Authors Note
I am Maddi Meyer, the co-author of this book. I have always been a passionate environmental advocate and recently, I have been yearning to enact positive change. Solana and I want to leave this planet better than we found it and the best way we could think to do that is to live a zero waste lifestyle and spread our knowledge and habits to other eager earth warriors. Our earth is rapidly suffocating because of our human waste, yet we fail to take responsibility and live sustainably. As a high school student, I want to better the environment by limiting my waste.
My name is Solana Page and I want to live a zero waste lifestyle because I am an avid supporter of the environment. I am a highschool student who began to express my support for the environment through a school club. I never knew the environmental crisis that was at hand until it was brought to my attention through the club and social media. I wanted to figure out how I could do my part in aiding the environment and so I am gradually changing the products that I use in order to reduce my carbon footprint that I will leave behind. I also educate others by using my social media platform to share videos, images, etc. of the current environmental state so that others are also aware of what is going on around them.
My name is Solana Page and I want to live a zero waste lifestyle because I am an avid supporter of the environment. I am a highschool student who began to express my support for the environment through a school club. I never knew the environmental crisis that was at hand until it was brought to my attention through the club and social media. I wanted to figure out how I could do my part in aiding the environment and so I am gradually changing the products that I use in order to reduce my carbon footprint that I will leave behind. I also educate others by using my social media platform to share videos, images, etc. of the current environmental state so that others are also aware of what is going on around them.
Thank you
To the Eney Fellowship Program and Severn School, thank you for giving us the opportunity to pursue our passion with regards to the environment. We are very grateful for everything that has been provided for us and this will be a project that we will never forget.
Thank you to Mrs. Carsley for guiding us through our year-long project and reassuring us that any bump in the road can turn into something great. We adored the lunch meetings and the endless support and encouragement that came our way.
Thank you to Ms. Maxey for being a calming and guiding hand throughout the year and helping us each step of the way. You willingly taught us InDesign and showed us new outlets that would make the book writing process much easier. From sitting in your office to having meetings over Zoom, you've been an incredible help that we're so grateful for.
Thank you to Mrs. Blanck and Ms. Campbell for being our mentors and keeping us in line and focused on our project. You were both very helpful in narrowing down our main idea for the book and our low-waste lifestyle and helped us turn our idea into a reality.
Thank you to Mrs. Carsley for guiding us through our year-long project and reassuring us that any bump in the road can turn into something great. We adored the lunch meetings and the endless support and encouragement that came our way.
Thank you to Ms. Maxey for being a calming and guiding hand throughout the year and helping us each step of the way. You willingly taught us InDesign and showed us new outlets that would make the book writing process much easier. From sitting in your office to having meetings over Zoom, you've been an incredible help that we're so grateful for.
Thank you to Mrs. Blanck and Ms. Campbell for being our mentors and keeping us in line and focused on our project. You were both very helpful in narrowing down our main idea for the book and our low-waste lifestyle and helped us turn our idea into a reality.
introduction
What is zero-waste?
Zero-waste is a new idea that has been brought to light. With more images appearing of plastics floating in the ocean and affecting wildlife, many have taken it upon themselves to find ways to limit and eliminate their waste. One way they can do that is by living a zero-waste life. By definition, a zero-waste lifestyle is “The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and no discharge to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.”1
What is our definition of zero-waste?
For us, we made our own definition on how to live a zero-waste lifestyle. When we started our journey, we had positive attitudes and were very confident that we, as high school students, could easily live a zero-waste lifestyle. However, that quickly changed once we began our three month journey. The definition of a zero-waste lifestyle that we came up with is not using any materials that are not biodegradable, compostable, or recyclable. Because of this, we quickly changed a lot of the daily products that we used and swapped them out for reusable options.
Why did we choose to live this lifestyle?
We both chose to live this lifestyle because we are both very passionate for the environment. After we both found out that we have a lot of the same interests and were both super invested in our school’s eco-club, we wanted to figure out our next step. When we got the opportunity to follow something that we were passionate about on a large scale, we knew we had to do something environmentally-related. Because of this, we both figured out that we would want to live in a way where we are not directly affecting the environment by the materials that we use. We want to share our knowledge on the products that we used and tips that we learned over our 3 month zero-waste span.
How can a high school student live a zero-waste lifestyle?
