I myself strongly support both ecology and veganism and zerowaste - everything related to ecology and economy, because basically it's one thing - my thing.
THE START OF THE ECOLOGICAL ROAD
My ecology path started like this: like many things, my mother taught me this too, it is important to her (at least she constantly repeats it), so I grew up with the idea that ecology is important from a young age. And I have grown so much that I am a person who sees my life as a game, as a business, that you have some kind of product, and with your own strength and time you can create a very limited amount of that production and present it. Therefore, that production is best when it is effective, that is, useful. Um, so how do you live so that your life is efficient and productive? It works best when you choose what you need (so to speak, being lazy) and use your time and other resources wisely - reuse what you've already created. Of course, they should be useful to others. It somehow works out that way. I, personally, am the kind of person who constantly questions everything, and maybe this year I have such an existential hole in me: I don't know why I live, and I don't know what the meaning of my life is and what I want and what I'm aiming for, so I try to use my time as efficiently and intelligently as possible. Well, I'm the kind of person my mother taught me that ecology is important to me, and productivity is also important to me, so I combine those two things and look at them through the prism of productivity/ecology.
ZEROWASTE BECAUSE…?
I think that with such ideas as zerowaste, veganism it is not wise to go directly, that is, it is not wise to go and say that it is very important to take care of nature or that it is very important not to eat animal products, but there is a thing - that NES. I work with marketing and marketing is probably the most effective word. You can take any phrase, any thing, any product, you can take the word BECAUSE and add any reason to it, and you'll actually sell anything. (Ex: you need this mug BECAUSE you will be happy; people will admire you; you will get lots of Facebook likes; you will get lots of attention; because it is stylish, beautiful, this season, on sale, productivity, saves water, because he's like that, like that, like that, like that...) You can say something to that NES side, some right or wrong facts, you can tighten it as much as you want. Unfortunately, we as humans are not very logical, we don't first choose, then calculate what is reasonable, despite the fact that we always think that we are very intelligent. For example, I myself choose zerowaste and veganism not because I calculated something very much, but because I myself have my own subjective wishes. So if you want to convey some idea, tell something to people, then you look at what kind of person this is and what is relevant to him.
I would not tell you what zerowaste is, I would tell you why it is important to promote it. Because there are a billion ways to be zerowaste and, in general, when you think about it, it's not what you're going to do with your life, not what actions you're going to take, but how you think - in this case, you're comparing what's more ecological. The very interesting thing is that it works especially for people who depend on companies and corporations. This means that if you convince company chefs, marketers or similar that it would be a good idea to start producing more organic products, they will figure out how to do it.
Some people go through: "What if zerowaste is a fad, what if it just goes away..?" And what's the problem that it's a fad? In that sense, thank goodness it's a fashion thing—there's perfect and good.
Zerowaste - as a game, it's not some sort of compulsion, it's not that you have to be zerowaste, it's not important, it's why you do it, how you do it, and what comes out of it.
MINIMALISM IS ZEROWASTE?
Minimalism is basically zerowaste because of the basics. If you want to be zerowaste, one of the first steps is that you choose what is important. And people who choose what is important are called either minimalists or lazy. And it's essentially zerowaste, because if you don't need it, you don't even buy it. It's you, look, and you don't create garbage or any extra production.
ZEROWASTE JOURNEY WITH DEFINITION
My zerowaste journey with a definition (because it has been without a definition before) started a year ago. in 2018 January was the first litter-free month I lived completely plastic-free. They did not live completely without garbage, they were still created, but they were created twice less. I continued this further, I experimented. As for the Solidu shampoo during my 100 new things a day challenge, I tried it a few times and really liked it. But in the last months, I don't use shampoo at all (because, in the sense, what function does it have...?). If your hair is already very oily, organic soap is one good thing. If there are no chemicals in it, if there are mixed oils, then congratulations - you don't need anything else. And slowly you start to notice that maybe you don't need it, and you don't need it, and then, for example, maybe someone gives you a cloth shopping bag and then you start carrying it. Those things add up and stick together little by little. Here's how veganism is - it's really not advisable to immediately say that I'm vegan and won't eat meat anymore. Of course you can. But it can be very unusual, it can be difficult just because it is unusual. And when it is unusual, we try to refuse. That's why I say that zerowaste doesn't need to be rushed, you just "throw" the idea little by little. The more people talk about it, the more often it will be mentioned and become commonplace. It won't be something new anymore. You need to spread the word so much that people choke and then they join themselves. Everything comes together over time.
ZEROWASTE IS NOT JUST A WAY OF LIFE, IT'S…
Starting to make greener choices has led to a few things: first of all, being green and zerowaste makes me feel more special to myself and that's fine with me (you know, if you feel bad, try joining this community, you'll be special too), and second - it's good to belong to a community. I see choices as a scale. Although everything is a scale, I think. And if you can choose a zero-waste solution in any area (jobs, productivity, happiness, children, food, fuel) at least a little, that will be great.
As for the European Union, I'm quite happy with the ban on those single-use plastic things. And this is not bad at all for me as a buyer, because I know that the manufacturers will find a solution. They already have a million solutions. They just don't want to make that decision because they are lazy. Because their buyers accept that they don't care. And that control, I think, is good. I much prefer European Union control to a completely "free" US. In such cases, I think it is good. Another thing I like in Lithuania, probably also the influence of the EU, is that brown containers for food waste should appear soon.
Everything is politics and everything is money. So if you, as one person, manage to convince a large number of other people to choose the same lifestyle and to choose such a product, it will appear:
- manufacturers who will want to produce it;
- politicians who will accept something because, according to the idea, politicians represent the people.
If you want to change the world, you need to remember that everything is politics - you need to expand your power. There must be not only a person who "spams" Facebook with messages, but a person who changes people's opinion, who puts that opinion on a person. Use your power - ask a question, push, pull, put that thought in, lead by example - people join, companies follow.
#PLANASCHULIGAN
My core subjects are challenging myself, learning all the time, ecology/economics. If we each looked at our lives more like a business, I think it would be much smarter. If we were to look at this kind of art review, annual plan for next year: do I really need this sweater for my personal business, for example, will it give me a higher result, and maybe I can wear the exact same tank top and the same jeans and the same sneakers not every day, but for like 10 years. So most hoarding happens because we're afraid, so we buy.