Just Reducing our Ecological Footprint or Being a Part of a Movement

We get into zero waste for many different reasons. Maybe we just see a reusable product that looks cool, maybe we really want to reduce our carbon footprint, have less stuff in our life, or live more aligned with our values.

But what else? Is there something more?

Yes there is.

Whatever the reason for getting into zero waste, we are now a part of something. A movement. The zero waste movement. A global collective of human beings all trying to make the world a better place. How cool is that!? 

We don’t have a membership card, because that would be too wasteful. lol.

We get more done together

What we do have is community. We have resources and we have energy all going towards reducing waste. Whether that waste be trash, food, energy, water, or air pollution. The zero waste movement can potentially be all encompassing. What an empowering thing!

Community is important. Not only in the sense of mental health and connection, but also in the sense of creating real change. A zero waste life by itself may not make such a noticeable change in the world, but as that individual turns into a community, and that community turns into a movement, real change becomes more noticeable. 

Being a part of a movement means we can share resources. We can follow along with those who have gone through the barriers we haven’t yet.

We can follow along with businesses to see what it takes to make a long lasting product. And what it takes to be an eco-minded company that consumers can rally behind.

We have people to fall back on when times get tough or when we feel overwhelmed.

We are more motivated together

There is also a beautiful motivation in the momentum. Something about being alongside others makes us feel invincible. Like a sweeping river ready to take us down a sustainable journey picking up more and more people along the way.

The river may be never ending, but we’ll be in good company.

We are happier, together

We hear mental health gurus talk all the time about the importance of being a part of something bigger than ourselves. For many, this is zero waste. Or sustainability as a whole.

A key component to a more fulfilled life is contributing to something beyond just our personal needs. What a beautiful thing that we require this in our lives. Let’s listen to it. 

Zero waste can connect other aspects of sustainability

Zero waste can be a way to change many aspects of our lives. But it can also be a bridge to other groupings in the environmental movement. Typically, there are many different aspects of the world’s environmental footprint that can be divided into groups.

These groups are seemingly very separate such as:

• Eating eco-friendly
• Using sustainable transit
• Growing food not lawns
• Minimalism
• and more

But more often than not, while people tend to focus on one specific thing at a time, they usually care about their waste as well. 

For example: someone who cares deeply about plant based eating will probably also care about what they are throwing away. If they care about not causing unnecessary harm to the natural world from what they eat, they will most likely also choose to not cause harm through excess trash.

These things just fit well together, as they should.

This is the common ground. The bridge to a well rounded sustainable self, and planet as well. Because the zero waste movement doesn’t only care about waste, but also the excess and the unnecessary.

So, whether you just like the cool-ness of products like LastSwab or LastTissue, want to reduce your footprint, or maybe just become more aligned with your values, you are also becoming an essential piece to a global movement.

And with it comes all of the beauty that you give, and also receive.