TerraCycle Programs

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

09.16.2019

0600

TerraCycle offers a range of free programs that are funded by conscientious companies, as well as recycling solutions available for purchase for almost every form of waste.

TerraCycle offers free recycling programs funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers around the world to help you collect and recycle your hard-to-recycle waste. Simply choose the programs you’d like to join; start collecting in your home, school, or office; download free shipping labels; and send us your waste to be recycled. You can even earn rewards for your school or favorite non-profit!

TerraCycle reuses, upcycles, and recycles waste instead of incinerating or land filling it. This moves waste from a linear system to a circular one, allowing it to keep cycling in our economy.

You can collect points, by collecting trash for your specific program and then redeeming your points. You can redeem your points by either receiving a cash value, or you can donate the points to charity. There’s a list of charities that team up with TerraCycle, in which you can choose to donate your points to.

I always donate my points, since I think this program is a great way for charities and companies to get involved with creating less waste, and I really don’t value the cash redemption as much.

Some of the charity organizations I was looking at to donate my points were:

100 points = Help safeguard 1 acre of rain forest for 1 year in the Northwest Gaia Amazon.
1 point = Help http://www.Carbonfund.org to reduce a 2 pounds of emissions from the atmosphere.
1,000 points = Help http://www.Carbonfund.org to reduce a metric tonne or 2,205 pounds of emissions from the atmosphere.
300 points = Have a tree planted in an American forest through Arbor Day Foundation
300 points = You can provide one year’s supply of clean drinking water to a person who otherwise would lack access to this most essential element.
625 points = You can help the D’Addario Music Foundation give one child a free music lesson.
2500 points = You can help the D’addario Music Foundation provide a child with 4 music lessons for a week. Kids who study music are 5x more likely to stay in school, graduate on time and apply to college.
100 points = For every 100 points, TerraCycle will send $1 to the American Red Cross to provide aid to those affected by natural disasters.

For this round, I decided to split my points between a couple of different charities. I decided to redeem my points with:

Providing one year’s supply of clean drinking water to a person who otherwise would lack access to this most essential element
Help http://www.Carbonfund.org to reduce emissions from the atmosphere

If you want to participate in the TerraCycle programs, check them out at https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/select-country to see which programs you can join. The participating companies change often, so check back with the website to see updates. There are a lot of programs to choose from and supporting the partnership between TerraCycle and the participating companies creates more awareness to how much trash we produce, and how companies take responsibility for the trash they pass onto us consumers.

Use What You Have

December 20, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

12.20.2016

0800

“Why I don’t recommend a lot of separate items…”

You’re looking at everything I own in my kitchen. That’s all of it, although my silverware and kitchen tools aren’t pictured. Some kitchen items are marketed to have specific uses, but you’d be surprised at how many kitchen items can have multiple uses and how some kitchen tools really aren’t necessary at all. Even when it coms to bathroom items, I don’t have a separate soap for my body and my face (I use separate bars… but it’s still the same bar soap brand). I use baking soda as toothpaste and I don’t use band aids (I use paper tape with gauze).

For those of you who are moving into this lifestyle, I understand the need to buy compostable cotton swabs or a bamboo set of utensils to carry around, instead of grabbing a set from your existing silverware. In order to transition to this zero waste lifestyle, you’re altering your behavior that you’d developed for however many years you’ve existed on Earth.

However, I don’t recommend buying into the “buy all new things because nothing else can substitute it” mantra. The likelihood is that you already have items that you can use, but for different purposes and the transition is simply altering your behavior and mindset. I understand the novelty behind this zero waste movement, but a lot of the times, I’ve noticed that a few bloggers will recommend a lot of new items. Part of this movement is to try to NOT create waste and when you buy more stuff, more than likely you’re producing some form of waste.

For kids, I understand that it make take a few colors and some ownership of their personal products so they can personally take part in this movement or to break away from what they already like and know. Also, a lot of glass and stainless steel items may be to heavy for them to carry around, or that they may not be careful enough to take care of such items. For adults however, I think we should really try to create as many uses for a single product, as much as possible. Products that are designed for a specific use and a certain function, will likely not be as versatile for any other use.

