Zero Waste as a Mindful Practice

My name is Skye and I've learned in my nearing 37 years that everything I partake in can become a conscious practice. I don't need a monastery with empty rooms and forests beyond to keep me up through the night (I've got kids for that) nor to test my patience, or even to bring lesson through selfless challenges (did I mention I'm married with children?). Every day is an opportunity to practice awareness and in doing so, an opportunity to experience awareness. Once such practice is the waste my family and I produce. 

Only a few months ago we decided to go zero-waste.  To be honest, I would have sooner, but I didn't consider this an option.  Our packed full extra-large recycle bags alongside our black stinky garbage bag had been getting me down for some time, not to mention all the videos and statistical blurbs of the consequences of our waste on our environment that kept springing up on my facebook news feed. It didn't seem right that we were producing this much waste, yet it felt impossible to reduce it or even come close to eliminating it all together considering I'd been living one way for so long, had so many young dependents and a set income.   
Then I watched this and my heart picked up.  



This video was soon followed by an image:  

Bea Johnson and her 2 year collection of garbage.

I spent the next while watching and reading anything and everything I could find about these two admirable ladies and their zero-waste lifestyles.  One thing I noticed was, while one had two children, they were quite a bit older than my own and the other didn't even have children.  I took the next while to tweak what worked for them and make it into my own, figuring out solutions for my own family going zero-waste.  There were times when I first started out that I felt completely and utterly overwhelmed as well as clueless and doubtful that this type of lifestyle could even work for us.  Sure enough, I eventually found my own rhythm and I have to say, going zero-waste has been one of the most satisfying practices I've taken on in my life.  And I never have to take out the trash. 

In my posts to follow I will share my experience of going zero-waste, what has and hasn't worked for me and tips of how you can make it work.  

I'll leave you with a video that really hit home for me. If you're wondering what is so wrong with plastic waste if it can be recycled, please take a moment and consider: