One of my struggles with the “instagram perfect” picture of sustainability is that they seem to skip the step where they use up what they already have. I’d love to have cute matching containers, but it’s better for me to use the plastic ones that i have until they’re unusable. I do have fast fashion that I bought before I became aware of the detriments, but I should wear what I have instead of buying a new dress, even if it is from a sustainable company. Most of us have so much already that it will take us months, maybe years to get through the products we already have. I have so much bath and body works body wash that’s been gifted to me over the years. I use it up and then reuse the bottles for as long as I can. I don’t know, I just feel like the reusing part of sustainability doesn’t get enough emphasis unless it’s on these specific “zero waste” items, like she said. It can be so frustrating!

Yeah can we stop making reusable versions of already reusable items? 🍴

I feel like “minimal waste living” is the same as practical cheap living. Shop at thrift stores. Don’t buy stuff you already have. Buy in bulk so you don’t have to pay for packaging. Wash your dishes instead of buying tons of paper plates. There’s no need to brand everything if you really wanna cut down on waste, just be cheap :)

Playing devil’s advocate: Sometimes it’s hard to thrift basics that look crisp & “professional” and well designed. (IE: very white shirts, very black blacks) I work in a profession where a boho style isn’t appropriate; I try to thrift/second-hand the majority of my clothes, but it doesn’t work for everything. My thinking is that when I buy sustainable basics, they will be in style forever. They tend to be well made, and I can take care of them in a way that maintains the integrity of the fabric.

God you're so right! I'm really tired of this aesthetic-driven sustainability thing with people buying all sort of unnecessary zero waste stuff when actually the first thing that you should think about is buying less, using less and wasting less

I feel like with zero-waste becoming more and more "trendy", it has moved away from sustainability and closer to a new market with consumers eager to buy, as in zero-waste and sustainability have become two different things. On one side there are the people that are very much sustainable (thrift shopping, checking if the places they are buying from are sourcing materials, manufacturing products sustainably and paying their workers fairly, owning some type of reusable container-for water, coffee, food or whatever else- without caring so much about the aesthetics of them etc etc). And on the other side there are the people that stumbled upon a picture of a perfectly aesthetic, seemingly zero waste person on the internet and thought to themselves "I want to be that" -maybe just because of the trend, maybe also because they actually care about the environment- but they never looked further into this movement for sustainability (or have not done so yet), and thus bought into all these trends thinking that was the good thing to do. Now for the second kind, it is very likely that they will at some point realise that they need to focus more on actual sustainability and not greenwashing , but at this moment with the "aesthetic zero-waste lifestyle" becoming more and more apparent they might only stay at this surface level of environmentalism or (as I've seen happen MANY times with people I know) become so overwhelmed with "zero waste alternatives" and perfectionism that they quit trying to be sustainable/zero-waste/environmentalists completely.

Another note is how loved ones often will gift you "sustainable products" in a well-meaning way. We have so many water bottles plastic and metal because family members don't know what to give during holidays or birthdays and that seems safe enough. My fiance and I have started asking for experiences instead like ticketmaster gift cards, etc. and a honeymoon fund for our wedding rather than a physical stuff registry but a lot of older family members can't bear the idea of giving an experience rather than things, and it's frustrating but they are also so well-meaning.

A thought I’m thinking about is that “normal” people don’t care about sustainability until they do something that is sustainable. Like if they buy something that “accidentally” was vegan/plastic free etc they are like “and it’s also great for the climate” but if they buy something that is not sustainable, they don’t care about it at all.

Honestly I just really try not to spend money on things I didn’t budget for. It forces me to use what I have. Every jar that I buy in the store that had pasta sauce or pickles in it turns into a jar for leftovers or dry goods. Sticking to zero waste in the way you present saves so much money! And makes so much sense!!

“NO Cheryl you don’t NEED another tote bag, you HAVE ONE” I can’t 😂

"buy this brand new t-shirt for $12.99 and we'll plant a tree" annoy me. How many resources went into making that t-shirt? Is it made from a sustainable material? Are you paying a fair wage? Where are these trees planted? So many questions!!! No thanks. I'll continue to thrift and tend to my garden 😉

When I was you get I thought my grandmas zero waste swaps were embarrassing but now I go to her for everything! She’s a wizard and made me a scrubber for my dishes from a rice bag

At my local dollar tree I saw a bamboo toothbrush, but in plastic packaging..... i just,,, wh a t

I literally am a reusable water bottle and tote bag addict! I recently realized that I have a problem and gifted some of them to friends to get them started on their low waste journeys!

