Zero-Waste a Minimalist Lifestyle?

Zero-waste a Minimalist Lifestyle?

One could gather how these two modes of moving through ones life go hand-in-hand.  Anything purchased will have been done so with thought of the purpose of the purchase.  Sales, deals and their low prices will no longer hold allure as one becomes conscious of consumption. As one becomes more accustomed to a zero-waste lifestyle their purchases become only necessary ones.  The quality of a purchase takes priority. 

For example-

Now that Spring is here and lends hint to Summer, stores have started to fill their shelves with beach toys.  Plastic shovels, pales and water guns, all brightly gleaming with their toxic neon-colors, attached to the low, low price tags meant to sell you.  

These products rarely last through the first few weeks of summer before they break.  And it doesn't seem that big of a deal considering the low price to purchase another.  We don't think about what happens to those broken toys (where they end up and the consequences on our environment.  

By the time summer is through, you've more than likely spent the same amount of money it would have cost you to buy a stainless steel gardening shovel (or three) that will have lasted you umpteen future summers as well as served it's purpose in the garden.  Minimalist- yes, zero-waste- for sure.  

This year my kids and I scoped out the kitchen section in one of our local thrift stores and found some metal bowls and buckets as well as some different shaped stainless steel cups and containers. We went to a hardware store and bought a couple stainless steel hand shovels.  These will be our beach toys.  These items will last beyond their childhood years and even then continue on with no negative impact on our environment.  In the Fall we can use them to collect berries, seeds and harvest the food from our gardens while the hand shovels will be used all through these two seasons for both gardening and the beach. I will never spend more than a few dollars on beach toys again in my lifetime and the earth will never be damaged.  

Our thrift store finds- Beach Toys that will also Serve in the Garden and last beyond their childhood= Zero Waste

Less consumption of items that don't last (quality) or only serve a single purpose rarely needed, means less excess belongings to store away and deal with.  When you own only what is needed a sense of appreciation for those items becomes apparent.  The mind is less consumed with unimportance and inspiration to experience ones true purpose is able to stream through much easier. 

For many, travel is the only time they will experinece this freedom as only what is needed is packed.  They are more able to be in the moment.

A lifestyle in the home and workplace can feel similar when only what is needed surrounds.  Suddenly work is a place of creativity and ultimate focus for the task at hand, while the home is a place that holds an atmosphere of calm and serenity.

I love returning to my home.  It is the place where I can relax, create, contemplate and spend intimate time with my family.  There was a time when my home was filled with excess and I did not feel good in it, but instead stressed out by the amount of tidying, cleaning and organizing owning that much stuff requires.  Now my home holds only what we need and use.  When we clean it, we do so in a grateful manner and since everything has it's place, there is never the need to tidy.     

Living a zero-waste lifestyle is practicing minimalism in that we know we don't need to over-consume to fill a void that is not there.  The void only appears as that when over-consumption sprouts a hungry beast that yearns to be fed constantly, creating disconnect between our true selves and our experiential mind.  

In my next post, I'll share how I transformed our home into our place of serenity.  For now, consider your next purchases and the validity they'll hold in your life.  Ask yourself these two questions before committing to another material object:  

1. Is this object something I NEED (do I already own something that could serve this purpose?)

2. Is this object environmentally friendly (will is last and when it's through where will it go and will it have a negative impact on the environment?)