Here are some of the items you don’t necessarily have to buy:

Handkerchief –> Use existing fabric napkin or you can make your own from old pillowcases (just try to make sure the material is 100% cotton)
Cloth napkin in your “To Go Lunch Kit” –> Use existing fabric napkin
Silverware in your “To Go Lunch Kit”–> Use existing silverware (unless you’re going to pass through TSA [Transportation Security Administration] at the airport or some kind of security metal detector, then carry around a set of bamboo utensils)
Eco lunchbox –> Use existing Tupperware
Placemats –> Make your own from old bed sheets or pillowcases (Just remember to layer them up so it’s a thicker pile)
Re-useable Produce Bags –> Make our own re-useable produce bags from old bed sheets and pillow cases (just make sure it’s cotton, with a decent thread count so it won’t fall apart as easily.)
Spice Jars –> Just re-use the space jars you already own (remember to tare the weight before you refill it up. I usually carve the weight into the lid so I never forget)

This list could go on and on, but I’m keeping in mind that each person has a different journey on this path of zero waste. But if you can, reuse what you already own, there’s no point to wasting your money if it’s not necessary. Also, the more stuff you buy and if you’re not purging items in your home, you’re essentially just adding to the amount of possessions you’ll now be responsible for. So don’t give yourself more work, seriously… life will do that down the line… apparently it’s plentiful.. like pens.. stupid free pens.

Seven Tips To Begin A Zero Waste Life

March 14, 2016July 19, 2019 / Yen-Van Tran / 3 Comments

03.14.2016

0800

When I first began this journey to live a zero waste lifestyle, although there always seemed to be a list of tasks that I would end up doing; I wish there was a list of things I needed to do in sequential order. There was a lot of backtracking as well as re-organizing when it came down to the sequence in which I should have gone about starting this journey. Because this journey also is adjusted to each person’s lifestyle, my system was not refined for a couple of months. I still wished someone could have informed me about what to do first verses my assumption that the first task was to get rid of all products packaged in plastic.

Begin by making bags from old bed sheets and extra rope/shoelace.
1. These bags can be different sizes. I made mine into 2 different sizes. Take those bags and weigh them at a store so you can record the tare weight onto each bag. If you narrow down your bags sizes, it’s easier to input the tare the weight and when you shop and you won’t be fluctuating between a variety of numbers. It will be easier on you and the cashier as well.
2. These bags will also become useful once you start cleaning out your life. Since you’ll most likely be donating or eliminating items from your life, the areas that you’re cleaning out will most likely need something to separate your items in. And these bags will also help in the beginning of your journey into bulk shopping (which takes care of that pesky task of eating to survive).
Sort out your products that are contained in plastic or wasteful packaging.
1. It’s easier to separate products by room and by use, so go slowly. Then go through and reduce the amount of products.
2. If you can’t eliminate a product completely, you know that the next tasks is to find an alternative; that alternative also needs to be a zero waste alternative. Unfortunately, that’s also one of the tricky tasks during this journey. Some people may need certain products due to medical reasons or health conditions, so these products take a little bit more time to eliminate and more research as well. Make sure you choose the best solution for yourself.
Invest in jars. I invested in Bormioli Rocco Fido jars as well as Mason jars.
1. These jars will help you organize your items that need a more sturdy container as well as assist you on your journey in bulk shopping. Food packaging is one of the most wasteful habits we have adapted to, so by investing in these jars, you’re already preparing yourself to take care of the easiest problem.
2. Also, when you start bringing these jars to the grocery store, make sure you ask the cashier to tare the weight before you fill it. For the Mason jars, I actually carve the tare weight into the lid and for the Bormioli Rocco Fido jars, I write the tare weight on the gasket rim so that the cashier can see the tare weight through the lid.
Go to the local bulk grocery stores near you and find what’s available in their bulk section.
1. Check out what they sell in their bath and body bulk section as well as the bulk food area. By doing this, you can create a list of ingredients and products that you know are available to you.
Reduce and donate
1. Although the idea of “tossing out everything” sounds simple, it really isn’t. It takes time and effort. To go from owning a lot of items that you have accumulated in your lifetime, to owning three items is not easy. It takes a lot of evaluation and re-evaluating your routines and habits to adjust to the limited amount of items you now own. The easiest way I knew how to attack this task was to simply ask “Do I need it or do I want it? If I need it, what’s an alternative to it that would not produce waste?”
2. In time, you’ll notice that perhaps items that you thought you wouldn’t be able to let go of, you can. This process of eliminating and reducing the amount of items in your life changes the way you approach possessions as well as products. It will take time, so be patient with yourself- but always strive to be completely zero waste.
Start a compost.
1. With all of the bulk items you’re going to buy, I very much suggest starting a compost. If you don’t have enough land to start a compost, look into city programs that may offer something similar. You can even search for local businesses that might be willing to take your compost or buy it.
Opt out of junk mail and use the mail pieces that do get through as scratch paper.
1. This is an easy task. I used Catalog Choice and Direct Marketing Association Choice which offer a mail preference service for consumers. Granted, the list of magazines and newsletters I have opted out of on both of my accounts are not short. I had to input quite a bit of organizations and businesses, but it’s well worth it in the end.