I think it is very important that people see the non aesthetic side of sustainability and realize that’s okay! The whole point is you shouldn’t have to go out and buy new things to live sustainably! My first reusable water bottle as a kid was a plastic soda bottle I ripped the label off of. My parents emphasized to me it was my water bottle to use and take care of so I did. A lot of low waste practices I grew up with we’re things my parents learned from their Depression era parents. Low waste practices aren’t new. It’s practices that people have used for decades to save money like reusing glass and plastic containers that food came in, shopping at thrift stores, hand me downs etc. It’s about making use of what you have/what’s already available, even if what you have is an old soda bottle you’re filling with water every day. It’s good sustainability is being talked about more but it makes me sad that it’s being used as a way to market products and steering people away from the whole point of the movement!

I truly believe that everyone should learn basic sewing skills. Basics are easy to make with thrifted materials, and you can truly fit them to your body and your style, instead of being sold "standard sizes"

hey! just a heads up, using a tiffin is not "cultural appropriation", I think we need to be careful using buzzwords or buzz phrases like that because it really deters people from the REAL cultural appropriation that goes on every day. I am not saying that's what you did! I'm just saying we need to be careful about throwing that phrase around because it holds a deep meaning and is a very intentional and dangerous phrase. it shouldn't be used so wastefully. a tiffin is a container that yes is popular in India and variations of it can be found in parts of Africa and southeast Asia. it is NOT however cultural appropriation to be white or "western" to use it. if that were the case, the chop sticks you show in your video would be appropriation as well! just wanted to correct that while still saying I'm a huge fan of your work and what you do for the sustainability movement!

You’re so right! Like WHO pays and arm and a leg for a sustainable white T-shirt when there’s a million available at the thriftstore or depop ???????

Water bottles - I had to buy 3 in last 5 years cause I've forgot 2 of them in the gym and they were never found. I got my 3rd one for about 2 years now cause I cancelled my gym membership! Solved :-D

Like this if you caught that REAL bad typo 😹😹😹 (my B. sry friends. I suppose this video is PG-13? Shall I get demonetized? Only time will tell 😹) ALSO! EDIT: I've changed my opinion on "sustainable basics!" Thank you all for the eye opening comments! I knew something felt wrong when I was saying it/editing the video, and yet I kept it in, and I regret that. I think that basics are so timeless, and if we are making new clothing, why not make them timeless and high quality? I'm such a fan of basics (tbh I feel like it's all I wear. The vast majority of my wardrobe & I'm definitely known for them among my friends IRL lol "shocking, she's wearing a basic long sleeve/tee again" hahaha but I like it!) and not to mention, the good ones are hard to come by. I think I more so meant it with those "bad fit" basics... we all know what I'm talking about haha. Finding the perfect basic can be such a hunt! However! I have gotten very lucky thrifting them in the past! When in doubt, look to Depop or thredUP for them IMO! Also eBay is groovy, and obvi all the other online thrifting platforms! And for working professionals, basics are a staple! Anywhooooo! I want to talk about this in a video in the future to elaborate, so stay tuned. LUV U. THANK U 4 READING THIS! Thank you for being you. Thank you for caring about mama earth and your impact. Sending a big hug. oki baiiiiii xo

Regarding the discussion on consumerism: I totally agree with you. Here's my interpretation: the problem comes down to how our economy is shaped and tightly molded into capitalistic principles of unending growth. Over the past decades our culture has become more materialistic, with an ever shorter turnaround of trends, because companies must constantly put out new products, increase sales, lower costs and increase margins because the only goal is growth in order to attract investors and increase the value of their shares. Which is why they will hop on every trend they see without caring for the deeper meaning of the trend, like they are doing with zero waste; it's all a game of supply and demand. I'm saying that as someone who has been in that chair for a retail company: my job was to identify trends by analyzing sales, and purchase goods for the store accordingly. After trying a couple of zero waste items like say stasher bags, we saw that those products were successful, therefore we went with it and ordered mass produced "similar" (greenwashed) versions from shady suppliers in China in order to turn an 80% margin instead of 50%. And those products were labeled as "environmentally friendly", because you can say whatever you want on the packaging of your products, in order to grab our share of that growing market. Because that's what people wanted, and where we saw an opportunity to make a profit, in order to keep the company growing and staying afloat in a very competitive market filled with ginormous multinational companies with more resources and negotiating power. Unfortunately this market leaves very little space for small, local companies with good principles. I'm not trying to excuse the behaviors of mid to large corporations mentioned above; what I'm trying to say is that we indeed need to completely rethink our society and economy away from consumerism like you said, toward a system that does not value only growth, because otherwise we can never escape these slightly better, greenwashed "reusables", and reach true sustainability. But I don't know how to do that obviously lol, I don't think anyone knows yet either. In the meantime we're all doing our best to navigate this world by being as sustainable as we can! PS: I'm no longer in that job, obviously my managers and I did not see eye to eye haha PPS: sorry for the essay-length comment

