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[slit]

Well good for her, but the planet is already doomed.

Well then what is so good about it?

She just wasted her time in that case.

 

[Miles X]

She gets her clothes from the Goodwill, Craigslist, second hand shops.

She mentions she tries to avoid clothes with tags. Tags are her trickiest things to avoid she mentioned.

Dumb imo, why go out of your way like that for a little tiny tag?

 

[Zoned]

Not everyone has time or money for this. Seems OK for a newspaper heading, but doesn't amount to anything in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Plywood]

Well then what is so good about it?

She just wasted her time in that case.

Well she gets to feel good about it.

 

[Aesius]

Sounds like an expensive hobby.

How? If she buys only fresh food that doesn't come with packaging and is biodegradable and she buys second-hand clothing/essential items that come "as is" and also don't have packaging, it could be a cheaper lifestyle than the norm.

I do wonder how she gets things like toothpaste, shampoo, dish detergent, etc., though.

 

[Flux]

I don't get the issue with the clothing tags.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Wodden cutting boards actually increase the risk of infectious bacteria than plastic. I use plastic cutting boards for all my meat just like Alton Brown.

 

[entremet]

How? If she buys only fresh food that doesn't come with packaging and is biodegradable and she buys second-hand clothing/essential items that come "as is" and also don't have packaging, it could be a cheaper lifestyle than the norm.

I do wonder how she gets things like toothpaste, shampoo, dish detergent, etc., though.

She mentions all that on her website.

Very interesting stuff.

 

[Ether_Snake]

How are plastic utensils not recyclable?

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

I do wonder how she gets things like toothpaste, shampoo, dish detergent, etc., though.

That part is easy. Shampoo is for suckers.

 

[ItIsOkBro]

How? If she buys only fresh food that doesn't come with packaging and is biodegradable and she buys second-hand clothing/essential items that come "as is" and also don't have packaging, it could be a cheaper lifestyle than the norm.

I do wonder how she gets things like toothpaste, shampoo, dish detergent, etc., though.

apparently she makes her own toothpaste.

 

[terrisus]

Dumb imo, why go out of your way like that for a little tiny tag?

I mean, people on GAF go out of their way for a tag too... :þ

 

[-COOLIO-]

Why not live in the middle of nowhere where you can actually live that lifestyle? Living in a big city carries some offset.

"Organic..pesticide ridden...coconut oil" yeah, lady is ignorant as heck.


I'd rather fit a solar panel and call it a day.

But unhygienic. There's a reason we invented plumbing.

These people strike me as pretentious upper class fools.

Wodden cutting boards actually increase the risk of infectious bacteria than plastic. I use plastic cutting boards for all my meat just like Alton Brown.

So wasteful then and arrogant.

did an environmentalist kill your parents?

 

[RELIGHT]

Smug. Was stopping mass production part of your plan?

 

[maxcriden]

I mean, people on GAF go out of their way for a tag too... :þ

Bwahaha.

 

[Aquamarine]

did an environmentalist kill your parents?

they eat too much fish

 

[entremet]

Also a lot of cities are starting to ban plastic bags.

A good thing.

Not everyone has time or money for this. Seems OK for a newspaper heading, but doesn't amount to anything in the grand scheme of things.

I doubt she has tons of money. She's 23, works in an environment focused company (not finance, law or medicine), and lives in one of the most expensive areas in the country.

 

[terrisus]

Bwahaha.

At least you got your Member tag back.
Don't appreciate how much that means until it's gone >.>

they eat too much fish

So you would say that they're fish aficionados?

 

[tokkun]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_garbage_patch

Probably not the result of residential trash.

 

[Delta Assault]

 

[diggmcbadass]

Landfills are already a problem. One thing you aren't factoring in the cost and emissions of trucking all that trash around the country. Nevada, for example makes a lot of money on buying garbage and having it trucked hundreds of miles.

Landfills are also very large emitters of CH4, a greenhouse gas, which harms the atmosphere.

I do support not trucking around garbage, but I am not convinced that the solution is for single individuals to live a convoluted lifestyle.

Take an example from the story posted. She buys peanut butter from a place that grounds them for her. Is that place somewhere near her, or does she have to ride emission heavy public transportation to get there? Is the grinder at that place energy efficient compared to the amount of energy saved by having the peanut butter be pre ground and bottled at a giant facility? Transporting whole peanuts also takes up more volume than pre ground peanut butter, and therefore uses more fuel. And it is most likely also delivered in some sort of wrapping that the shop keeper needs to throw away.