I hope this list helps those of you who are starting out on your own zero waste life journey. I know it wasn’t a simple and short type of list, where I only listed tasks to do in a bullet point format. I wanted to explain why I chose these seven items to anchor the beginning of the journey for zero waste newbies. Good luck to all and if you have any questions, please email me, my email is in my about section of this website. Also if you want to see what items I have purchased, please check out my store link.

Taking Notes On Reflective Surfaces

March 2, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

03.02.2016

0830

For notes I need to look at on a daily basis, I tend to write them on my mirrors, that way I can see the notes during my morning routine. Dry erase markers are easy to use on any reflective surface and they’re effective. I do utilize my calendar in my phone as well when it comes to notes but there’s something calming about not turning your phone on right when you wake up each morning.

I do take notes in my car using dry erase markers as well. I don’t write and drive by any means, but when a design solution is strong enough to provoke me- I’ll jot it on my window or mirror. It’s just another way of me not turning to my phone for support. There are dry erase markers that are designed to be refilled like these AusPen 6 Assorted Refillable Whiteboard Markers – Chisel NIB but mine are just dry erase markers from EXPO, which are not refillable.

When I first encountered the issue that these markers would end up in the landfill, I then invested in a Quirky Scratch-n-Scroll Mousepad with Erasable Writing Surface. I used to own the larger and classic version of this Cra Z Art Travel Magna Doodle, but over time, the writing utensil seemed to not pick up the small magnets under the writing surface. For those who have tablets and can download sketching apps (I do have an iPad), taking notes on tablets can also be another alternative. Inevitably, I think that when my EXPO dry erase markers dry out, I might have to invest in these Schylling Magic Slate Drawing Pads Party Pack Bundle – 3 Pack pads. Time will tell and depending on how you relate to your writing, there are many alternatives out there to use and create less waste to go to the landfill.

Writing Utensils

February 29, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

02.29.2016

0830

When it comes to simplifying your life to create a zero waste life, there are a lot of tasks to tackle in every aspect of your life. It takes time and you have to go through your bathroom, kitchen, closet, pantry, car; every area of everything you own. So there will come a point during this clean out process that you come across items that can’t be donated or recycled, which means you’re producing trash. The struggle here is to either use up the item and then eventually throw it away or toss it out immediately. This is the case with my writing utensils.

In my undergrad, because I was an art & design student, I was required to buy a lot of art supplies. When I say a lot, I mean Prismacolor Premier Double Ended Art Markers, Brush Tip and Fine Tip, Set of 24 Assorted Colors, Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencil, Prismacolor Nupastel Set, Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Color 12-Tube Set, Royal & Langnickel Small Tin Charcoal Drawing Art Set, Koh-i-noor Woodless 12 Graphite Set, and the list goes on and on. However, the great thing about art supplies is that someone else always needs it. Once I graduated, I donated some of my art supplies to my former BFA program and I also donated items to incoming art & design students, whom I was connected through colleagues of mine.

