Zero Waste Challenge

It's almost Thanksgiving and the whole campus has gone into overdrive, pushing themselves to finish that last paper so they can finally relax. But while the majority of Tufts' student body is bragging about how many hours they logged in Tisch Library the past weekend, I'm busy bragging about...my trash?

Yes, it was zero waste week this week, and as a result, I carried all the non-recycleable, non-compostable waste I produced (that wasn't a biohazard...I did throw away a few used tissues) in a ziploc bag that I kept on the outside of my purse. I was amazed at the power of this simple exercise to shift my actions. In the campus center, I scoured the commons for a snack that wouldn't lead to any trash. Settling on yogurt (both the top and container can be recycled!) I went to go make granola bars (for our class sustainable potluck!) with Alex, thinking he would have a spoon. I forgot to ask for one...so I ended up eating the yogurt with my finger. Certainly not a particularly civilized or sustainable (as I wouldn't do this every time I eat yogurt) solution, but it worked in the context of the challenge.

One issue that this challenge made me think about is the issue of the necessary infastructure in order to make less wasteful choices. For example, at one point this week I wanted to get tea from the tower cafe in the library while I was studying. But I don't have a thermos here at school with me, mostly because I rarely drink hot drinks so I justify the monthly paper cup. But it made me think: sometimes just shifting our behavior isn't enough. Sometimes there are actual infastructure changes that need to be put into place, and before they happen, they can act as barriers to change. For instance, a classmate pointed out that it is more difficult for people who live in places where they don't have city recyling pickup to be motivated to recycle. And the move to single-stream recycling in select cities has shown to increase recycling even more. But on the other hand, when I was in France, the town I was in didn't have recycling or garbage pickup, at least on a house by house basis...they had a recycling/trash collection center for each block or so. So how do you balance personal changes and infastructure changes in order to reduce waste?

All in all, I think this was a great idea for a challenge and it has definitely shaped the way that I think about how much I waste. And it provided an interesting social commentary too: why are we so ashamed of how much we waste when everyone is able to see it, but it's perfectly fine when we package it away, out of sight? Things to think about over Thanksgiving!