If you extrapolate these single person type of scenarios to a situation where everyone would also be doing the same thing, it is easier to see how the total energy cost might not be lower after all. And energy is still the number one concern.

 

[kswiston]

did an environmentalist kill your parents?

Probably just trolling the thread.

 

[Deleted member 13876]

Again I'm puzzled people are grasping for reasons to diminish or belittle her efforts.

 

[entremet]

I do support not trucking around garbage, but I am not convinced that the solution is for single individuals to live a convoluted lifestyle.

Take an example from the story posted. She buys peanut butter from a place that grounds them for her. Is that place somewhere near her, or does she have to ride emission heavy public transportation to get there? Is the grinder at that place energy efficient compared to the amount of energy saved by having the peanut butter be pre ground and bottled at a giant facility? Transporting whole peanuts also takes up more volume than pre ground peanut butter, and therefore uses more fuel. And it is most likely also delivered in some sort of wrapping that the shop keeper needs to throw away.

If you extrapolate these single person type of scenarios to a situation where everyone would also be doing the same thing, it is easier to see how the total energy cost might not be lower after all. And energy is still the number one concern.

Public transportation is way less emission producing than automobiles it also scales better.

Besides she's probably using trains, which are electric, but then also they scale better than personal vehicles.

 

[thelongestj]

Thanks for sharing the link. I find people like her very inspiring. I'm always looking for ways to reduce waste and make better consumption decisions so her site is very helpful.

The zero waste toothpaste recipe looks really easy. I'm going to try it. I also need to get some of those toothbrushes.

 

[Blargonaut]

At least you got your Member tag back.
Don't appreciate how much that means until it's gone >.>

Aye, this the true true.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Heh, this is weird. The interview notes she learned everything she does from Bea Johnson (who runs Zero Waste Home) and almost all the stuff on her website seems directly taken from Zero Waste Home. It's very strange that the coverage would be covering her and not Bea

http://www.zerowastehome.com/

 

[diggmcbadass]

Public transportation is way less emission producing than automobiles it also scales better.

Besides she's probably using trains, which are electric, but then also they scale better than personal vehicles.

That particular example was if she had to go out of her way to get products with less waste, as opposed to not go there at all, and then the implication if everyone was doing the same thing.

 

[entremet]

Heh, this is weird. The interview notes she learned everything she does from Bea Johnson (who runs Zero Waste Home) and almost all the stuff on her website seems directly taken from Zero Waste Home. It's very strange that the coverage would be covering her and not Bea

http://www.zerowastehome.com/

I think the woman in the OP had a KickStarter that got her the additional PR.

Here, from the same OP link.

Between Seamless bags, your Starbucks cup, last night’s dinner remnants, and all the paper towels, it’s hard to go a day without filling up yet another trash bag. So the fact that Lauren Singer, a 23-year-old Brooklynite, can store her trash from the past two years inside a (small) mason jar definitely made us say, “How is that even possible?!”

Turns out Singer, who worked at the Department of Environmental Protection after graduating with an environmental studies degree from NYU, recently launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to start her own all-natural laundry detergent brand and went from hanging on to some garbage to having essentially none at all. Here, she tells us how.

 

[terrisus]

Aye, this the true true.

=(

Heh, this is weird. The interview notes she learned everything she does from Bea Johnson (who runs Zero Waste Home) and almost all the stuff on her website seems directly taken from Zero Waste Home. It's very strange that the coverage would be covering her and not Bea

http://www.zerowastehome.com/

Yeah, I found that curious too.
Maybe she didn't want to do an interview.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Again I'm puzzled people are grasping for reasons to diminish or belittle her efforts.

Because for most people it's actually more expensive and her choices don't seem to match the science or facts of actual sustainable living or even urban gardening etc.

 

[entremet]

Because for most people it's actually more expensive and her choices don't seem to match the science or facts if actual sustainable living or even urban gardening etc.

Using cast iron over teflon pans is cheaper. Cast iron will last ages with proper care. Teflon doesn't.

Cast iron much much is also cheaper than the fancy All Clad stuff.

Buying used is infinitely cheaper in general.

 

[Valnen]

How? If she buys only fresh food that doesn't come with packaging and is biodegradable and she buys second-hand clothing/essential items that come "as is" and also don't have packaging, it could be a cheaper lifestyle than the norm.