I have a basic rule I live by when it comes to keeping art supplies, “If it’s a ‘wet’ art supply, donate it”. I stick to that rule because the majority of the items that I “think I will use,” I most likely won’t use it again before it dries out. I understand that some people need creative outlets to express themselves, but for me- I only keep items that require minimal maintenance.

I kept my Pentel Sharp Mechanical Pencil, 0.7mm, Blue Barrel, Each (P207C), Avery AVE49838 Tripleclick Ballpoint Multifunction Retractable Pen, Black Ink, M, Black , Pilot Dr. Grip Ballpoint Ink Refills , PRISMACOLOR DESIGN Eraser, 1224 Kneaded Rubber Eraser , Pentel Super Hi-Polymer Lead Refills, 0.5 mm lead refills and Pentel Super Hi-Polymer Lead Refill , 0.7 mm lead refills. I am more creative and can speed sketch faster when I work with graphite and ink. I work in the architecture and design industry and there is a level of creativity that I must maintain. I’ve opted out of junk mail as much as I can but a few pieces still get through so I use scraps of paper from junk mail to take notes on.

As time passes, I will see if I want to stick with my Pilot Dr. Grip ink refills. The packaging that these refills come in are not completely environmentally friendly so I still question the use of them. However, I will probably stick with lead. Lead is one of my favorite rendering mediums and there’s something very comfortable with using a pencil that takes me back to my childhood. I recommend using the kneadable eraser because the eraser doesn’t slough off when you use it so there’s no mess left over from using it.

On a side note, if you do have a set of colored pencils like this:

It’s not a bad idea to write out each code number of each colored pencil on a piece of paper so that you know exactly how the color is going to render on plain white paper. With this system, when you go to the art store to replace a single pencil, you’ve already got the info.

DIY Foot Rest Solution

February 24, 2016September 4, 2017 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

02.24.2016

0800

Back View

Side View

Close Up Detail View

Materials:

One 2″ x 4″ lumber piece, long enough to reach across the width of the table
Sandpaper
Shoelace

Tools:

Mitre saw
Drill and drill bits

When I sit at my desk, I tend to prefer to rest my feet on something. Part of the reason for this is because of the height of my seat (I sit on my hope chest). If I don’t rest my feet on something, then my hips are higher than my knees and it’s uncomfortable for me. I used to use my art supplies box as a foot rest, but it became an extra piece of furniture that I had to constantly move when I swept.

I needed a solution that would solve this issue but not sit directly on the floor. I went to a lumber yard to look for a scrap 2×4 piece of wood, long enough to fit the width of my desk. I took the 2×4 piece of wood, trimmed it to the appropriate length, drilled two holes on each end and strapped it onto the frame of my desk with extra rope I had saved. This way, the surface area isn’t too wide, which means it wouldn’t gather too much dust, and it is still off of the floor.

I had tested it out with double sided carpet tape, but the glue was not as reliable. In any situation when pressure or movement is applied to the object, the likelihood, is that the object will not stay in place over time. I could have used another piece of 2×4 in order to make the foot rest surface wider, but I didn’t want the foot rest wide enough so that it would gather more dust on its own. The option of pushing my foot rest up against the front legs was also an option, but I needed the 2×4 to be directly under the location of where my knees would rest whist in a seated position, in order for the my body to be comfortable.

For those of you who may have this issue, I hope this solution helps. So happy drilling and keep a lookout for 2×4 pieces of wood at scrap yard locations, or at your local lumber mill.

Natural Air Filtering Plants

February 17, 2016August 14, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

02.17.2016

0800

Plants are great for indoor decor as well as connecting humans with a little bit of nature. Even better is when you can choose a plant that will benefit you and your family.

