MY NON AESTHETIC ZERO WASTE LIFE (what I buy in plastic, upcycling, & more) @StrollingThroughLife

Zero waste is ugly, but zero waste is PRACTICAL! You don't need to go out and buy a bunch of zero waste swaps to live zero waste. You can use what you have even if it is plastic or old or a little broken.

I'm here to break the barriers to zero waste living and show you my practical zero waste living tips. My zero waste life is ugly and non-aesthetic, but I am still making an impact. Zero waste isn't about the aesthetic, but about reducing waste.

Videos mentioned:

Timestamps:
00:00 - Collab with Strolling Through Life/Purpose of this video
1:34 - My zero waste kitchen (ugly edition)
10:29 - My zero waste bathroom
11:53 - My zero waste living room/zero waste laundry room
15:17 - Zero waste yard/garden
16:30 - Breaking the stigma around the zero waste aesthetic
18:49 - Bloopers

For more of our travels and sustainable living check out:

Thanks so much for watching :)

[YnezSage]

YESSS BREAK THE AESTHETIC "ZERO-WASTE" STIGMA!!

[jampanda]

This house looks like so many Asian houses I've been in. My house looks like this. Hahaha, but I don't think in my culture, people think of it as "Oooh, I'm recycling and helping the environment", but more like, "I'm recycling because it saves money."

[grandmasmith]

Most of us that have had a large family, living on a budget have been doing these things for years, not because of wanting to live "zero waste" or anything else, but out of necessity.

[StrollingThroughLife]

This is so realistic and very relatable! This is what sustainable living actually looks like! Loved collabing with you, Emma!!

[Acrylara]

I personally am motivated by "aesthetics". It keeps me going.
But instead of for example buying new glass jars I strategically opt for ones with plain golden lids, when buying food that only comes in glass. That way it's free, cute, and recycled :)

[rh]

your videos really help my eco-anxiety. Progress not perfection

[juna]

None of the things you are showing are ugly. It's very relatable, realistic and more accessible. All those people on social media who buy brand new "zero waste" items just to show off they are living a new lifestyle which isn't the main purpose. You use what you already have. Be mindful what you're throwing away, using and contributing to landfills. AWESOME VIDEO.

[nonersays]

This is the most realistic zero-waste video I've ever seen. I don't think I could ever go completely zero waste (largely because my husband refuses. I can't even get him to use the recycling bin and we don't even have to sort ours) but I'm a huge fan of re-using as much as possible. All of our "tuppewear" is re-used plastic containers.

[kjustsaying]

My mom uses old cereal bags in the freezer and for her lunches for work. This is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone else reuse them before!

[peachettte]

Hands down best zero waste I ever watched. Insta subscribed! I am so sick of people enforcing pretty over zero waste..

[zonkerzoe]

Regardless of how it looks, mending and reusing items always makes me feel super aesthetic. Its so much more personal and individualized than the "copy-paste" zero waste on instagram. Also, fun book recommendation: Waste and Want by Susan Trasser. Its about the history of trash in America, but it has a ton of fun ideas for reusing and repairing. I ended up doing a ton of research on how to do a lot of things in the book, just because it was so interesting and still pretty applicable!

[susannebolik]

Yes! Never realized until now how all these aestetic videos on yt put me under pressure and how I lost my focus for REAL and functional zero/less waste! Exactly the kind of content I needed! Thank you! 🙏

[Transformational_change]

This is how I was raised and live still. I think anyone who has a parent not from the U.S. was raised like this. Great video! Just subscribed🌈

[supersavvyspender]

I think this way of approaching zero waste is so much more realistic for the general population. Love this video.

[queenfrankiesoup]

YES! I've been thinking this for ages!

Also, beware the greenwashing! It's so easy to buy - for example - muesli in a pretty cardboard box because it looks more 'rustic', but there's a plastic bag inside. Better to just buy the muesli that's in the plastic bag and *only* in a plastic bag.

[valgarcia]

It is good to have things that are practical and not continue consuming just for aesthetics

[annaosterman]

This is actually inspiring🙂 I really enjoy your realistic, "everything isn't perfect" approach. Also, your enthusiastic, but not overly cheerful narrating style is anazing. Will watch more videos🙂

[JessIcaMessika]

Personally I love seeing the "ugly" side of zero waste because it's not easy at all to have absolutely no plastic in our homes. Even if we try, a large amount of what we all purchase as far as food, is in plastic. I mean unless you have a bulk store but they are so dang expensive you'll spend $100 on produce alone, before you ever hit the grains and nuts. I love seeing this and knowing the efforts I'm making are having a positive impact. I have my kids learning too and my husband has been making some surprising strides as well. You're doing awesome and you're an inspiration.

[tuanoini]

Wow this was so refreshing! This is the kind of eco-friendly life that is realistic and accessible for many.

Watching this also made me so thankful for the recycling system in my country. In Finland, we hardly have any landfills in use today. Instead, we have a massive, country-wide recycling system that is state-funded. I can recycle biowaste, plastic packaging, carton packaging, paper, burnable waste, glass and metal at like 10 meters from my front door. Most Finns tend to have quite a sorting station in their kitchens - it's so common that often it's partly built-in.

[leamariakiehlmeier]

In Germany we have one brand, that sells oatmilk in a reusable Glassbottle which is really nice. And it tastes good, too.