Being in high school and changing the way that you live everyday is a drastic change. For us, we bought a lot of the daily resources we needed in the bathroom and around the house to prevent us from using anything that did not fall under our definition of zero-waste. However, as we began our journey we quickly found that there were things that we didn’t even think of that produced waste. On a morning when we were rushing to school and didn’t have time to pack a lunch, we would have to eat a bag of chips and throw it in the trash. At first we were very tough on ourselves because we wanted to do everything perfectly, however, in the end we realized that being a high school student is hard enough. We needed to cut ourselves some slack and allow the hiccups in the road to happen. As Anne Marie Bonneau, a zero-waste chef, once said, “we don’t need a handful of people doing zero-waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”2
How does living zero-waste benefit the environment?
Zero-waste has many benefits when it comes to the environment. To begin, it prevents excess food waste. Often times, people will buy more than they need in their household and it ends up going to waste. The unused food that is thrown out could help families in need and, as parents always say, think about the person who doesn’t have food on their plate. Food clutter fills landfills when it could have been repurposed elsewhere. Zero-waste also reduces pollution.3 Many single-use plastics and various bits of trash have floated into our oceans and disturbed the marine life. Coral reefs are dying, whales are washing ashore with their stomachs full of plastic, seabirds are feeding their offspring bits of plastic mistaken as food, and so much more. By going zero-waste, a person is no longer using those single-use plastics and everyday trash that skips the recycling centers and incinerators and goes straight to the ocean. Lastly, by going zero-waste, more support is shown for the reduction of global warming.4 If every person were to properly reduce their waste and reuse materials, the percentage of greenhouse gas emissions would go down. When there is no longer a demand for toxic products such as single-use plastics, then the supply goes down. Just like plastic straws, a movement which was started where people saw how this plastic object affected marine life and they found a solution to it. Other companies were created that had a positive impact on the environment by creating a reusable product rather than a faulty one that had an easy fix. By being conscious of the daily materials that are personally used, the amount of pointless products that humans have created are all around, we just have to take a deeper look.
What other products are available to use rather than plastic?
Plastic production began in 1907 when the first fully synthetic plastic was created by Leo Baekeland. Plastic took off and used very good marketing strategies by saying it was the “material of a thousand uses” because it was durable, heat resistant, and suitable for mass production.5 Since then, plastic production has steadily increased. Because people have seen the effects of plastic on the environment, they have looked towards other alternatives, such as bamboo, silicone, glass, and metal.
Why is bamboo such a good product to use?
Bamboo is a good product to use because it is very sustainable. When bamboo is cut, it quickly grows again and it has the title of being one of the fastest growing plants in the world (growing 2 inches a day). The bamboo has to be tamed and managed and so, by using the remains of the bamboo, a sustainable way to manage plants is created.6
1. "Zero Waste Definition." Zero Waste International Alliance, 20 Dec. 2018,
zwia.org/zero-waste-definition/.
2. Twitter. 21 Feb. 2019, twitter.com/ZeroWasteChef/status/1098682500237254656?s=20.
3. Vrachovska, Merilin. "16 Surprising Benefits Of Going Zero Waste." Almost Zero
Waste, www.almostzerowaste.com/zero-waste-benefits/.
4. "Benefits of Zero Waste." Toronto Environmental Alliance,
www.torontoenvironment.org/zerowaste_benefits.
5. "History and Future of Plastics." Science History Institute,
www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics.
6. Atanda, J. "Environmental impacts of bamboo as a substitute constructional
material in Nigeria." Science Direct, Dec. 2015, www.sciencedirect.com/
science/article/pii/S2214509515300048.
Zero-waste is a new idea that has been brought to light. With more images appearing of plastics floating in the ocean and affecting wildlife, many have taken it upon themselves to find ways to limit and eliminate their waste. One way they can do that is by living a zero-waste life. By definition, a zero-waste lifestyle is “The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and no discharge to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.”1
What is our definition of zero-waste?
For us, we made our own definition on how to live a zero-waste lifestyle. When we started our journey, we had positive attitudes and were very confident that we, as high school students, could easily live a zero-waste lifestyle. However, that quickly changed once we began our three month journey. The definition of a zero-waste lifestyle that we came up with is not using any materials that are not biodegradable, compostable, or recyclable. Because of this, we quickly changed a lot of the daily products that we used and swapped them out for reusable options.