I’ve been collecting jars that my family brings into the house from pasta sauce and stuff to use when I move into my apartment and the jars from one brand literally says mason on it. So I’m getting mason jars without buying them new

Re: Tiffin box or Tiffin Dabba as its called in India. I used to take a Tiffin box to school and I got so much flack from my white school friends. But fast forward all these years and some random white person sold a Tiffin as some revolutionary "insert green washing claim", and they're all the rage. But when I look at the inferior quality of these Tiffin boxes they're trying to flog at stupid prices, I just want to laugh. I've got my grandmothers Tiffin boxes and they will last 10x longer than the crap that's being sold.

Sometimes I go to the mall and stores to try things on so I know how different brands fit on me for when I buy secondhand online lmao

One reason I actually like sustainable basics brands is because a lot of them tend to use more organic cotton or other materials that I would like to see incorporated into clothing shops everywhere. I love thrifting but when I need something new and very professional, I want companies that care about their employees and the environment and that can be shown by not supporting the use of pesticides and herbicides harming the earth and the animals and their employees as well. Organic practices in fashion is something I want to support!

Sometimes what I like doing is to before I buy something, sit and think “what do I care about more, having this new item or helping the environment” and it rlly helps me put things into perspective

Thank you soooooo much for this video."Use/wear what we already have." "Who made the things that you are about to buy?" I remind those things every single day so I can make mindful purchases of anything. Plz keep the conversation going. You are amazing.

I MISS THRIFTING! I am not doing okay

Tbh, it wasn’t until I had a reusable cup that I liked that I started actually using it regularly, and same for most reusable items I’ve bought. I had a water bottle, mug, etc in my kitchen already- but it wasn’t convenient to carry separate things and didn’t find myself using them because it was either not there when I needed it or made the beverage taste weird, so it ruined my enjoyment of it. So I went out and purchased a big, expensive, name brand stainless steel one. I had to buy “accessories” for it. Sounds ridiculous- but...I use it all day every day for every beverage. I haven’t used a disposable coffee cup since I bought it, I haven’t bought bottled water. So I feel like it’s worth it to buy what you will actually use even if you need to try a few times to get something “right”, I love it and will most likely never get any disposables again. Same with my cotton rounds. I used to buy them constantly. All the reusable ones I saw were bamboo which I don’t like for so many reasons, but it’s all I could find, so I bought them. I didn’t like the way the water dropped off them- they just didn’t work for what I needed them for-so it was back to the disposables, so yeah, it was a waste. But- I knew that I wanted thicker reusable ones made of actual soft unbleached cotton, so I found reusable nursing pads that were perfect and bought them and am so happy and haven’t bought disposables since, and probably never will. Same with my loose leaf tea steep thing. Same with my reusable shopping bags. I think people need to understand that doing better is well, better than the alternative of doing nothing. If I didn’t find things that worked for me, I can honestly say I wouldn’t have made any swaps at all. I think that a few poor purchases justify the means.

