I want to start off by saying that our practice of zero-waste living and minimalism is FAR from perfect. AND that’s ok. The goal is to be intentional about our purchases and ecological foot prints. Intentional not perfect.

One aspect of zero-waste for us is using less plastics and paper products. For the most part I always remember to bring our reusable bags to the grocery store but a veces I switch cars and forget them. Again it’s about intentionality not perfection. Although using less plastic is vital we have a duty to go easy on ourselves when we forget the reusable grocery bags, or have to buy veggies wrapped in plastic. We are unlearning a lot of bad habits as we make this transition, but there is an incredible amount of freedom to be found from it.

So what does less plastics and less paper products look like (these are just a few examples):

• Mason jars
• Ceramic plates/bowls/cups
• Stainless steel water bottles
• Glass water bottles
• Rags instead of paper towels/napkins
• Cloth diapers
• Cloth wipes – cut up flannel blanket
• Buying bulk
• Reusable grocery bags
• Cloth produce bags
• Stainless steel kids everything

(If you have questions about cloth diapers find me on Instagram: mamaofintention)

I linked some products that we use in our house if you’re interested in making any changes. But I want to emphasize that zero-waste is not an excuse to consume more.

We buy a lot of things used – even cloth diapers. Being serious about zero-waste is also being intentional about how much we consume. We are no strangers to thrift stores, bst pages, buying in bulk etc. We’ve saved a great deal of money that way and have also been able to curve our consumerism.

(This shirt has been worn by 3 of my babies)

I want to also take some time to discuss how we came to a zero-waste lifestyle. Which means I also need to recommend two documentaries: Plastic Ocean and the Human Experiment (both found on Netflix).

I watched the Human Experiment while pregnant with LO número dos. Once all of my thinking about toxins were broken open (literally my brain was doing the exploding head emoji 🤯) there was no coming back. All of our cleaning products, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, laundry detergent, tooth paste, and whatever else I’m forgetting are all toxin-free or as close to it as possible. We use the app think dirty to scan our products so we know what we are buying.

Honestly toxin free living and zero-waste go hand in hand. It did not take us long to make our way to a zero-waste lifestyle. As a matter of a fact I had already made changes around our home that made it that much easier to transition from paper/plastic to reusable products.

I view all of the changes we’ve made in our lives as a form of decolonization. As a way to get back to our indigenous roots, to use more natural products as our ancestors did, to protect and love our planet as I know members of my tribe do.

Zero-waste is liberating, it can help move us financially, emotionally and physically to live and be our best selves. And I know making changes can be overwhelming, so take it one step at a time. Get educated – ask questions, watch documentaries and then get support. Find your community, there are tons of us out here ready to answer all of your questions and support you along the way.

Here’s to freedom,

Amanda