Creating a Baseline

Transitioning to zero waste is overwhelming.  As soon as I admitted to myself that I wanted to commit to this goal, my mind began racing with a million different questions.  What if guests bring waste to our house? What if I am out and I need to make a purchase in a pinch? How can I live without x y z items?

I realized that the first things I needed to do were:
1. Make the transition slowly
2. Go easy on myself if I don't always get it right
3. Honor intentions
4. Create a baseline - what do we already do right?

A baseline allows me to focus on the positive and provide a structure for what still needs to be done.

So, what are we already doing right?

1. We only have one trashcan in our entire house, and it is really small (one and a half feet tall, half a foot across).  We use compostable bags in it.

2. We just signed up for two plots at the community garden.  We are planting fruits and veggies this weekend.

3. We buy the milk that comes in the reusable glass containters.

4. Here are our cleaning supplies.  The light cleaner is dish soap mixed with water and the heavy cleaner is white vinegar mixed with water.  We use microfiber cloths instead of paper towels.

5. This might look like an ordinary jar of trail mix from Target (I know, I know, healthy choices) but we actually have refilled it a zillion times with different mixes. It is the bottomless trail mix.

6. We *intend* to make our own bread.  We have been lazy about making it lately, as evidenced by the store-bought, single-use plastic-wrapped loaf sitting on top of the bread machine.

7. We make our own yogurt, and we are actually consistent about it.

8. Here are our reusable water bottles, coffee cups, and my lunch bag is squeezed in there, too.

9. We only use cloth naplins. We also only use handkerchiefs to blow our noses, but that would be a gross picture.

10. All of the things for inside of the lunch box are also reusable.

11. Ruby wears cloth diapers.  We do use disposable ones on the weekends if we go out.  I'm not sure I can give up this one luxury.  Fortunately, she is almost ready to use the potty.

12. This printer paper is 100% recycled.  You can get it at any Kinko's, you just have to ask.

13. This is our reusable bag full of reusable bags. Baggers at the grocery store routinely say, "Wow! You sure have a lot of these!" I do appreciate the support, but really, they aren't that expensive or difficult to remember to bring.

While many folks consider thirteen to be an unlucky number, it was our apartment number at the place where we lived when Ruby was born, and I had a very healthy baby.  Therefore, I am quite content that my baseline list turned out to have thirteen items in it.  However, there is clearly a lot of room for improvement, beginning with what we bring home from the grocery store.