Protect The Earth - Choose A Waste Free Lifestyle

Marketers have a superpower (It's true you know!), this superpower enables us to help consumers make purchase decisions. When I decided that marketing was my future profession, I was fairly certain that I will only work for companies that will provide a service or product that makes the world a better place.

waste free products

Now, after five years as a marketing expert, I think I have realized that marketing is not an easy job, in order to market a product or a service I need to ensure that I believe in the product I am marketing to the people. Now that I have my own blog, I have decided that I will utilize my free time surfing the internet for companies that make the world a better place. This reminds me of my first marketing job interview when the HR of the company asked me why I wanted to be a marketer, I replied:

"You can only sell things if you believe in them in the first place, if you believe your products create a positive impact, you can market them and create a positive impact as well."

What is a Waste-Free lifestyle all about?

In simple terms: A waste-free lifestyle is eliminating purchasing products that later become unusable for future consumption.

Broader perspective: Purchasing products or living a lifestyle that reduces your impact on the planet. Any item that cannot be reused or re-utilized is not part of this lifestyle.

Re-use and reutilise items you use on day to day basis

All of us have a certain amount of impact on the environment, as consumers, almost every single product made available to us becomes a waste product after it's utilized. From your toothbrush to water bottles, most products we purchase on a day-to-day basis adds up to our negative impact on our planet. Living a waste-free lifestyle does not mean letting go of life's luxuries at all. It means we are finally taking into account the impact of consumerism on the planet's health. It is important to consider reducing your ecological footprint as a consumer, this means purchasing products that don't need to be discarded.

So, to make things simple, there are 3 R's in a waste-free lifestyle:

• REFUSE things that you don’t require anymore

• REDUCE the number of things you purchase (Water bottles, polythene packets etc)

• REUSE anything you can (such as glass bottles, containers)

Not to forget, don't forget to upcycle and compost.

What Is Carbon Footprint And We All Must Take It Seriously?

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, that are produced by an individual, organization, event, or product. It is typically measured in units of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere and contribute to global warming and climate change.

Taking our carbon footprint seriously means that we need to be aware of the impact our actions have on the environment and work to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

This could involve reducing our energy consumption, using energy-efficient products, driving less, or offsetting our emissions by supporting projects that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. By reducing our carbon footprint, we can help mitigate the negative effects of climate change and contribute to a more sustainable future.

How to shift to a waste-free lifestyle in three simple steps?

Learning and reflecting about your lifestyle is extremely important, once you know the amount of waste you create, you should be able to reconsider some of your purchase decisions as a consumer. Here are three easy do-able steps in a waste-free lifestyle: 1. Step-by-step research about waste-free habits: - Learn about waste-free products you can utilize in your daily routine - Start replacing your products one by one. For instance, swap your plastic toothbrush with a bamboo brush. - Research for alternatives!! Don't purchase anything without a little research online. 2. Start replacing your personal products - Stop buying anything that comes in a non-recyclable plastic bottle.

- Buy products that come package-free. There are many companies such as Lush, Body shop, zero-waste stores, etc that offer consumers the opportunity to purchase bottles that can be re-used.

3. Carry a jute bag with you whenever you shop This is the easiest way to reduce the amount of plastic we have out there! Refuse any polythene packets from your local vendors and utilize your jute bag for your daily groceries.

Mind your Ecological impact!

We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children

I can't stress more about this, and it's important we realize that we are no longer living in the 15th century. Every single human being needs to contribute to making the world a better place for future generations. Calculate your Ecological footprint here: https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en

Considering everything I said above, for me, I firmly have begun my journey into a waste-free world. We all have a role to play in this world, as consumers, we need to be responsible for our habits. Everything we do now defines the future, research and analyse what changes you need to make in order to make your lifestyle more efficient.

Important resources:

1. https://wastefreeproducts.com/

2. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/plastic-free-products-global-citizens/

3. https://selfeco.com/blogs/selfeco-blog/100-ways-to-live-trash-free-adopt-a-zero-waste-lifestyle