I trust Crunchy Betty and her recipe), or just a dab on a wet sponge for cleaning just one or two dishes.

For anything that requires scrubbing, I pour some baking soda on it and scrub away. I've yet to find the thing that can withstand this treatment, and it costs a pittance to clean the worst of things, so I don't worry about finding anything better.

To keep my drains clear, I pour 1/4 a cup of baking soda down them, followed by 1/2 a cup of vinegar. The chemical reaction helps clean out the drain; I follow this with a quart of boiling water a half an hour later. Applied weekly this keeps my sinks and tub working great; any time it doesn't work I've had to use a drain snake before the clog  is cleared (we have a lot of problems with tree roots in my area).

I use a pumice stone (just like the kind they use in spas to exfoliate your feet, though don't use one for multiple uses) to scrub the inside of my toilet bowl, and have never had to worry about icky toilet rings since I started using it. Don't scrub your sink or counter-tops with this though, as it can scratch some surfaces. Best to do a Google search or test an inconspicuous area first.

When the water build-up on my glassware gets gross, I use a 1:1 mixture of water and vinegar to gently scrub the marks away. I'm really coveting the Rig Tig Carafe Cleaner to help me clean all my reusable, narrow-necked bottles, but I'm making due by using seven paperclips. They get out any residue without leaving any scratches.

When it comes to cleaning windows, mirrors, and TV or computer monitors, I'll scrub the first two with the Dr. Bronner's mixture, then some vinegar if they need it, then do a final wipe-down with a slightly damp microfiber cloth. For electronic screens, only do the last step, as these surfaces can be easily damaged.

As for cleaning tools, I keep a spray bottle full of the water/Dr. Bronner's soap mixture described above, an old toothbrush for scrubbing odd areas, a coconut fiber sponge, a Trader Joe's kitchen cloth (which I will replace with a Skoy cloth when it wears out, as theirs come in plastic-free packaging), a microfiber cloth, a big plastic cup for dumping water over things, a cheap Ikea dust pan and broom set, and a weird rubber broom that also works as a mop. I also keep a pile of Bird-e towels in the kitchen to be used in place of paper towels. They're great for quickly wiping up spills, using as napkins, and for drying dishes. I can't recommend these highly enough, based on their versatility and how well they've held up over the years.

I've just started using homemade laundry detergent, and I love it. I finely grate a bar of Dr. Bronner's soap (more meditative and relaxing than it sounds due to the heavenly scent), and then mix it with a cup each of borax powder, washing soda, and baking soda (the first two can be found in cardboard boxes in the laundry aisle of most grocery stores). I make four batches at a time and store them in a large glass jar. I use three to four tablespoons per wash (a coffee scoop works great to measure with), and haven't noticed any difference in the cleanliness of my clothes.

Lastly, I mix up an all-purpose spray that I use for freshening rooms, furniture, fabrics, my dogs, as an accompaniment when I use a crystal for deodorant, and I spritz it on my toilet cloth when I want to feel extra-clean. Simply find a small spray bottle (the kind they sell in the toiletries section of stores to repackage products for airline travel work great), put in twenty drops (or whatever you like) each of tea tree essential oil, lavender essential oil, and lemon essential oil, then fill one third of the way up with witch hazel, and the rest of the way  up with water. I've never had any problems with this discoloring fabric, but as always, it's best to test on an inconspicuous area first. For extra odor-absorbing when it comes to carpets, I like to work baking soda into the rug with a broom, then wait fifteen minutes to an hour and vacuum it out.

Though it took a while to explain my cleaning routine, it really takes me less than two hours to clean my entire house, and I never end up coughing from chemical gas, I never have to worry about animals or children ingesting my cleaning solutions, and I can buy all the things I need in bulk from the local health food store. I'm sure you'll be just as happy with these  methods as I am. Happy cleaning.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Eighteen: Re-Evaluate Paper Products

It seems as though everyone's talking about how we throw our money away, almost literally, by buying this or that; too much food, disposable diapers, or plastic utensils. Let's shift gears from this view to a simple question: would I rather deal with this problem myself, or pay someone else to do it for me? Lots of people hire a neighbor kid to mow their lawn, but relatively few people send their clothes to a fluff'n'fold service.

