Hey earth muffins! As this blog has seen some drastic shifts in its content over the past year or so, I wanted to write a post about my thoughts on being a “zero waste” blogger. It seems that as sustainability becomes a more popular topic in the news and among the younger generations, there has been a rise in the “zero waste” blog category. However, I personally will never consider Life of an Earth Muffin to be a “zero waste” blog; here are the reasons why.
First, I would like to start out by saying a disclaimer that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a zero waste blog or living the zero waste lifestyle! I support anyone and everyone who is in this category, but I don’t see being completely zero waste as a realistic end goal for me. While creating absolutely no waste is incredible for those who opt to do so, I hope to live as sustainably as possible without subjecting myself to living that strict of a lifestyle. My boyfriend, who I will be living with starting in August, is not fully on board with zero waste living as well, so it would be difficult to try to live this lifestyle if he were not too. Zero waste in general is definitely not a perfect concept (because really, what is “perfect”?), so I figure that I will live the way I want to live and share that journey here on Life of an Earth Muffin.
You definitely do not need to be 100% zero waste to make an impact on the planet and challenge the views of people living around you, so I would much prefer to stay away from the “trendy” label of being zero waste and pave my own path for my unique way to sustainably live. I hope that my content will continue to show what one person can do in their daily life and inspire others to follow – one of the reasons I changed my blog’s name to Life of an Earth Muffin is because being an “earth muffin” encompasses so many more people than those who are just “zero waste”.
Even though I personally have found that being low waste does not require extra money in my budget, the zero-waste community is already one plagued by privilege. How are you supposed to be zero waste if you don’t have access to bulk stores or secondhand shops? Or affordable bulk or organic options? Or live in a climate where fresh produce is unavailable? Or have the time or resources to avoid all plastics? The media around this lifestyle is often white centric and female heavy, with mason jars full of trash in tow. While it is a misconception that everyone who is zero waste must have this mason jar trash can, I would much rather not put myself (or my blog) into a category that is not totally inclusive.
While using the terms “zero waste” and “low waste” will always be a part of this blog (because face it, clickbait and “trendy” terms are necessary to drive traffic), I don’t find myself trying to shove my content or modify it to fit into a category that doesn’t accurately describe me. Helping the planet and inspiring others to do the same are my main goals for this blog, and I know that I can be successful at it without being fully zero waste. 🙂
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Love,
Jenna ♥
Everything you do is so inspiring! I love that you are honest, open, and realistic! You inspire me to do better.
the creation of beauty is art.