I have a Golden Pothos (Scindapsus aures) plant indoor and I’ve had it since May 2013. Golden Pothos are great for filtering formaldehyde and it stays green even when kept in the dark. It’s great for rooms near garages. It needs indirect, bright light and only needs watering once a week or once every week and a half. Originally, when I bought the plant, it looked like this:

When the plant started cascading over the edge of the hanging flower pot, I found an old metal chain and used it to hang up the plant. I used an S-Hook to adjust the height of the chain over time. S-Hooks are great for making almost any ledge more versatile. As this plant continues to grow, I’ll readjust the height of the chain, but so far it seems happy where it is.

Some other plants that can be used as natural indoor air filters are:

Aloe (aloe Vera)
1. Great for kitchens &bathrooms
2. Battles formaldehyde and benzene, which can be a byproduct of chemical-based cleaners, paints and more.
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
1. Great for all residential rooms
2. Battles benezene, formaldehyde, carbon momoxide and xylene, a solvent used in the leather, rubber and printing industries. This plant is very easy to grow and maintain being that it prefers cool to average temperatures and dry soil. It needs bright indirect light to keep growing.
Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
1. Great for laundry room & bedroom
2. Can remove trichloroethylene and benzene from pollutants that come home with dry cleaning and inks . This plant needs lots of light and well drained soil.
Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’)
1. Great for the bathroom, kitchen & bedroom
2. Filters formaldehyde, which is common in cleaning products and carbon monoxide, which is common in toilet paper, tissues and personal care products. It also releases oxygen at night. These thrive in low light and steamy humid conditions.
Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)
1. Great for bedrooms, office, kitchen and laundry room
2. This plant not only brightens up a room with it’s unique colors, but it filters benzene, which is commonly found in glue, paint, plastics and detergent. It needs bright light in order for the buds to open, but not direct sunlight.
Red-edged Dracaena (Dracaena marginata)
1. Great for living rooms, dining rooms &kitchens
2. This plant removes xylene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde, which can seep into indoor air through lacquers, varnishes and gasoline. It grows slowly, but can reach up to 15 feet in height, so it’s suggested that this plant be placed in a area with a high ceiling, but with moderate sunlight.
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
1. Great for living rooms
2. Can filter out formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene, which come from pollutants that typically accompany carpeting and furniture. This plant is a little tricky to take care of with but with the right amount of light, water and temperature, it can grow into a beautiful sculpture.
Azalea (Rhododendron simsii)
1. Great for living rooms, dining rooms, basements
2. This shrub can battle formaldehyde from sources such as plywood or foam insulation. These plants strive in temperatures that range between 60-65 °F.
Warneck Dracaena (Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii’)
1. Great for living rooms, dining rooms and kitchens.
2. This plant can combat pollutants associated with varnishes and oils. Keep in mind that this plant has the potential to reach 12 feet high and grows easily in an indoor environment, even without direct sunlight.
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema Crispum ‘Deborah’)
1. Great for all residential rooms
2. Filters a number of pollutants and will remove more toxins over time with more exposure. This plant has been nicknamed “the easiest houseplant” because it will thrive in low light and can survive in places other plants cannot. These plants like humid air so misting the leaves occasionally will keep them happy.
Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea Sefritzii)
1. Great for living rooms, dinging rooms and kitchens
2. This plant filters out both benzene and trichloroethylene. It should be placed around furniture that could be off-gassing formaldehyde. It prefers humidity and bright indirect sunlight.
Heart Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium)
1. Great for all residential rooms
2. Can remove all kinds of VOCs (Volatile organic compounds) and formaldehyde from sources like particleboard. However, it is toxic when eaten so keep out of reach of children and pets. This plant is very low maintenance and needs indirect light with room for its vines to grow.

Consider using an indoor plant that filters air naturally. Make sure you check the maximum height at which the plant will inevitably grow to and if they need to be re-potted into a larger pot . It’s better to not be surprised a few months into this investment. These plants can help clean indoor air on Earth, which is typically far more polluted than outdoor air and the benefits also include creating a more sustainable indoor environment.