Paper products pose exactly that question. Would you rather pay a company monthly to supply you with dishes you don't have to wash, towels  you don't have to keep, and food containers you can throw away? Or would you rather spend a little more up front to buy permanent versions of these products and invest a little time into maintaining them?

Money is tight for me right now, so I know I'd rather spend the pennies to wash something rather than the dollars to pay to replace it every time I use a real one. My reusable paper towels are indispensable to me now, and when I do get a little more money in my  budget I look forward to putting that money towards travel and experiences, not stuff that will end up in the trash in less than a month.

To that end, I've compiled a list of common paper and disposable products, and their waste-free/environmentally-friendly counterparts. Try a few in your home today. I promise you'll find better quality, and more satisfaction.


Paper towels = reusable paper towels, rags, washcloths, regular towels, microfiber cloth, skoy kitchen cloths

Disposable dishes and utensils = regular dishes and utensils, or at least biodegradable picknikware packaged without plastic

Napkins = there are so many cute cloth napkins out there, paper ones just don't seem any fun

Saran wrap/tin foil = Abeego wraps, lidded glass containers, or simply a plate flipped upside-down over a bowl

Ziploc bags = lidded glass containers, to-go ware and similar metal containers, and washable snack bags

Waxed paper/parchment paper = Silicone baking mats, or sustainably produced, biodegradable parchment papers

Cupcake wrappers = Reusable,  silicone alternatives, or plastic-free, biodegradable options

Garbage bags = Leave your waste and recycling bins unlined. With a compost bin you won't have to worry about the bins getting too sticky, and a quick rinse every few months takes care of any other messes.

Paper and plastic bags = Carry your purchases home in reusable bags, and take lunches in furoshiki wraps, cute washable lunch bags, or a good old lunch box.

Disposable mops and brooms = microfiber sweepers, refillable mops, and traditional options


Two extra thoughts:

In cases where I'd rather buy the disposable version (toilet paper comes to mind for my family), look in health food stores and online to find biodegradable, plastic-free options that can go in your compost bin. This way your disposables become food for the soil, not poison.

Some people have questioned whether it's worth the water and energy to wash things, rather than to use disposable versions. Common consensus is that reusing is more earth-friendly, as it takes water and energy to make disposable products as well. Of course, on a per-use basis, reusable items take more water and energy to produce than disposable ones, but lifetime-use averages out to make reusables far less costly than impermanent products.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Seventeen: Try Some Zero Waste Recipes

Good job! You have your pantry and fridge clean and  organized, you know where to go to buy things in bulk, and you're ready to forego packaging by bringing in your own bags and containers. So now what? You start cooking!

I always view this step with joy, as cooking allows me to work with my hands, enter a meditative state, and be creative. However, there have been many a night where I would give anything to have a pizza magically appear in front of me. Learning to cook from scratch can be challenging, but after a while you'll get the hang of it and it will be second nature.

Often I make zero waste meals that are comprised of rice and steamed vegetables. I cook the rice as usual, but add an extra half-cup of water and whatever chopped, rinsed, and possibly peeled vegetables that seem appealing to me that night. Top it off with your favorite sauce or seasoning, and you have a one-pot meal that's simple, healthy, and can be varied easily.

If you're feeling adventurous, or your family demands something else, there are a wealth of recipes in the in.gredients recipes section and on their blog, Eggton has a host of hilarious stories and delicious recipes (easily made zero waste with a little tweaking), and I run my very own zero waste kitchen blog full of recipes and tutorials, including the afore-mentioned tweaks to make standard recipes zero waste.

Often, if you don't know where else to start, a quick chat with someone at your local co-op, health food store, or bulk buy mecca will leave you with a multitude of good ideas and cooking inspiration. And a leisurely browse in your library's cook book section will yield a wealth of information and recipes. I particularly like the books What's a Cook to Do?, The Pleasures of Cooking for One, and The Joy of Cooking. Also, Cooking, a Commonsense Guide has never failed me and would be the one cookbook I'd save in a fire, but it's not widely available, so you'll likely have to hunt down a copy on the interwebs.

