Minimalist since 2006 | Zero Waste since 2016
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Well, perfect that you found this site here already. Zero Waste is a live changing experience and what is a better way to start with it than the beginning of the new year. From now on I will be posting one tip each week, so change will be slowly, and it will be easy to follow. (Don’t get ahead of yourself, there might be some challenges along the way ;) )
The first step is very easy: mentally prepare yourself to buy less products. From now on, most of the products you usually spend some money on will be replaced by longer lasting products. It might be a bit more expensive to buy, but in the end, you will save way more money and do something good for the environment and yourself. By living a green live style for, I hardly ever go to a supermarket or drug store anymore. I don’t have a waste bin in my bathroom anymore, I don’t own many things, but the ones I do I love. The money I own, I spend on travelling and other relaxing and fun things to do. I found my inner balance and realised that the art of living is not by buying and owing many things and to be materialistic. No, the art of living lies in saying 'No' and overthinking your way of live and figuring out what you really want and need.
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 For the past six months I have been trying all kinds of deos. From using just coconut oil to deos with baking soda (the worst!), when I almost wanted to give up on a DIY-deo I finally found THE one 😊💪
I stumbled upon the recipe in the 'Wienerin' magazine. My sister got me all the ingredients as a Christmas gift. The deo is easy to make and not many ingredients are needed. I have been using it for the past 4 months and can highly recommend it 💚 Recipe in the DIY section https://www.zerowastelady.com/diy.html  I never bought a single-use razor in my life. So ever since I started shaving I bought a razor with a removable head. It also made more sense to me. You buy a package of 6 heads and have it for like 1,5 years (I changed them every 3 months). I figured I would save a lot of money with this and it is better for the environment.
Last year I decided to step up the game with a stainless steel razor. I love my new razor! When I first bought it, I was too afraid to use it because I thought I would cut myself. So the razor was sitting on a shelf for months. But after I overcame my fears, I just don`t want to go back. Beside that, they look super cool and are way more stylish than a single-use razor.  Whenever I talk about Zero Waste with people, one of the first questions that pops up is 'How can I start with Zero Waste?'. So I was thinking hard about this question and finally came up with 3 easy ways to start.
1. BAGS, BAGS, BAGS Always bring your own bag. When I go food shopping I always bring my own bag. If I forget it I try to carry everything with my hands or look for an alternative. Luckily most Austrian supermarkets don't offer single-use plastic bags at the cashier anymore, but reusable ones instead. So I just buy one of these. Do I have many cotton bags at home already? Yes, I do. But I love them and they always come in handy when I have to carry stuff or go shopping. In case you have plastic bags at home, give them another purpose and turn them into a waste bin. They work perfectly fine for that and you don't have to buy any extra litter bags :) 2. ToxFox-APP Last year I did a promotion job for a huge cosmetics company and of course I took some of the products home. When my dear friend Aphrodite, an studied ecotoxicologist came over on day she showed me the ToxFox-App. The App was developed by the 'Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland e.V. (BUND) - Friends of the Earth Germany'. ToxFox works really easy. After downloading the app you just scan the barcode of the product (in my case it was creams, face masks, shampoo, …) and see right away if the product contains contaminants, like cancer-causing substances or substances that can cause infertility. So of course we tried the app and even tho it was a lot of fun to scan all the products, the results where catastrophic! I ended up throwing away most of the products. It's not just that I don't want to use any products which contain contaminants. I also don't want to use any product where I don't even understand what's inside, like who knows what 'Sodium Methylparabene' or 'Polyquaternium-10' is? (except maybe you are a chemist) or which makes my skin look even worse than it actually is. I prefer natural products for my body. The ToxFox-App was a great way to start cleaning out my bathroom and make it plastic free. 3. CLEAN OUT YOUR HOUSE I know this sounds like a lot of work but in the end it is one of the most relieving activities ever. Every time I do it I feel much better and lighter and it also gives space for new things to happen again. All the things I sort out I either donate to organisations, sell them at flea markets, throw them away or give them to friends and family. It is always a great way to make other people happy and feel a bit lighter :) |
AuthorHey there, my name is Fiona. I love travelling and getting to know different cultures. Because of travelling I realised I don't need many things to live a happy life. My transformation started ten years ago with my first big trip to India, since then I live a very minimalistic lifestyle. For a couple of years now, it is not only minimalistic but also zero waste. Proud to be part of
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