January 28, 2010

Pros and Cons of the Zero Waste life

6 Advantages:
- The obvious one: Feeling good about helping the Earth
- Inspiring others to join in
- Being healthier: Bulk foods are in general healthier than packaged or processed foods
- Being more creative: In finding the supplier for the packaged goods you miss, in making the table pretty with what you have, in coming up with different ways to reuse your leftovers… by the way, foraged moss in lieu of toilet paper does not work for everyday use.
- Not dealing with the smell of trash (compost is odorless), and not having to take it out to the curb (what a motivation for our kids to go Zero Waste!)
- Adopting a more meaningful life with less, one that is not based on consumerism (stuffff)

6 Disadvantages:- My husband misses canned tuna sandwich (I keep reminding him… who needs mercury and MSG’s in their diet?)
- Malls and the middle aisles of grocery stores make me nauseous
- Having to turn down wine at a party because it is served in a disposable cup (my own fault, I should always remember to bring my collapsible stainless cup)
- Having to run past food samples served in disposables (finger foods are OK) when I make the mistake of going grocery shopping on an empty stomach
- Sometimes having to pay more for unpackaged: At Whole Foods, potatoes cost less in a plastic bag than bulk
- Realizing that people you care about are unwilling to sacrifice the present (change their current habits) for a better future