So now you know where to look for recipes, but it's up to you to start. The film director Robert Rodriguez said that eating is something everyone has to do everyday, so it's worth it to know how to cook and feed ourselves well. I fully agree with this and find cooking for myself and my family satisfying, physically and emotionally, even on my tiredest of days, and I wish you  the same contentment and satisfaction.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

UPDATE: I don't know how I forgot about this, but The Whole Food Diary has recipes and tutorials that make me drool. If you only go one place for your zero waste recipes, go here.

Step Sixteen: Stop Getting Junk Mail

Junky, junky, junk mail, I hate you in my house. Credit card offers, catalogs, even bills are needlessly printed off and carted across the country, as all this information can easily be found on the internet, or stored digitally on your private computer.  I still look forward to my Netflix, letters from friends, and the occasional package from Amazon; but as an extension of my home, I feel only things  that I invite should come into my mailbox.

The sad story is, for most mail you'll need to call customer service directly (often several times) and ask to be removed from their mailing lists. I started by making one call a day, and my junk mail has been considerably reduced. It also helps to not be put on the lists in the first place; sweepstakes, drawings, even warranty registrations are ways for companies to get your contact info, which they may then sell to other companies and mailing lists.  Sure, you could win a five thousand dollar shopping spree, but it's more likely you'll end up with mail you didn't ask for and offers you don't want.

Decline to give your information at the register when you make purchases, uncheck boxes requesting permission to send you information, and only give to charities that will keep your information private (sadly, many charities, upon receiving your donation, will sell your information to mailing lists). Guard your address like your social security number; give it only to people and organizations you trust, and take reasonable precautions to make sure your information is being sent over a secure connection and that the recipient will keep it private.

It is possible to see a rapid decrease in junk mail by signing up with a few services, many free. You can put a stop to most credit card offers by going to www.optoutprescreen.com, a site run by the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) which can stop "firm" offers of credit for either five years or permanently, depending on the method you use (a mail-in form is required to stop offers permanently). By going to the Direct Marketing Association's webpage, you can request that your name be removed from their lists and affiliate member's lists(though you'll need to register with them, an annoying step). Lastly, the independent organization Catalog Choice will contact companies you list on your behalf and request that you be removed from their mailing lists (a registration is also required for this site, though it can be done through Facebook). Catalog Choice also offers escalating layers of protection and convenience in stopping junk mail for nominal fees. For thirty-five dollars, the company 41 Pounds will guarantee the removal of your name from all junk mail lists for five years.

Remember, by stopping junk mail you'll save paper and plastic waste from entering the environment, avoid wasting your own time each day corralling paper clutter, and let companies know that you, and others, aren't interested in their wasteful practices. Yes, there is initial time investment to keep junk mail from getting to you, but it's nothing compared to the feeling of getting only mail you actually look forward to.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Fifteen: Build a Bulk Buy Kit

Most bulk food grocers have little plastic cups, thin bags, and styrofoam containers to take your bulk food goodies home in, but that's not how we do things in zero-waste land. Eliminating garbage from your life means a little preparation before you head out to buy food, but remembering your bags and containers will soon become second nature, like remembering your keys when you leave the house or your briefcase when you head to work.

Building a bulk buy kit can seem a little daunting, but a few clicks on Amazon, Etsy, or Reuseit, and you'll be ready to buy your food, waste and problem free. Many health food stores will sell bulk bags, and Ikea is a great resource for all sorts of reusable glass and plastic containers, but after years of experimenting, this is what my bulk buying kit looks like:

[Camera not working (i.e. I'm a lazy camera operator); picture to come]