My family always gave me 💩 about reusing whatever glass jars I got from pasta sauces or jelly or whatever so I got rid of my family instead of the jars 🤣🤣

Hahahahahah I never got the pintresty Tupperware I’m still using my Winnie the Pooh Tupperware and I love it 😝

tbh the 1st swap is really usefull if you travel a lot, when i travel with my carry on lugage i cannot take metal forgs/knifes with me, but bamboo is ok, so instead of using plastik forgs/knifes on my travels i use the bamboo ones :)

"no cheryl you do not need another tote bag" 😂😂😂 also the mason jar thing, i dont know how but in my house we just accumulate so so many of them and use them as cups i never thought of that as a sustainability move. we dont need to buy cups and glasses we need to buy jam and honey lol. i love your channel

I wrote my BA thesis on motivational factors of the zero waste lifestyle. One of the driving factors I identified, which also contributes to intrinsic motivation (doing something for the fun of the activity itself) is the influence of aesthetics. Especially during the "beginner phase". This could result in a motivational boost to inform yourself about the zero waste lifestyle. This is especially helpful when you don't have anyone in your social circle, who is doing the same thing. So in terms of the first spark of motivation, I think glamed up instagram and pinterest posts are a good thing. On the otherhand, I am also an advocate for open communication about implementing it realistically into your life to change your habits in the long-term and use things you already own (which is also quite motivating to see yourself saving money in tangible numbers). So in terms of these polished posts: I think they do have a right to exist. The biggest motivational factor I identified,though, was a social circle to exchange ideas and share stories with (may that be online or in real life). I think we need more people to share their (realistic) zero waste stories, to show that it doesn't always look like and instagram post, when you are living sustainibly, give ideas on how to use your belongings effectively and also show that being "zero waste" means purchasing with care.

Thank you for touching on these things. I feel like a lot of people think they are being more eco friendly just because the company of the product they are buying says "eco friendly", but in reality it is not. And also you are so pretty!

I'd love to find a goth/alternative sustainable brand, I thrift the majority my stuff but it is always very hard to find those specific items. If anyone knows a brand, tell me! Meanwhile, I'll look into it :)

I’ve never bought from a sustainable fashion brand, but the reason I support th is because sometimes people in very specific sizes (petite, plus size, etc) have difficulty finding good quality thrifted clothes.

I feel like for me zero waste has really gotten away from recycle, reuse and whatever the other two are. I have LOTS of jars that I use for all sorts, like tail end baking ingredients, snack pots, saving to go back home home cos my fam makes a LOT of jam from the garden and it's THE BEST. I even keep my spice jars for odds and ends medicine and i keep all my plastic vitimin bottles for bringing a make up wipe in my bag on date night so when my lipstick does the thing I can take it off and reapply (protip). I got so bored recently that I painted my Ariel pod tubs to look like shop fronts and it's v aesthetic. But when I can't reuse, I recycle and it's up to the local council to carry that out properly. I understand the idea of "buy good quality new" but also... I like giving myself a little treat when I'm down (for example I bought myself a gorgeous dress for Future Date Night and I cannot tell you the pure joy I had flouncing around in this thing all day yesterday). Was it from a sustainable brand? No. Am I going to keep it until it literally starts falling apart beyond repair? Yes. I have 6 Fancy Dresses TM that I've collected since prom when I was 16 and im now 24, and I can and will wear these bad boys until my body changes so much I can't hope fit into them. Similarly, I have all my cute Tupperware from uni - I LOVE the stackable boxes you can get from paperchase and I eat so much prepped fruit that I get good use out of it all. I've had one set for 6 years and the other for 4, again not Sustainable TM but I'm going to use it until i can't anymore. I have this approach for everything in my life and I ask myself "will I get use out of this?" And this is usually coming from a tight-wad perspective rather than a Sustainable perspective. If it's something frivolous like a new dress, I tend to think about it for a week, if im revisiting the same link every day and still having that fluttery feeling, then yeah we get the dress. Idk it just frustrates me that sustainability is becoming part of the corporate machine and you can get the same thing for much cheaper in cute colours that will probably last just as long (if longer) and yeah where it comes from probably isn't the best place but it's being made anyway and tbh greenwashing is a real Problem. Swaps I really WOULD need from a sustainable brand are things like bees wax wraps - I don't like cling film and it's not recyclable. I feel like sustainability is best when fixing problems that otherwise can't be solved by high street chains.

Also bohem goods is a woman in Canada who sells secondhand vintage and recently started making basics out of old fabrics. Works with local women to tailor & dye naturally. She's doing fashion in a reallllyyyy progressive way rn :)

I would rather rent kayaks and go out on the river than go to the mall and buy shitty clothes any day. Great video!

Cutlery sets are quite dumb like just bring a fork/spoon you already own in a fabric towel idk Also those metal canteens look like what boys scout use lmao maybe we should just get that lol.

