Have you heard of the zero waste lifestyle? Today's video is a beginner's guide to zero waste: 10 tips for reducing waste! I'm so thankful to partner with Ecosia on this video. Ecosia is a a search engine that plants trees as you search!
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00:00 Hi everyone.
00:10 Welcome back to Lavendaire.
00:11 Today's video is on how to live with less waste.
00:15 It's a video for beginners who are looking to get into the zero waste lifestyle.
00:19 And it's just a video for anyone who wants to be more conscious
00:21 of their environmental footprint.
00:23 I am so, so thrilled to be partnering with Ecosia on this video.
00:27 Ecosia is a search engine that plants trees as you search the web,
00:32 and I think it's the coolest concept ever.
00:34 The way it works is just like any other search engine.
00:36 So you can use Ecosia to search something on the web,
00:39 and then search ads will come up with your results.
00:42 And with those search ads, they get income, and with their income,
00:46 they donate 80% to planting trees.
00:49 So I think on average, 45 searches will plant one tree.
00:54 And I've been using Ecosia for about three months now, and I have about 500 searches.
01:00 So if you calculate it, I think I've planted maybe 11 trees,
01:04 which is so awesome just knowing that you're doing something good
01:09 just by doing what you would normally do with the internet.
01:12 So this is something that everybody can apply.
01:15 Everyone can start using this now, and you'll truly make an impact.
01:19 So there are a lot of resources that I'll link down below,
01:22 videos of Ecosia doing their work, planting their trees.
01:25 And they're really big on transparency, which is what I love and why I support them,
01:30 so that you know exactly where their money's going to.
01:33 So I fully trust them and I love this thing so much.
01:37 So you can use Ecosia on your computer or on your phone.
01:40 They have a mobile app for iOS and Android.
01:43 And what's really cool is they've already planted 10 million trees this June,
01:49 and they have a goal to plant 1 billion trees by 2020, which I think is super inspiring.
01:54 So definitely check them out if you're interested in this sort of thing.
01:58 As you can tell, I'm super behind it.
02:00 Alright, so moving on to other ways you can be environmentally friendly.
02:04 Here are 10 ways to live with less waste.
02:07 First, it's important to know the five R's of waste management.
02:12 Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot, in that order.
02:17 Today we'll start with refuse.
02:20 Refusing is the first rule to living a zero waste lifestyle.
02:23 Think before accepting any clutter into your home.
02:26 Turn down flyers and junk mail, freebies, party favors,
02:30 and any other junk that will most likely go into the trash.
02:36 Each year, Americans throw away 100 billion plastic grocery bags,
02:41 which take about a thousand years to break down.
02:44 Instead of accepting plastic bags and creating more demand for them,
02:47 use reusable cloth bags or even no bag when possible.
02:52 I used to think that it was mandatory to use these plastic bags for your fruits and vegetables,
02:57 but I recently discovered you can just use your own bag or even no bag,
03:00 which is even better because why bring home extra plastic?
03:06 You could also bring your own jars to grocery stores
03:08 to avoid bringing home any unnecessary plastic containers.
03:11 I love when grocery stores sell things in bulk
03:14 so that it's really easy to do some zero waste shopping.
03:17 You can either weigh your jars at the front beforehand
03:20 or bring an extra of the same jar so you can weigh it at checkout.
03:24 Next, instead of using a one-time disposable plastic straw,
03:28 you can either refuse the straw completely or use an acrylic or steel straw instead.
03:33 I personally like to drink my smoothies with a straw,
03:36 so I have this acrylic straw for that specific purpose.
03:42 Instead of using this plastic cling wrap in your kitchen to preserve your food and leftovers,
03:46 switch to using this sustainable and reusable food wrap.
03:50 These are all-natural, organic, and compostable.
03:53 I believe they're made out of beeswax,
03:55 and they actually do a really great job at keeping your food fresh,
03:58 even better than the plastic, in my opinion.
04:07 Instead of buying disposable plastic water bottles,
04:10 opt for a reusable water bottle that you can fill up again and again.
04:14 Glass and steel are probably best for your water bottle,
04:17 but I'm using this BPA-free plastic bottle because my boyfriend used to sell them
04:20 and we have a ton of them left over.
04:23 So if you have them already, reuse what you can.
04:27 Do your best to avoid using disposable utensils.
04:30 Instead, you can bring silverware from home
04:33 or use portable utensils made out of stainless steel or bamboo.
04:38 Over 4.7 billion plastic toothbrushes that will never biodegrade
04:42 are dumped in landfills and oceans each year.
04:44 So you can make a huge impact just by switching out your plastic toothbrush
04:49 for a sustainable bamboo toothbrush.
04:51 Think of all the plastic toothbrushes that you'll use in one lifetime,
04:55 and imagine avoiding that waste completely
04:57 just by switching to something that's biodegradable and compostable.
05:02 Disposable period products also create so much waste.
05:05 The average woman throws away up to 300 pounds of pads, tampons,
05:10 and applicators in her lifetime.
05:12 Instead, try using a menstrual cup.
05:15 Menstrual cups are made out of medical-grade silicone,
05:17 and one cup can last you up to ten years, which is pretty amazing.
05:23 Lastly, reduce the amount of paper you bring into your home
05:27 by switching to paperless whenever possible.
05:30 Do this with your mail, your bills, your notes, and your books.
05:33 I personally love reading ebooks on my iPad,
05:36 but I know some people love traditional books, so just do whatever works for you.
05:41 I hope you like these tips on how to live with less waste.
05:46 I just want to remind you though, just take it one step at a time.
05:50 Don't be so hard on yourself.
05:52 It's a journey.
05:53 All that matters is that you're becoming more aware,
05:55 more conscious of the environment, and you're doing your best, okay?
05:59 Everyone is at a different point in this journey.
06:01 I'm not perfect.
06:02 I'm totally not zero waste yet.
06:05 But I think the first step is awareness, and then after that,
06:08 you'll start to reduce your waste little by little.
06:11 So let's create a non-judgmental, welcoming space
06:15 where we can just open up the discussion around reducing our waste.
06:19 And let's not judge others who aren't aware of this lifestyle.
06:23 Let's just understand everyone's at a different point in our journeys.
06:26 The best thing you can do is just be a living example
06:30 of what you want to see in the world, and let your actions speak louder than your words.
06:34 It all begins with awareness, and let those awareness seep into your actions.
06:38 And then others will see what you're doing, and then they'll be inspired to follow along.
06:43 Alright, that's it.
06:44 Make sure you subscribe if you haven't already.
06:46 I love you so much.
06:48 And also check out Ecosia for a really easy way to start being more environmentally friendly,
06:52 just by searching the web.
06:54 Alright, love you all so, so much.
06:56 See you next time.
06:57 Bye!
06:58 [Music]