One month ago!!!

Can you believe how fast time flies?! It’s March 15, which means that in two days it will be a month that I started this journey.

One month of change. One month of downsizing and decluttering. One month of researching and finding solutions to live a zero waste, plastic-free and minimal lifestyle. One month of letting go. One month of personal growth.

One month ago I had asked my dad for a bigger garbage can and now I don’t even own one.

Let me tell you, it didn’t start off easy but it has definitely gotten easier.

Not everyone can do this.

I realized that people who are in relationships have difficulty. If one person wants to do it, the other person isn’t into it or sort-of-kind-of wants to, but then forgets about it. And then that person becomes discouraged and doesn’t even try.

(I’m lucky I’m single, but anyone coming into my life as a love interest has an extremely high bar to meet).

The thing is people think that just because they are in a relationship and the other person has no interest, means that they can’t do it themselves.

Newsflash: You are still your own person. You still have your own choices to make.

If you want to stop buying plastic, then don’t buy plastic. Don’t nag the other person for buying things in plastic themselves, but maybe gently remind them that you aren’t. If you want to get rid of things, do it. Get rid of your own things. Not theirs. Eventually they’ll notice your behaviour and if they don’t, who cares?

If they care to listen, tell them why. Just because they don’t want to, doesn’t mean you can’t.

And honestly you don’t even need to explain. It doesn’t need to be because you want to change the world forever and be some sort of awesome fucking human being, it can be as simple as: “I just don’t want to anymore.” Of course there are deeper reasons, but for me, that was enough to get me started.

REMEMBER WHAT GANDHI SAID: Be the change you want to see in the world. 

At first, what I found difficult was telling people what I was doing. I thought, “they are going to think I am crazy and a weirdo.”

That thought lasted only a second and then I remembered that most of the people that love me already think this of me and that’s why they love me.

But seriously, when I started telling them, I found they were really supportive.

Even today. I was grocery shopping at Metro. Searching for cucumber that wasn’t wrapped in plastic. I found it, but it was from the U.S. I usually never buy any produce that comes from anywhere other than Canada and I was so sad to find that all the cucumber that WAS from Canada came wrapped in plastic.

Why?

Anyway, I was continuing to shop sans cucumber and as I was looking for honey in a glass jar, I ran into my friend. (I spontaneously wanted to make a very specific Lemon Zest salad dressing while dining at my parents). Hadn’t seen him in almost 6 months. We got to talking and he asked me how are things, what am I up to blah blah blah. So I explain to him my life is a lot different now and proceed to tell him that it’s ok to think I’m crazy but I’m living a zero waste, plastic free, minimal lifestyle and I am at the grocery store trying to find honey in a glass jar.

He tells me WOW, but doesn’t really bat an eyelash and proceeds to help me look for honey in a glass jar.

How supportive is that? No questions asked. And that’s pretty much how it’s been for me.

(Oh, we did find honey but I couldn’t buy it because it had a plastic lid. No salad dressing for me. I’ll go to Rainbow Foods with my mason jar to get some honey tomorrow).

I mean I still feel like the same person. I still run a business. I still run out and do things and have spontaneous meetings, eatings and activities. But I learned that I want to be prepared so that I don’t have to say “no” to an opportunity or starve if I haven’t had the time to pack snacks before leaving home.

For example, one day I had been gone all day. Meetings non-stop. I didn’t have time to go home and cook in between meetings and I was hungry so I went to Extreme Pita panicking that they were going to wrap my food in that paper stuff. But I asked them ahead of time if they could put it in my glass container instead. And they did. Luckily I had that glass container with me!

My Extreme Pita Lunch. Brought my water bottle with me.

Overall, even though it seems like an extreme change, my life hasn’t really changed that much.

My mind has though.

I’m more conscious. More aware. More disciplined. More motivated.
And I’m still learning. I’m still growing. I’m still “in progress.”

Let’s see what another month does for me.

Note to self, never leave the house without the following:

1 Mason Jar
1 Metal Lunch Container (Or glass) for if I happen to go out and eat and have leftovers
My Klean Kanteen water bottle
1 Fabric Napkin
1 Reusable Bag and
1-2 small fabric bags
1 Fork
1 Spoon
1 Knife

And also, here’s my garbage for the week:

Garbage for the week