I FELT the sustainable “simple” fashion brands makes me so annoyed 😂

I am so glad that someone is talking about this on KZfaq. I totally agree that the terms "eco-friendly", "reusable" "green" have actually become more of a marketting strategy than sustainable practices.

YES! to the reuse-able jars, especially after my municipality decided to stop recycling glass 😒

Whenever I want to purchase an aesthetically pleasing mason jar I get fancy marmalade from my favourite farmers market and reuse their jars :D

I'm someone who primarily likes hot food, so the metal tiffins, while cute, can't be microwaved and thus placing a limitation on their usage

The use of tiffin is to encourage the use of steel to go boxes as opposed to plastic boxes. When it's steel, it's reusable and more sustainable. In India, tiffin boxes are not considered athetically pleasing. Those boxes are affordable and way more reusable than plastic containers. Hence even a normal person can buy it

I made a lot of my reusable bags from animal/pet feed bags! They might not be the most beautiful, but they are durable and free!

Yesss!! Thank you i agree 100% ! And i cant believe the eco basics lines sell their plain white tees for like 50$ wth . Im a thrifter all the way 🌎 ❤️✌️

My sons school provides each child with that exact “aesthetic food container” every year for snack time. They have held up so well over the past 4 years.

I seriously love this series! I have been duped so many times and now that you’ve brought it to my attention, I’m like, “Oh my god duh! That makes so much sense!” I’m just going to focus on being more mindful about what I’m buying whether I’m specifically trying to sustainable or not. Thanks for all you do! You’re soooo helpful

I’m so glad someone finally said it! These sustainable fashion brands that I see are all the same and I love fashion but I also don’t want to spend $80 on a plain white t-shirt. And the whole mason jar thing is so true like if you really need it then buy it once and that’s it. Also reuse glass jars, like your pasta sauce glass jars can be reused and they still have that mason jar aesthetic.

Reactions/thoughts: I def bought bamboo cutlery a few years ago-however, up until quarantine I was ALWAYS on the go and used them all the time. That being said, I didn't know there was resin in them when I bought them. But I think they have been well worth it! Also, I def agree on reusing jars instead of buying! I think my mix-matched sundried tomato jars, Laura Scudder Peanut Butter jars, and random thrift store jars are super cute anyway, not that that's what is important.

It's been awhile since I watched your vids - but can I just say, that the quality of your videos (while never bad or anything) has just become so much higher? Honestly, so proud of your development and progress. Keep inspiring us.

I was working at a convention for three years for the organizers and we had to do things like hand out freebies to the exhibitors and the attendants over the course of the week. In the first two years, they handed our disposable plastic water bottles in plastic bags every day to the exhibitors. In the thirst year, they swapped to canvas totes and reusable tote bags that we only handed out on the first day and there were exhibitors that would come to us for a clean water bottle every day?!?! Also, the convention was targeted towards high school students so we had to hand out bags full of pamphlets and newspapers to every student and watching them just toss all the stuff and waste it made so upset.

I really appreciate this video. I’m always looking for zero waste tips for people on a budget and things you can do for free. This was a helpful reminder that a lot of the expensive things people say you need to be zero waste you really don’t

I’ve had the same water bottle for about 6 years. It has been with me everywhere lol and it pretty beat up but I still use it.

For me "reusable water bottle" is just a normal bottle. I mean even if something isn't named reusable it CAN be used multiple times. Like straws and bags from the store.

Bravo!!! Someone had to talk about this. Love how you think further and made yourself an example for some of this bad swaps

Wow this is such an engaged environmental community. You are all making such insightful points and dropping real facts. It gives me so much hope to know that other people care this much.

I don't understand how so many zero waste people say "Just upcycle jars instead of buying new maison jars", like it's the most natural thing in the world. I never buy anything in jars the size of a standard maison jar and nobody I know does. Maybe in America things come in jars as big as a maison jar but where I live there is hardly any food that comes in jars like that.

As an Indian (granted I did grow up in Canada) I don't really think a tiffin would be cultural appropriation as long as you use it for it's intended purposes (I.E. for food and not for instagram). Granted, when people who aren't Indian start selling them, that is more iffy territory that I won't talk about.

you are so right!! I feel like the sustainability movement has been really fueled by the ‘aesthetic’ of zero waste instead of what it is truly about. I think it is SO important to try to make the movement attainable, and all these ‘perfect’ aesthetics are making the movement seem so noninclusive.