I do wonder how she gets things like toothpaste, shampoo, dish detergent, etc., though.

How do you get meat without any sort of packaging that isn't expensive as shit? I guarantee you she's spending a little more than average on food...

 

[grumble]

person considers ways to reduce their environmental footprint, is called arrogant and pretentious.

wut.

People get hostile and defensive because they feel guilty

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Using cast iron over teflon pans is cheaper. Cast iron will last ages with proper care. Teflon doesn't.

Sure. I use both. Like Alton Brown, I don't have a single use item except for maybe the coffee drip machine, peeler, can opener, or toaster.
And those are worth a decade or more of use.


Not angry but I call bs when I see it.

 

[jerry1594]

People get hostile and defensive because they feel guilty

But it's not even my fault. corporations do that stuff and I can't do anything about it.

 

[Brian Fellows]

Good for her I guess. I'll continue to produce enough trash to fill a swimming pool though.

 

[Phobophile]

So you would say that they're fish aficionados?

I would have opted for afishionados.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Terry no

 

[Naughty_Doge]

person considers ways to reduce their environmental footprint, is called arrogant and pretentious.

wut.

I'm confused as well.

 

[CrocMother]

I do support not trucking around garbage, but I am not convinced that the solution is for single individuals to live a convoluted lifestyle.

Take an example from the story posted. She buys peanut butter from a place that grounds them for her. Is that place somewhere near her, or does she have to ride emission heavy public transportation to get there? Is the grinder at that place energy efficient compared to the amount of energy saved by having the peanut butter be pre ground and bottled at a giant facility? Transporting whole peanuts also takes up more volume than pre ground peanut butter, and therefore uses more fuel. And it is most likely also delivered in some sort of wrapping that the shop keeper needs to throw away.

If you extrapolate these single person type of scenarios to a situation where everyone would also be doing the same thing, it is easier to see how the total energy cost might not be lower after all. And energy is still the number one concern.

Ok, I'll give you an example of how waste policies and energy policies can by synergistic.

Waste-to-Energy programs are becoming a huge deal, as they can potentially knock out two-birds with one stone. These plants can basically "create energy for free" by using what we would otherwise dump in a hole in the ground for energy production. However, without source separation of waste, a large portion of the waste going into these plants will likely be organic waste, which is high in moisture content. Most food you throw away has a lot of water in it, which makes it not only take more energy to burn, but also produces methane when it decomposes in landfills.

If everyone were to separate their organic waste like this girl does, (and do this in many cities already), we could create a more homogeneous waste stream which could be used more efficiently in WTE plants, and have another stream containing food waste which could be used for Biogas production.

Energy reduction and waste reduction can be synergistic processes.

 

[poppabk]

It's not bullshit it's just highly impractical/impossible for pretty much everyone.

I think it is likely bullshit. She never dropped a single mason jar in two years? Her iPhone had no packaging? Her computer, her camera? Let me guess she got them all second hand. She hasn't had any electronics break in 2 years? Doesn't get mail? Hasn't had to replace a light bulb?

 

[terrisus]

I would have opted for afishionados.

Hah, that works too.

Terry no

Sorry >.>

 

[Foshy]

Why are you guys so negative about her? Calm down.

It's certainly inspirational. No way I could do it like she does, but she made me think.

 

[PAULINK]

person considers ways to reduce their environmental footprint, is called arrogant and pretentious.

wut.

If I can't change then no one can!

 

[pokeystaples]

Do people make a lot of trash? I switched to mason jars for many things a while ago. Recycle. Don't have a compost yet though. I make far more trash than she does, but I try my hardest not to. Why so angry, peeps? I don't get it?

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Sorry >.>

Aw :3

Where's speculawyer? He's my go to for sustainability.


I got my nexus 5 refurbished, does that count?

 

[Nokagi]

I would fill up that mason jar in about 3 hours.

 

[entremet]

I think it is likely bullshit. She never dropped a single mason jar in two years? Her iPhone had no packaging? Her computer, her camera? Let me guess she got them all second hand. She hasn't had any electronics break in 2 years? Doesn't get mail? Hasn't had to replace a light bulb?

Mason jars are pretty thick glass. I've dropped a few without any cracks.

Buying stuff second hand reduces the need for packaging. And some of the better bulbs like LED last years.

 

[rokkerkory]

She is lying