1. Foldable bags: These are my favorite reusable bags to carry, as they fit in my purse with no problem, meaning I always have a zero waste way to carry the extra bits and bobs I acquire throughout the day.  I also always take these along while I'm grocery shopping, as I usually need more bags than I think I do, and these come in handy. It's also nice to be able to buy all my produce, let it roll down the check-out counter (no worrying about the cashier not being able to see the produce numbers through solid cloth), then scoop it all into one easily-reached bag. Chicobag and  Baggu both make great compact bags.
2. Canvas bags: When I know I'm going shopping, I grab a handful of Trader Joe's canvas bags. I've bought a lot of cloth bags at a lot of places, but Trader Joe's bags have the best construction, are easily obtained, and hold up the best to regular use. There are a lot of great options out there though, so get what tickles your fancy, though this kind and this kind are great places to start.
3. Cloth bulk bags: Eating zero waste means eating a lot from the bulk bins, which means needing something to use instead of those flimsy plastic bags the grocery stores provide, so I have a large collection of small bags to buy bulk goods with. I used to use a watercolor pencil to write the bin number on them, but now I just make a note in my phone and read it off to the cashier when checking out. I find the planet bag produce sacks to be the most versatile, but the bulk bags wonder thunder makes are an awful lot of fun, and these ones are great for carrying produce in when you don't want to make the cashier have to open the bags to figure out the numbers on the fruit stickers.
4. Plastic food containers: Most of the cashiers at the stores I go to don't know how to enter in the tare, and I get embarrassed having to insist they figure it out, so I like to carry practically weightless containers to buy my wet goods with. I put the meat, cheese, and peanut-butter into glass jars when I get home, then wash and re-use the plastic containers when I next go to the store. I bought mine before my switch to zero waste, but any relatively lightweight container  will do. If I didn't suffer from social anxiety, I would carry Droppar jars or these lidded Pyrex dishes, and then either have the tare engraved on the side professionally at a trophy shop, or do it myself with etching paste.
5. Bottle bag: This comes in handy for carrying glass bottles home from the store and to the recycling center. Ideally, I would buy my vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, and milk from a supplier that  lets me bring in my own bottles, but working within limitations I believe glass bottling is the next best option. I found mine at Trader Joe's, but there are other options here, here, and here.
6. Refillable bottles: There are a few liquids I've found I can buy in my own containers, like honey and soda, so I keep a few of these around. I found mine at Ikea, but Specialty Bottle has a ton of great options.
7. Furoshiki Wraps: I love the knot wraps Lush offers, and there's a great line of reusable gift wrap here, and Furochic not only makes great furoshikis, but also has a wonderful guidebook for creative wrapping. This site has a huge selection of furoshikis, as well as a wealth of information about them. This isn't the best solution for flour or coffee grounds, but when carrying apples, wine bottles, books, or bath bombs, furoshiki can't be beat when it comes to simplicity and versatility. Plus they make cute scarves.

There are as many different bulk buy kits as there are bulk buyers; this is just what I use to buy my food and goods package free. Let us know in the comments what you re-use time after time to keep your home waste free.


First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Fourteen: Explore Your Bulk Buying Options

The key to zero waste in our modern society is bulk buying. I don't mean loading up on Costco palettes of canned soup, or buying economy-sized packs of toilet paper; but buying as much as we can from bulk bins, without any packaging. Even potentially reusable packaging, if we keep buying the same thing again and again, becomes wasteful. There are only so many second lives and craft projects for aluminum cans, spaghetti sauce jars, and Altoid tins before we've run out of ideas, but are still stuck with the product packaging.

Initially, I wasn't very resistant to packaging. I let cans and bottles slip into my house wrapped neatly in my canvas bags. It was easier and more convenient to buy ready-made food than it was to try to make everything from scratch, or find another way of buying it. But then I read somewhere (when memory recalls, I'll link it) that we are letting companies and their design teams decide the look for our homes. Sure, you may have picked the curtains in your kitchen, but if you buy food in any packaging, someone else is deciding what the focus of your kitchen will look like. For some reason, the design angle appealed to me more than the environmental one did, and gave me the extra push I needed to find everything in bulk. Now when I bring home purchases, finding a place for them is easy, because there's an empty jar or container waiting to be filled up. I've picked frosted jars, so the food becomes decorative in my home, and I can quickly take inventory before going to the store.

So, with beautiful Droppar jars on my shelves, I went in search of bulk food. Depending on the area you live, this could be easy for you, or it could be tear-inducingly frustrating. I wish all of you the former. A good place to start is your local health food store. They'll have a huge wall of pills and supplements in plastic bottles, and maybe a juice bar or a deli, but somewhere between these two things will likely be bulk bins. You should at least be able to find flour, sugar, oats, rice, and nuts here. A lot of places carry couscous now, which I've come to love for its easy preparation and versatile recipe use. Between these bulk bins, the produce section, and any local bakery, you'll find a lot of your food needs can be met.