Yes! I love this video! I’m definitely guilty of buying “zero waste” things I don’t need.

I love your dress, the flowy sleeves are fantastic

LOL the reusable water bottle thing I've thought about A LOT

I feel you so hard with regards to the mason jars Like my entire jar collection is just scrubby large sized pickle and sourcrout jars

I am new to this channel and I have to say that I love and I love the comment section! It’s all so respectful and everyone is just sharing knowledge on how to do better.

I'd be hyped if they finally made a plus size sustainable basics brand though 😂😑 so many companies that make basics but so rarely carry extended sizes 😡

bruh... "tuppa where's the lid" KILLED ME

Yes! Thank you! 👏👏 I totally agree! I am currently going zero waste/low waste, thanks to KZfaqrs like YOU ... keep doing what you do xx

Personally, your little awkward moments and stumbles make me smile bc we're all human and I feel you. lol. It also makes you feel more authentic rather than re-filming the whole thing over something small.

My theory about coffee cups is that everyone wants disposable coffee cup because of Gilmore girls. They show and shows like it always have the girls walking around with their throw away coffee cups and it was so cool. This past few weeks, I was watching weeks and I started to crave drinks that came in a clear plastic cup with straws ... I noticed almost immediately.

I just think theres way too much judgement and scrutiny towards people and their choices - especially when it comes to people trying to purchase alternative choices. Yes i get that thrift shopping is the better alternative but lets face it, not everyones going to do it so sustainable and ethically made products are the next best thing. If someone wants to buy from a sustainable brand over say Nike and Adidas then thats a far better alternative imo. I wish people would save their energy for the billion dollar corporations and not just a small to medium sustainable brand that is trying to make a tiny difference.

I love this message! Thanks for the regular inspiration to do better! Instead of buying a pretty composting bin, I‘ve just been using a big bucket, which used to contain the colour I painted my room with, it‘s not pretty, but it‘s strong, durable and does the job! And I‘m definitely on the team when it comes to reusing glass jars instead of buying new ones 😊 keep up the lovely work, much love 🤗🌸💚

I love the time stamps! I’ve never seen them before and they are amazing!

i think actually sustainable brands are good because its a good combater to the wasteful unethical companies and its hard to get everyone to buy second hand so if people are gonna buy anyway it should be from a sustainable store

6:00 um Christie you didn't put "assess" lol 😅😂

Love your new style of editing in this video! It was fun and new and definitely noticed!(:

It's crazy how many "basics" ads there are on Instagram. Underwear basics, sustainable T-shirts (many companies claim to plant a tree or clean a part of the ocean for every T-shirt people buy, like where are the receipts for that??), like so many ads. What I am the most mad about prob, is when every event or festival make a new T-shirt every year. In my country there is a folk festival and their shirts we're amazing, loved them. Shirts were quite cheap, because they were thrifted and then they just painted the logo on it. People loved it, merchandise was super affordable and no new shirts were created. Also, sometimes festivals and sellers, after not selling enough shirts, shred the leftover shirts and weave them into new fabric and make backpacks or rugs.

Me: *watching this video* "she's so beautiful; how does she make the middle part look so good?" *slowly slides my side swept bangs into a middle part* *sees my reflection on my PC screen* *humbles myself, slowly slides my hair back, and continues watching the video*

I've never had a water bottle freebee! I have one bottle I've had for maybe a decade now, but I know the pain of wanting more! I keep seeing really pretty ones and must restrain myself aaa. One thing I'm trying to find still is a reusable bubble tea straw that isn't metal(and that I don't have to order online, unless it's eco friendly packaging/shipping). The thought of tripping and falling on to a metal straw scares the hell outta me.

I loooove those videos! I bought 3 bottle of local lemonade and 1 of syrup a year ago, and I've been using them ALL THE TIME since then for my water bottle I broken one once, because I am Really clumsy, but one time my syrup bottle drop of my hand at my uni while I was in a staircase, and litteraly drop for at least 30 concrete Marchs WITHOUT BREAKING!! still amaze me how strong those glass bottle can be!!

Hope you all are doing well!!!

I agree with your point about bamboo cutlery sets. I don't find the need to buy it. This actually got me thinking and I made a video on my channel about the positive and negative impacts of bamboo toothbrushes on the environment. If any of you here are interested, do have a look and let me know what you think. I'd be thrilled!

