The Zero Waste Family

I recently saw a television spot on the Zero Waste Family from the US. Miss Ballerina was watching mindless TV over the summer break (some chat show called The View) and I had been tuning it out until I heard them mention this segment. Boy, we all think we are doing OK until we see people like this! They have only one jar of rubbish PER YEAR!  They must have very understanding shopkeepers as she mentioned even the supermarket pack her purchases in her containers for her. But, have I ever tried this myself - have I ever asked? You never know what may be possible if you don't ask.

My buggaboo at the moment is milk. I am not milking Izzy at the moment and milk in plastic containers makes me crazy.
When we lived in Melbourne (long ago), we used to be able to buy Elgaar Farm milk but not any more.



I see all those plastic bottles and I go into a mindspin! Recycling just is not good enough for me. I just cannot see a way around it though.

I used to buy Kialla products, also not available here. They came in fabric bags which I could then turn into placemats and other items. There is probably a health food shop in Warrnambool (and I saw the one in Apollo Bay stocked it!) but then the food miles debate enters into it. Is it worth the petrol use?!



Quite frankly, I am not sure if watching the Zero Waste Family made me motivated or made me feel a failure. I guess it is the is the glass half empty or half full. I find caring about these issues can become a minefield in my brain. I read a book a while ago (can't remember the title) where the author states that she almost wishes she could go back to a time where she didn't know about peak oil, climate change, the food crisis, so she could just go out and buy a latte in a throwaway cup without feeling guilty about it. But we cannot go back now - we must move forward and do our best, even if sometimes we feel our best is not making any difference.