It's nice if a grocer in your town has a deli, as they'll be able to slice meats and cheeses into your bulk containers. If your regular store doesn't have this, try an upscale grocer. Things here will be more expensive, but higher quality, and you'll savor and appreciate them more. Specialty grocers also often have olives, noodle salads, and soups that you can buy from the deli counter and put in your own container. Delis are also good places to go for roasted meats, picnic-style potato dishes, and whole chickens. If you can find a store with a butcher counter, you can buy meat, fish, and bones (for soup stock) for your family. Make friends with your butcher, and they'll give you the benefit of their knowledge.

When you're at the bakery, don't limit yourself to just the bread. See if they make bagels, cookies, crackers, cakes, dinner rolls, brownies, doughnuts, and cinnamon rolls. If you come at the right time, or if they are constantly baking, you can request all of these things straight from the cooling rack to your bulk bags.

Dairy products are a little tricky. If you live in an area that has Strauss farm milk or St. Benoit yogurt, you're in luck, as these companies pack their goods in returnable glass and ceramic containers. The next best thing (in my opinion) is if you can get raw milk. State laws vary on the legality of this, but I've found it doesn't irritate my lactose intolerance, and is easier to make into other dairy products. Whole milk will do just fine though. Personally, I buy milk and butter, make ice cream and yogurt, and end up only with the plastic milk jug, cardboard butter box, and wax-paper butter wrappers. I recycle the plastic and cardboard, and want to compost the butter wrappers (try to find out if the wrappers are true waxed paper or a plasticized version before you compost. I'm still waiting to hear back from the butter companies, meanwhile I have a growing collection of butter wrappers in my freezer). There are recipes out there for homemade soy and almond milk, but I haven't tried these yet, so I can't speak to their quality.

If you are lucky enough to live near a store with a large bulk food selection, you may wonder why people bother to buy food in packaging at all. The universe has blessed me with a Winco less than a mile from my house, so I'm able to buy candy, cereal, cookies, trail mix, and all manner of baking mixes directly from the bulk bins in whatever amount I like. I'd love to have a bulk section that also dispensed soy sauce, oil, vinegar, and various soaps, but that's not a reality where I live yet.

It's the things that aren't easy to get in bulk that provide the most challenge, and sometimes the most fun. I get my soy sauce bottle refilled at a Chinese restaurant, buy tortilla chips from a Mexican restaurant, and buy solid, packaging-free body products from Lush. See's sells me chocolate by weight. Teavana lets me enjoy specialty teas from my own refillable tins. Petco even has a variety of dog treats for my little furry friends.

Eventually, I'd like to create a bulk-buy directory to help people find the closest, most convenient ways to fulfill their needs in a zero waste manner. If you come across a bulk source, be sure to share it with us in the comments; perhaps with enough input I'll find the motivation I need to catalog and cross-check everything. In the mean-time, keep your chin up, and Google handy, and I'm sure you'll be surprised at just how many things you can buy packaging-free.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Thirteen and a Half: Evaluate Your Food

In Step Thirteen: Set Up Your Pantry, we took time to clean out, refresh, and organize our pantries (or other food storage areas), but since our goal is a zero waste pantry, not just a clean one, now we'll take the time to evaluate our food and eating needs. Doing this allows us to find out what foods work for our families, what we'd like to change about our eating habits, and helps us prioritize our hunt for bulk food. Let's jump right in.

Get some paper and a writing utensil, and take stock of your food. What does your diet look like now? What will and won't your family eat? Would you like to make any changes to your diet? What are you comfortable cooking? What would you like to learn to make yourself (cookies? ketchup? dinner rolls? mayonnaise?)? Most importantly (for our specific purpose of going zero waste), what kinds of garbage do you make most, and from what kinds of food? Are there a lot of plastic bottles from juices, teas, and sports drinks? Plastic bags from frozen vegetables and finger foods? Soy milk containers? Soda cans? Plastic Ramen wrappers or styrofoam cups? Milk jugs? Boxes from quick meals? Frozen dinner trays? Granola and power bar wrappers? Yogurt cups?