I don't know why but this is one of my favourite videos on this channel so far. It might be the asthetic or the editing or the fact that your highlighting greenwashing. I can't tell but I love it!! 😂

i think it's great that you're spurring discussion and providing more viewpoints for people to consider :) keep going! 💚

This is my process as a consumer: I have been trying to write down things I am thinking about purchasing and wait a couple weeks or even a couple months. Next I ask myself "do I already have something that will do the same thing", "do I need it or do I want it?", "have I survived without it?", and "how will this add value to my life?" Then if I'm still thinking of purchasing it I will look to see if I can get it secondhand. If not I have been looking up brands on directory.goodonyou.eco/ to decide if it's a business that I want to support. This process is not perfect but has really slowed down how I buy things :)...anyone else have a similar process?

Just commenting to improve this vids algorythm

So glad you talked about the tote bags!!! SO MUCH WATER AND WASTE GOES INTO THEM. WE ALREADY OWN BAGS. Beach bags, totes from events, T-SHIRTS THAT CAN BE REPURPOSED TO BAGS. It takes thousands of reuses to make up for the footprint of a "reusable, sustainable" tote.

So glad you brought up fashion and definitely agree with you. I love the idea of living more sustainably, but I also love designing fashion and wish to someday own my own business. I get so frustrated as these interests constantly clash. Loved how you brought up the part about only buying unique items new and trying to buy secondhand as often as possible

Regarding the upcycling of jars: I'm not the biggest fan of this. If you recycle jars correctly (honestly I don't know how the situation is in the US or other parts of the world, but here in Germany you can recycle them separately by colour) they can be reused completely (not like aluminium for example, you always have to add "new" aluminium to reuse it again), so no new glass has to be made. Keeping them at home and reusing them interrupts this circle and increases the demand for new glass. Don't get me wrong, if you need a jar I think it's perfectly fine to upcycle it instead of buying a new one, but upcycling without a reason and just for the sake of it doesn't make any sense to me. Regarding glass I think recycling is better than reusing. Loved the video thank you :)

Being cautious with plastic has now been impossible with the pandemic.

I love that I found you’re channel recently! I'm working towards a low waste, sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle with my day to day activities and with what I buy and where I buy items currently. I'm also going towards a more minimalist lifestyle since clutter tends to make me feel anxious, make me unproductive and I don’t like owning things that aren't used (specifically clothing). Keep up the content! :)

I love how you put sustainable life while talking about consumerism. Never thought about it like that.

I HATE big fast paced fashion brands that put “sustainable” on items just bc it’s like half cotton or something. Another thing is ppl think it’s sustainable to buy quality clothes (which it can be) but they don’t do it in a sustainable way bc they continue to buy a lot of clothing. Like the point is that u will use it a long time and buy less...

Omg the amount of tote bags I have 😫😂🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

I love this series! It shows the imperfect side of zero waste. Many times I have looked in the movement and those in it as somehow more dedicated and true to it. To me this lifestyle seems unattainable due to not only ( but very often)resources such as stores and money but also the ability to devote myself to further limiting what I allow myself and having to check myself constantly and question if I am fulfilling my goal of being zero waste. I feel seeing only the perfect side of zero wasters makes me insecure and not enough to even consider myself as being for the movement, that’s why I’m grateful for these types of videos. The zero waste community tends to only show one idealized version of the zero waster(ig. The steel Straw sucking Mason jar-hugging tote slinging plant loving vegan) and as someone trying to get into it, it often discourages me, because I feel like I’m not doing enough. A lot of swaps recommended to beginners aren’t very thought through in my opinion: reusable grocery bags, Many reuse the plastic ones as bin liners which could in theory be foregoed but that would require a whole lot of effort to clean the bin( household and outside), instead recommending a reusable it makes much more sense to first say just don’t use one easy, accessible, and minimal effort. Obviously it varies on how these swaps are applicable to each individual and those are in my opinion not as easy. By far the easiest ones to implement in my life have been a reusable water bottle, buying in bulk (from chains tho), cloth cleaning ,towels. What these have in common tho is that they are accessible, minimal effort, and most importantly save money. Maybe hopefully you can do a video on when zero waste becomes inconvenient, like composting with no way of how to dispose of it, or when specialty zero waste bulk store cost more that having to get items in plastic,

this is my second video i watch of you and im already so motivated to move, and be so much more mindful

I have my two 1 litre nalgenes and that's what I'll be using until they break!