Always Consider Gravity

February 10, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / 3 Comments

02.10.2016

0830

When I create a solution for any situation in my life, I always, always consider gravity first. Being that I also live in the Bay Area, items tend to fall when earthquakes occur. My solution to this issue is hanging everything. I keep extra shoelaces, metal rings, and carabiners around for this very reason.

I also like to keep my floor clear because when I run around with my microfiber dust mop, I don’t like to move things. In other words, items wont be on the floor to get in my way. This rule applies for any surface area in my home as well. I’m simply not a big fan of dusting. I will dust, but it has to be a once over type of effort, for me to move items, then dust, and then place items back feels like a waste of time and effort. Multiply that task for each week of the year, and the wasted time will add up.

I hang many items around, but these are a few of the examples. I hang my mirror on my door along with a pencil bag that holds my dry erase pens to write on the mirror with. I actually draw a calendar on my mirror for the fact that I know I wont miss it when I check myself in the mirror. (It also helps because I don’t like to buy paper calendars.) I use a laptop and I hate the sound of my transformer box dragging across my hard wood floor, so I made a denim pocket out of an old pair of jeans to hang it up. I also cut a hole on the other side of the pocket for the other cord to poke out of. My drafting table ruler is also hanging next to it since I now use my drafting table as my desk and it was getting in the way. I have a 3-tier basket which I place items that would normally find their way onto the surface of the kitchenette counter, and I even have other items hanging from that was well.

Using shoelaces, I hang my memory board up to cover the window on my door. There was a small gap when I hung it up, so I used a fabric napkin to simply cover the opening. I’ve always hung up my kitchen timer as well. I used a magnet clip and simply took a hook screw and attached it to the top, and not screwing it too far in as to hit the bell on the inside. My bookshelf is also right next to my desk (this desk has no drawers) so I hang up my pencil holder as well.

These are just a few items that I hang up. Hanging up items is an easier way to maintain my space and I know that if an earthquake was to ever occur, these items wont fall. On top of that- dusting is a breeze.

Functionality Above All Else

January 27, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

01.27.2016

0730

So I was tired of watching my mom cook on the dim lit stove. I wanted to buy an under cabinet light, but as I scrolled through the cabinet light section of local hardware and appliance stores, I realized that although they are very nice lights, they all require a specific mounting system as well as specific light bulbs- which I would also have to purchase. I didn’t want her to have to go out and buy a new light bulbs for her under cabinet light each time it burned out. It’s a hassle and they always come in packages of ten bulbs.

Now mind you, I am the type who likes to keep my “supplies” to a minimum. (ie. I prefer to need a AAA than any other battery, and I own 4 items that need batteries) I also prefer CFL light bulbs, and I mean the kind of light bulbs that fit into every kind of socket (which also means all of my lamps need to require the same type of light bulb). I don’t want to have to go out and buy a different kind of light bulb for every single kind of lamp that I own.

So this design problem lead me to come up with this solution. I have an extra clamp light that I don’t use anymore. I like clamp lights because they’re quite versatile and they’re gravity friendly.

The solution I came up with was to use the clamp lamp and clamp it to one of the cabinets. I wrapped some extra white athletic tape wrapped around the neck so it doesn’t stand out as much. I then used screws to pin the cord under the cabinet to hide it a bit. I used a piece of extra shoelace and tied a loop so that the cord can be hung up and out of the way when not in use. I also wanted to make this loop because I knew she wouldn’t be able to reach the lamp switch easily, so I wanted her to be able to control the light from the cord plug instead.