These questions aren't to make you feel guilty, just to help you evaluate what you have, what you can replace, and what you can't do without. I used to live on Ramen noodles, until I decided to go zero waste. It took me a while to break the habit, but once I realized I ate them because they  were fast and convenient, I started keeping other snack food on hand, like raw almonds, home-made yogurt, chocolate squares, avocados, home-cut carrots, bagels, and celery with peanut butter. I like all of these foods as much as Ramen noodles, they're all just as fast to make/serve, and I feel better when I eat them because I know they're healthy for me and the planet. Try evaluating a favorite family food in the same way to see what it is you like about that food, and what you can replace it with that will create less waste.

Almost everyone I know has "eat better" on a goal or to-do list somewhere, and zero waste makes that almost effortless. Because so many processed foods come in packaging, and packaging creates waste, running a zero waste home, or at least a zero waste kitchen, will largely eliminate your consumption of packaged foods. There isn't any added salt when you chop and steam vegetables yourself, you don't have to worry about how much sugar is in the spaghetti sauce you made, and there's no worry about what kind of preservatives are lurking in homemade cookies. If you want to improve your family's eating habits, now is a great time. Again, write down what it is you want to change or modify. More vegetables? Less starch? Less junk-food? More time spent around the dinner table together? Eating zero waste food will naturally solve a lot of problems, but you still need to be aware of what it is you want to change, and why.

Lastly, we're going to make a list of foods that we need to find in bulk, stat. We all need to eat, and it's nice to eat things we like, so it's important to find zero-waste ways to make food you and your family enjoys, or you'll meet with a lot of resistance. It's also important to make sure that you're not putting too much work on yourself to eliminate garbage from your kitchen. Frozen vegetables used to be a staple in my diet, but the plastic bags they come in are notoriously hard to recycle, so now I just buy them fresh at the supermarket. In the winter-time, this means I'm buying produce shipped in from California, South America, or even Africa, but that's the compromise I make to have vegetables and fruit in my diet. I could can or freeze these things while they're in season and eat more locally, but that just doesn't work for my lifestyle right now, so I don't stress about it. If your baby needs formula, you could save yourself a few temper-tantrums by buying your kids fruit snacks, or your significant other will buy himself bottled tea on the down-low anyway, don't worry. They may come around in time, but for now it's better to keep yourself content than it is to blow all your energy on achieving perfect zero-wasteness.

Let's take a look at the things you wrote down. Ideally, you'll have a list of snacks and meals the people in your household gladly eat, a few goals for your diet, and maybe some items that create waste but are not on the bargaining table at this point. You'll also likely  have written down some foods your family doesn't like, food waste you make on a regular basis, meals you'd like to have but don't know how to make, and a list of foods you have no idea how to find in bulk.

This last item is the one most people have a hard time with. If you have a Winco or a Whole Foods in your area, pat yourself on the back; your bulk food quest is over. If not, it's okay, we'll go on a little adventure together in the next post and find the best, and easiest way to zero waste together. In the meantime, use the other items you've listed to help guide you in your shopping, cooking, and researching processes. A few minutes with Google will help you find new recipes, time-tested techniques, and the inspiration you need to transform your kitchen to zero waste.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Thirteen: Set Up Your Pantry

Procrastinating Writers Note: I know blog posts are more fun with pictures, so expect some to be posted in the next few days or so. In the meantime, I'll be charging my camera. Sorry.

The last time I helped my grandma clean out her pantry, we found a canned chicken from 1976. My sisters and I treated that chicken as an honored family member, and, after setting a place for it at the dinner table for a week, we put it in the back of the pantry for our own children to one day find. Needless to say, my grandmother does not have a well-organized pantry. Buckle up though, because after some intensive reading, you're about to.

I promise, organizing your pantry will have great benefits (zero waste and otherwise). First of all, you'll be able to see what you have so you can use it up before it goes bad (something in there already turned? No problem, just compost it). Second, you'll know what foods your family consumes most and least, which will allow you to prioritize your bulk-food hunt. Lastly, having an uncluttered pantry will give you peace of mind and allow you to prepare meals quickly and easily, a boon to any household, not just a zero-waste one.

