A) Some people are incredibly demanding, rude, and gigantic Negative Nancies
B) Many people mistake small talk for a chance to complain, gripe, and/or state the complete obvious
C) Humans are unbelievably wasteful creatures
All venting aside, let's talk about WASTE!
Ever think about all that packaging that goes into making your grocery products look so attention-grabbing and wholesomely untouched by the outside world? Well it's about time you do because apparently, we careless American humans discard 570 MILLION POUNDS of food packaging waste, per day.
That's the weight equivalent of over 700 Jetliners fully loaded and ready of take off [don't worry, I did the proper math] every day-- just within the U.S.
So, what's a hopelessly wasteful species to do?? Here's a new trend to consider:
GOING WASTE FREE (aka: Zero Waste)
Several major companies have been lauded for their zero waste efforts. These companies all sustain a 90% or higher recycling rate, generating little to no waste at all!
Zero Waste Shining Stars:Honda
Pillsbury
Hewlett-Packard
In.gredients grocery
What are ways individuals can cut back on waste?
-buying from farmers' markets (which requires minimal packaging)
-using reusable grocery/shopping bags
-not automatically wrapping EVERYTHING in plastic (try throwing several of your produce items into the same bag)
-limiting consumption of single-use products (just think of all those extra bottles and wrappers..)
So, next time you go to the store and the clerk automatically puts your single box of toothpaste in a plastic bag, think to yourself, "does my toothpaste really need to be bottled, boxed, AND bagged?" no.
*Watch this video for a cool intro into going waste-free from a grocery store perspective:
http://www.goodlifer.com/2013/02/in-gredients-a-zero-waste-food-store-in-austin-texas
Other sources:
http://re-nourish.com/?l=articles_detail&id=120
