FAQ

1. "Why are you doing this?"

Short answer: We create way too much useless, harmful junk on this planet.

Long answer: There's always room for improving one's relationship with our finite and only Earth. I've been seeking new ways for most of my life, but reducing or eliminating waste really struck me as something not only attainable, but also absolutely necessary. Some people who inspired me:

Jen and Grant of the Clean Bin Project
The Johnsons of Zero Waste Home

I don't need to cite statistics; here's some easy math even I could do:
Fact -- There are billions of people on this Earth, a substantial portion of whom are over-consuming at alarming rates. If, for just one day, each of us vowed to refuse one disposable cup, we would prevent an unfathomable number of cups from stuffing landfills.

But don't take it from me; check out the art of Chris Jordan.

If you're so intrigued that you just can't wait to read some trashy government statistics (or you're simply that bored), here's a short EPA fact sheet on fantastic plastic.

2. "Why should I listen to you?"

Because I said so. (Why does this only work for the ‘rents?) OK, but really…

I haven't written any books on the matter; I don't have a Learn to Stop Buying More Shit and Free Yourself from the Chains of Consumer-Capitalist Oppression e-book to sell you (but hey... don't steal that title). I don't have 15+ years of experience in waste management or holistic homesteading. I'm not an expert on anything.

I'm an ordinary girl living in one of the most wasteful countries in the world (for the moment) trying to find my own perfect ratios between passions and responsibility, present and future, work and play, peanut butter and jelly (this one's especially elusive). I'm a lot like you.

...you can do what I'm doing.

3. “What’s in it for me?”

Six-pack abs from all the belly laughs... ? ... Alright, fine.

If you've always wanted to reduce your waste and consumption, you can start here by living vicariously through my trials and errors.

I try to align everyday decisions (e.g. "Would I like bacon on that? It's only $0.10 more?!") with life's bigger picture (e.g. Pssst, large-scale, inhumane animal agriculture is sucking the life out of our planet... "No, thank you."), and it's always a rewarding and entertaining challenge. I gain valuable lessons from these adventures every single day, so I’d like to share them with you on this wonderful entity known as a blog. May it ultimately become a platform for helping lessen our collective environmental impact.