Let's dive right in by taking everything out of your pantry. Anything that isn't nailed or glued down should come out. If you're lucky, it will all fit on your counter and/or table space, if not, get creative with chairs and other furniture. Now that you have an empty pantry, take some time to clean it out. Scrub away any spills or sticky spots, wipe the dust off of everything, and sweep out the floor or the bottom of the space.

Now take a look at all the things you've taken out of the pantry. Odd items (old grocery bags, cans of WD-40, and stray toys) should be put away in a designated home that makes sense to you. If you like having spare light bulbs in your pantry, leave them ready to go back there, but if those items could be more sensibly stored elsewhere, find them a spot now. Next, look through all the food items. Anything that's gone stale, sour, mushy, or is past its expiration date should be composted, and its packaging recycled. Remember, food has a lot of nitrogen in it, so balance out your compost heap by adding some newspaper for its carbon content if you find you have a lot of stuff from your pantry to dump.

This next part is the step I find most fun, though I understand some people don't quite get the high out of categorizing and ordering that I experience. Again, the idea is to make a system that works for you. Try to put food back in a pattern that makes it simple for you to access and restock your pantry. Some people put like with like (all the spices on one shelf, all the cans on another), and others organize by meal (macaroni and cheese boxes next to the canned peas, noodles by jars of Alfredo sauce). A lot of houses and apartments don't have a pantry, so you may be organizing your food by cupboard, or you may want to put kid-friendly snacks and cereals on a lower shelf for the little ones, while foods that need more preparation find their place on the higher levels. Take some time to figure out what makes the best sense for you and your family, I promise the extra thought now will be worth it later.

At this stage don't worry about what food packaging you're putting back onto your shelves. It's better to eat through what you have than get rid of everything and start with a new and unfamiliar system. We'll address the zero waste transformation of your food later.

Once you've gone through this process with  your main pantry, continue through the rest of the food-centered locations of your kitchen. Turn out food storage cabinets, empty out all cupboards, clear off all shelves, and brave the depths of your refrigerator and freezer. Clean the space thoroughly, toss rotten food, and return the rest of your goods in the system you've decided on. Now pat yourself on the back for all your hard work, and take a moment to admire your beautiful new kitchen (sneak yourself a treat while you're at it; what's the good of knowing where the cookies are if you don't eat one?).

Stay tuned for part Thirteen and a Half: Evaluating your Food. This post was getting long, and this really deserves a step all its own. In the meantime, enjoy your lovely, easy-to-use food system.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Twelve: Learn to Love Embarrassment

Going zero waste can be embarrassing. I wish it wasn't so, but this is the truth. It takes courage to ask for your chow mein in a container you brought from home, to ask the clerk at the store to un-bag all your purchases because you brought your own, and to explain to your Aunt why you really don't want her plastic-wrapped make-up samples. Zero waste just isn't how our society operates. There are a lot of people working hard to change that, but for the time being we often find ourselves in potentially embarrassing situations.

One exercise therapists give their clients with anxiety is called Rational Emotive Imagery, or embarrassment-attacking exercises. These can be quite effective in eliminating shame as a knee-jerk reaction. Picture a time when you were embarrassed. Say the day you had to explain to the check-out girl what a tare is and why you don't use those little plastic produce bags when you buy from bulk bins. Really put yourself in the same mindset you were in at that moment in time. The lady is nice, but anxious for her shift to finish, the customers in line behind you are getting fidgety, and anyone you brought with you on this shopping trip is surely thinking about what a weirdo you are for refusing to make even the tiny amount of garbage a produce bag would have resulted in. Are your hands sweaty, your cheeks flushed, and can you feel a bout of stammering coming on? Good, because this is where your present self can step in and start to amend your view of the situation. Change your emotion from shame to something else, like anger that taring isn't a standard part of super-market training anymore, or frustration that we've built such a hugely unsustainable system, or annoyance that more people aren't waste-free already.

Do you feel better? Certainly no one likes to feel angry or frustrated, but it's a big improvement over feeling embarrassed or ashamed. This annoyance can be channeled into a more productive activity, like speaking with the store manager, writing a well-phrased letter, or finding a better solution to your problem.

