Hey guys!
Welcome back to Lavendaire.
Today I have a special treat for you: This is my friend, Jamie Kate.
She is a zero waster.
Is that what you would call it?
- Yeah, zero waste blogger, I guess.
- Zero waste blogger.
And today she's going to show us her zero waste kit,
teach you how you can build your own zero waste kit, and give some tips for zero waste beginners.
But before we get into that, can you tell us a little bit about your zero waste journey?
- So it started as a 30-day challenge, and I fell in love with the process and I tried
collecting my trash in a jar.
This is a year's worth of trash.
- Wow.
- I stopped collecting after a year because this has been a very strict lifestyle for me.
For one year I was refusing a lot and I feel like it's unrealistic,
and it doesn't really show the amount of trash I'm producing because I was still recycling
and composting.
I realized that balance is really important.
- Awesome!
So let's get into your zero waste kit.
- Okay, so this is my zero waste kit.
This is what I usually bring with me all the time.
It has a mason jar, a napkin, and my metal utensils.
So this is what I bring on a regular basis.
I usually plan where I'm going.
So if I'm going grocery shopping, I always make sure that I have reusable bags.
And it's very lightweight, that I just fold into this small bag.
And then just put it here.
And I always have my reusable bag.
- Where did you get all these bags?
- You can get it from Amazon.
It's by the brand Simple Ecology.
When I know that I'm eating out with friends, I would usually bring my stainless steel container.
It's small, and I would usually just transfer my napkin and my reusable utensils like this.
And then I would just bring a small cup.
This is my favorite cup because it's collapsible.
You cannot put it down, otherwise it would collapse, so you just have to hold your drink all the time.
But it's nice because it's very lightweight and you can fit it in your bag.
And then I also bring my metal straw because restaurants give away straws, still.
Usually I would just put this in my bag and it doesn't take up too much space.
- So as you're going zero waste, I'm sure you've had - at home - plastic straws, plastic containers.
What do you do with that?
Do you still use it?
- I use them up until, you know, they're gone.
Because even if you give it away, it will eventually end up in the landfill.
So might as well make use of it.
I still have paper towels at home, and I bought a lot at Costco when I moved in.
So I'm still using them up.
But Ziploc bags, I gave them away because I just didn't feel like using them anymore.
But yeah, I suggest, just use up whatever you have, because otherwise...
- It would be wasted.
That's where I'm in the process.
I have so much stuff that I've bought before or people have given me, so I'm just using it.
- Yeah, the hardest part when I was transitioning was gifts.
- Oh yeah!
- Because I was shy at first.
I didn't want to say I was practicing zero waste to my family, of course.
And they were still giving me gifts.
Eventually I had the courage to tell them that I appreciate money or gift cards,
instead of physical gifts, because I'm trying to live minimally.
And they respect that.
And I now get Target gift cards, which I love.
- Oh, awesome!
That's awesome.
- Yeah, that's great!
So for example: I leave my bag at home.
I can turn my napkin into a small bag.
All I have to do is just tie the ends like this.
And also the other end.
So for example, I put my stuff in here and then just hold them like this!
And I have a small bag that I can carry with me, so yeah!
- Cute!
- I can also use this to wrap gifts, the napkin.
- So it's just like a cloth?
- Yeah.
- Literally, you can make it from anything.
- Yes.
You've heard of furoshiki?
- No, what is that?
- So it's the Japanese way of folding napkins.
Either you just…wrap them like this, for your lunch.
Just wrap them like this, and then…
- I see!
- There!
- It's like reusable.
- Yeah!
So you can use the napkin after you eat.
And it will keep your food safe.
- And do you have multiple napkins?
Because when you're washing this one…
- I do.
I do have, I believe, four of these.
- Okay.
- So you don't need too much stuff to be zero waste.
- So now, can you share some zero waste tips for beginners?
- I would say, educate yourself, do your research, and know your why.
Why do you want to be sustainable?
Why do you want to go zero waste?
And also: Get inspiration from people on the internet.
There's tons of resources on Pinterest, on Instagram.
And also: Transition yourself slowly.
It's a healthier approach.
Be kind to yourself.
And just refuse plastic.
That's a big step.
And then from there you can progress and try different things.
- Right, but it doesn't have to be perfect.
- Yes.
- I think any step is good and any progress is better than not trying at all.
- Yes, mhm.
- Who are your favorite zero waste inspirations?
- I would say Andrea of Be Zero.
She is amazing and she has a non-profit organization.
It's called Be Zero and she talks about plastic pollution.
Bea Johnson was also my biggest inspiration.
She was the one who inspired me to go zero waste.
- Awesome.
Well, thank you so much, Jamie Kate!
Where can we find you online?
- You can follow me on Instagram.
My Instagram is @msjamiekate.
And I have a blog: JamieKate.net.
And also, you can follow me on YouTube.
- I'll link it in the corner and down below.
Hope you guys liked today's video on zero waste with Jamie Kate.
Make sure you check her out.
And hope you start to build your own zero waste kits and start taking those little steps
to reducing your waste.
Have a great day!
Bye!
I'm here with Jamie Kate.
She's assessing my trash.
These are the recyclables.
I'm learning a lot.
I thought this was recyclable, but it's apparently not.
- No.
- Boba.
- This one's compostable…compostable.
So if you're going to recycle the paper, make sure to remove the plastic window
because otherwise, you will ruin the batch of recycling if this is included.
- And this too, the plastic.
It ruins the whole batch.
- If you're given a receipt, try to refuse it because it's coated with BPA,
and once you touch it, it is readily absorbed by your body, so no.