This was the solution I came up with:

This is what my mom’s stove looked like without the new lamp plugged in (basically with the current lighting set up):

And this is what the stove looks like with the new lamp plugged in with the new light brightness:

I know this may look strange, but my requirements for what comes into the home is very specific. Although buying a new under cabinet light would have been the ideal solution, in the long run, there would still have to be a surplus of different kinds of light bulbs for all of the lamps in the home. If I’m able to keep that number to a minimum (as in only 1 kind of light bulb), I’m going to. By purchasing a new under cabinet lamp, it would have solved the lighting issue, but would have brought on another issue of keeping that light bulb in stock. From that problem, also brings up the issue of recycling the lamps and how often that needs to be done (ie. if the light bulbs from the under cabinet light burn out quicker than regular CFL light bulbs)

So I didn’t have to buy a new lamp, which would include packaging that would end up in the landfill, new light bulbs to accommodate it and I used an item I already owned. With this solution, all of the lamps in the house can use the exact same type of light bulb. Invest in clamp lights, they’re very useful 🙂

A Zero Waste Lifestyle

January 17, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / 4 Comments

01.17.2016

0646

Before I went zero waste, I used to buy anything bottled, use sponges in the sink, bought spices packaged in plastic bags and also in glass jars, and the worst culprit of all was that I bought packaged foods.

Kitchen Now:

Whole Foods Market: Bulk balsamic vinegar, Bragg’s Liquid Amnios, raw honey, candy, oats, black beans, whole wheat flour, cane sugar, cranberries, spices and coffee.
Philz Coffee: Loose leaf green tea and chamomile tea (and coffee if I want Philz coffee each morning)
Kitchen Items: 3 pots & pans, 1 grill, 1 set of basic flatware, 1 set of basic kitchen utensils, 1 hand held mixer, 2 silicone bakeware pans, 1 dinnerware set, 1 set of mixing bowls, 1 set of Pyrex storage containers
Dining: Cloth napkins and kitchen towels, Tea infusers, re-useable wine corks, wind-up flash light and I now compost everything
Recyclable products: Soups, baking soda, and occasionally wine

Living Room Now:

Giant/small towels as floor mats and door mats, I hate that the rubber backing on standard door mats falls apart after exposure to weathering.
I buy digital books or I check out books from the library (Fortunately I bought an iPad when I started grad school so it came in handy)
I use an indoor air filtering plant to liven up the space as well as making it functional as well.
I limit the amount of batteries I need/use. I replaced my flashlight with a wind up flashlight and in total I have 3 items that uses batteries. In addition to that, I limit the size of batteries to AAA or AA (it’s really not necessary to have a library of them and it makes attaining them harder when traveling).
Christmas bag: Flour sack towels (28″x 29″) and bandannas for wrapping gifts. If you wrap gifts using basic box wrapping techniques and then tuck the ends within the folds, you can always secure the wrapping. Or check out Furoshiki and check out the techniques they list and their products they have available.
1. Here are some examples from the website:

Office Now:

I use refillable ball point pens and lead and replace them in my pen/pencil unit
Due to my profession, moving away from rendering materials is quite difficult so I do use colored pencils and a lead holder as well as a Faber-Castell kneaded eraser. (The kneaded eraser doesn’t slough off eraser bits)
I used to keep my work saved on re-writable CDs but now I have a 1 TB external hard drive. I also utilize my emails and use my clouds to store data.
I use a stapleless stapler so now I don’t buy staples for refilling and it’s very efficient
I’ve opted out of junk mail as much as I can but some mail still gets through, when it does, I use the back of the one sided pages as scratch paper (I can’t remember when the last time I bought paper).
Recyclable products: Envelopes, stamps and Christmas cards… There are still items I value and I can’t seem to stray from and hand writing is one of them. I value a hand written letter, the ink/lead on paper denotes a moment in time- a moment in time when the writer touched the document as well as the receiver.

This is an over all view of what my life inventory looks like now. It makes life a lot easier when I have less to worry about. Majority of my time, I think I’d prefer eating food or going on an adventure. Once I got rid of a lot of my items, I noticed that I sleep better now, my stress level seems to lessen because there’s less upkeep with my life. It’s strange how when I used to think of hanging out with my friends meant that we would go shopping (and not window shopping), and now that shopping really isn’t a part of my life- I had to search to find what to replace it with. Even if I had the choice to document my life in photographs, I think there’s still a pressure to do so- sometimes, the memories are enough to take away from that experience.