Why Zero Waste is an Essential Piece to the Sustainability Puzzle

What place does zero waste have in sustainability?

How did it get to where it is today?

And why is it important for it to remain an essential piece to the sustainability puzzle?

Let’s try and answer these questions in this blog post!🤘🏽

Sustainability can have many definitions, but a basic one could be to act in a way as if eight billion people (and climbing) could act the same exact way without the world being harmed.

Because the truth is, we could probably create paper (or a form of plastic) in such a regenerative way for a small amount of people, like say a thousand, to the point where that group of one thousand people could dispose of single use products without causing any harm.

Would the earth be harmed if the whole world acted like us? 

But increase that group of people to a million, or a billion, and it all of a sudden becomes very difficult, if not impossible, to allow for the consumption of single use products while allowing the earth to regenerate and not become polluted.

🚗There are many ways in which we act today that would not be regenerative if eight billion people acted the same way. There are a lot of actions we take where even a billion people (maybe even a million) would make it too harmful for the planet.

These aspects of our lives, and the actions we take, ultimately make up the full spectrum of a sustainable lifestyle and world.

And single use waste, because it’s something that the whole world couldn’t generate without causing harm, is an important aspect to sustainability.🗑

How did zero waste start and why is it growing?

Right around the turn of the century, the Zero Waste International Alliance held its first summit in New Zealand. While it proved difficult to fund and to establish large momentum, it seems like that was the first official indicator that the world was beginning to focus on reducing waste.

As landfills continue to fill up, and virtually all scientists are on board with human caused climate change, zero waste has become even more dier. Individuals have taken it upon themselves, cities and countries have updated their policies, and companies have sprung up in order to meet product demands which are zero waste.💪

Hey, that last one is us!💚

All of this continues on especially as our addiction to single use items does as well.

Slowly but surely, zero waste is becoming the new standard, whether that’s related to our municipal waste...or beyond!

Why zero waste must remain an essential part to sustainability

If we want to live a sustainable lifestyle and help create a more sustainable world, we cannot do so without eliminating our waste in so many areas.

Apart from zero waste having an impact on our mindset which overflows into all aspects of our lives, it is something that everyone can take part in on some level, it’s something that every government or individual can get onboard with, no matter their views. Because less trash and more savings makes sense, no matter who you are.🌏

Zero waste must remain a priority because we need it to apply all other aspects of sustainability. We can eat a more plant based diet, but what good is that if we aren’t also reducing waste generated from plant agriculture? We can run the world on renewable energy, but what good does it do if we are generating waste from lithium, precious metals, etc. which are arguably just as bad as fossil fuels?🌞

Zero waste can and ought to be applied to all aspects of sustainability if we are to create a more sustainable and healthier planet.🐛