When you're guilty and ashamed it's hard to think about anything other than what a bad person you are, and how you need to be better. Those feelings aren't helpful, even if they're what reminds you to bring in your reusable bags. Going waste-free should be a mostly positive experience; something you do out of love and desire to improve (be it yourself, your finances, or the world), not self-loathing and obligation. There will be problems and frustrations along the way, and that's okay. The point with this step is to deal with those bumps in the road, rather than cancel your journey altogether.

When you're frustrated or angry, you're turning your feelings out onto the world.  This does NOT mean you can yell at the cashier, lecture rude bystanders, or push your personal relationships to the brink with your insistence on zero waste. Instead, make a clear complaint to the store, offer the simple explanation of "I don't have a trash can", and surprise your loved ones with a zero waste meal. By being annoyed, we're trying to test the limits of the system so we know where to focus our action; by being ashamed, we're only testing our own limits of endurance and increasing the likelihood that we'll just give up.

So next time you feel yourself becoming sheepish over refusing that free bottle of water or asking the deli to fill a container brought from home, take a moment to focus on turning your feelings from shame to frustration, and then figure out the most positive thing you can do with that frustration. Often, being frustrated means you've found a real-life puzzle to solve. Those can be tricky, but not impossible. And by ditching embarrassment, you've left the problem of other people's judgments right where they belong, in their plastic shopping bags.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.

Step Eleven: Think Before You Take

A clerk at the bank offers a free pen, the giant sandwich on the street hands you a flier, the fry girl at McDonalds stuffs some extra napkins in the bag. We are swimming through a world of freebies and giveaways, and it's not even stuff we like or need. By taking a pause before you accept anything, you can stop clutter in its tracks, discourage gimmicky marketing practices, and do a little bit to save the planet. It might be hard at first (it's free, it could be useful, maybe I'll need the information), but with a little practice it will become second nature to smile and say, "no thank you".

If you're still having problems with the idea of not taking free things, think of all the time you'll save when you don't have to clean up stacks of paper or throw away broken bits of unidentifiable junk. Isn't it nicer to write with a well-made pen than have to sift through dozens of dried-out plastic ones? Honestly, the only free things I've ever consistently used were perfume samples, so I'll accept them on occasion, but everything else I don't even look at before holding up my hand and politely refusing. It is so nice to not carry around a stack of fliers and a bunch of cheap junk whenever I go to a fair or convention, and even nicer to not have to figure out what to do with it all when I get home.

Things can also sneak in your home as hand-me-downs, dumpster finds, and gifts. As good as the intentions associated with these acquisitions may be, take a moment to think if you will actually follow through with them. Do you really need another sweater, more hobby supplies, or an extra side table? If so, then by all means, take it; getting things secondhand is a great way to save money and benefit the environment, but if you think it might sit in a bag in a closet for a while, better to let it go on its way. Oftentimes gifts, no matter how lovingly given, don't quite fit your lifestyle. Write a gracious thank you note, and let the item go. Someone else will treasure it more, and in the future a few well-chosen words will guide the gift-giver towards something you can use.

Thinking before you accept anything doesn't just apply to free stuff, though it is the stuff that we tend to accept most quickly. Carefully considering purchases can go a long ways towards ensuring that you'll have only things you love and need. I don't even look at clothing sales any more, unless I'm already out shopping for a specific item. I avidly thrift, but only for a short list of things I already know I want (why are immersion blenders so hard to find secondhand?).  More often than not, waiting before I buy something shows me that I don't really want or need it. For the few times I do miss the item, I appreciate it that much more (and care for it that much better) when I've had to wait to get it.

Once I got used to thinking before I accepted or acquired any items, I started thinking about the food I eat, the water and electricity I use, and the methods I use to get around town. While I still have a huge weakness for long showers, I have much healthier eating habits, take the bus and walk more often, and am much more aware of my energy usage. I have to be careful not to overwhelm myself, after all, everyone needs to take something to live, but it is nice to see how much less I have to take to survive and be happy than I previously thought.

Thinking before I take has saved me money, time, and space. Honestly, creating less waste is just an extra bonus for me. I still choose to take things and resources, but I do it much more thoughtfully, conservatively, and thankfully.

First time reading about a hundred steps to zero waste? Go here for the introduction and index.