Why did we choose to live this lifestyle?
We both chose to live this lifestyle because we are both very passionate for the environment. After we both found out that we have a lot of the same interests and were both super invested in our school’s eco-club, we wanted to figure out our next step. When we got the opportunity to follow something that we were passionate about on a large scale, we knew we had to do something environmentally-related. Because of this, we both figured out that we would want to live in a way where we are not directly affecting the environment by the materials that we use. We want to share our knowledge on the products that we used and tips that we learned over our 3 month zero-waste span.
How can a high school student live a zero-waste lifestyle?
Being in high school and changing the way that you live everyday is a drastic change. For us, we bought a lot of the daily resources we needed in the bathroom and around the house to prevent us from using anything that did not fall under our definition of zero-waste. However, as we began our journey we quickly found that there were things that we didn’t even think of that produced waste. On a morning when we were rushing to school and didn’t have time to pack a lunch, we would have to eat a bag of chips and throw it in the trash. At first we were very tough on ourselves because we wanted to do everything perfectly, however, in the end we realized that being a high school student is hard enough. We needed to cut ourselves some slack and allow the hiccups in the road to happen. As Anne Marie Bonneau, a zero-waste chef, once said, “we don’t need a handful of people doing zero-waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”2
How does living zero-waste benefit the environment?
Zero-waste has many benefits when it comes to the environment. To begin, it prevents excess food waste. Often times, people will buy more than they need in their household and it ends up going to waste. The unused food that is thrown out could help families in need and, as parents always say, think about the person who doesn’t have food on their plate. Food clutter fills landfills when it could have been repurposed elsewhere. Zero-waste also reduces pollution.3 Many single-use plastics and various bits of trash have floated into our oceans and disturbed the marine life. Coral reefs are dying, whales are washing ashore with their stomachs full of plastic, seabirds are feeding their offspring bits of plastic mistaken as food, and so much more. By going zero-waste, a person is no longer using those single-use plastics and everyday trash that skips the recycling centers and incinerators and goes straight to the ocean. Lastly, by going zero-waste, more support is shown for the reduction of global warming.4 If every person were to properly reduce their waste and reuse materials, the percentage of greenhouse gas emissions would go down. When there is no longer a demand for toxic products such as single-use plastics, then the supply goes down. Just like plastic straws, a movement which was started where people saw how this plastic object affected marine life and they found a solution to it. Other companies were created that had a positive impact on the environment by creating a reusable product rather than a faulty one that had an easy fix. By being conscious of the daily materials that are personally used, the amount of pointless products that humans have created are all around, we just have to take a deeper look.
What other products are available to use rather than plastic?
Plastic production began in 1907 when the first fully synthetic plastic was created by Leo Baekeland. Plastic took off and used very good marketing strategies by saying it was the “material of a thousand uses” because it was durable, heat resistant, and suitable for mass production.5 Since then, plastic production has steadily increased. Because people have seen the effects of plastic on the environment, they have looked towards other alternatives, such as bamboo, silicone, glass, and metal.
Why is bamboo such a good product to use?
Bamboo is a good product to use because it is very sustainable. When bamboo is cut, it quickly grows again and it has the title of being one of the fastest growing plants in the world (growing 2 inches a day). The bamboo has to be tamed and managed and so, by using the remains of the bamboo, a sustainable way to manage plants is created.6
1. "Zero Waste Definition." Zero Waste International Alliance, 20 Dec. 2018,
zwia.org/zero-waste-definition/.
2. Twitter. 21 Feb. 2019, twitter.com/ZeroWasteChef/status/1098682500237254656?s=20.
3. Vrachovska, Merilin. "16 Surprising Benefits Of Going Zero Waste." Almost Zero
Waste, www.almostzerowaste.com/zero-waste-benefits/.
4. "Benefits of Zero Waste." Toronto Environmental Alliance,
www.torontoenvironment.org/zerowaste_benefits.
5. "History and Future of Plastics." Science History Institute,
www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics.
6. Atanda, J. "Environmental impacts of bamboo as a substitute constructional
material in Nigeria." Science Direct, Dec. 2015, www.sciencedirect.com/
science/article/pii/S2214509515300048.