ECO blog Australia #2 - ‘Say NO To The War On Waste’.

No to the “war on waste”?

We have enough wars happening. We always have. 

 

I like the idea, but why must we approach everything with negative and aggressive connotations?

How about something like ‘The Mission Back Home’ or ‘The Zero Waste Quest' or ‘Back into the cycle’? (I’m sorry we really do love it), but you get my point. 

I would love to hear any suggestions that you guys have in the comments, or perhaps you even like the phrase “war on waste”?

This journey to being a truly sustainable community is going to take a great big positive attitude, and some really great science continues to demonstrate that our brains work optimally when we are in a positive mind frame. 

This mission and quest is of Herculean proportion, so;

 

How on earth do we conquer such a mighty mountain, when our busy lives already contain about ten of these monolithic mountains already? 

With one tiny step at a time. 

An ancient Chinese philosopher wisely put it:

 

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” - Lao Tzu

 

Another cliché? Yes absolutely, clichés are clichés because they have lasted the scrutiny of time and still stand true. 

 

As I mentioned in the very first ECO wipes blog post on going “Back into the cycle”, the very first step starts within you, within your mind. It is a decision that moving towards a wasteless society is indeed a good idea. For if one cannot see the benefit of the concept, why would one think it is a good idea? Exactly. 

Now that we know it’s a good idea, it’s time to take action. Analysis paralysis, the killer of many great dormant ideas, and the sibling of procrastination.

Action however, can be scary.

So, let’s take action so small, so easy, that we cannot fail. Like committing to brush one tooth per day! When you arrive, you’ll most likely do more, maybe even two teeth!

If you approach this mountain and look to the top, and analyse every facet and difficulty about it, you will surely become overwhelmed and most likely quit, unless you’re crazy- David Goggins-esque.

However, if you divide the steps and tasks into small segments, you can easily conquer this mountain. You first get to the base camp, stay there overnight, prepare your mind and body for the altitudes, then make it to the next stop. You keep doing this until you surely arrive. 

“Kaizen”

The Japanese call it “Kaizen”, slow and constant improvements for the better. In Italian they say “Chi va piano, va sano” which means slowly but surely. And in English we say “one step at a time”. This is the method of progress and implementation that lasts. 

The opposite of this, is making huge, unrealistic and contextually unattainable goals for yourself that you do not go ahead with, and become constantly disappointed and distrusting of yourself. 

This is not your fault, this is the fault of the method you employed. 

It’s the same reason why diets don’t work for the majority of people, nor do new years resolutions. 

 

Now I am sure you know this story. Engage your imagination for a moment:

The hype of new year, you’ve finished a massive year of work, you’re celebrating with family and friends, the whole world is getting ready for the new years celebrations, and the vibe is electric. You make these plans based upon how you’re feeling at the time, which is realistic if you are going to feel that way all year round. However, when the hype inevitably crashes, and you’ve got a mighty hangover, and you slowly get back into a year of strenuous routine, the desire and discipline wears off, and the novelty of losing 15kg by March, or reading a book a week becomes a disappointing memory. 

 

Again, not your fault so don’t worry. It was the method. This is why slow, easy improvements with a definite plan of action works and lasts. 

It may feel like you lack motivation, but what we are really lacking is clarity and a good plan.

James Clear, entrepreneur, amazing researcher and author of ‘Atomic Habits’ talks about this phenomenon of changing small habits to eventually change your life. It completely changed my life and the lives of others that I have helped around me.

We all desire rapid success, rapid transformation and a pill to do it for us that kicks in, in 20 minutes or less.

There is a magic pill!

That magic pill is the small choices we make every day that creates habits. 

These tiny choices we make every day that alter 1% of our lives, compound over time, whether we like it or not. 

 

James Clear beautifully articulates:

“ (good) habits are the compound interest of self-improvement”.

He used an amazing metaphor in one of his talks that really got to me. He said (paraphrase):

“In the common lounge room, which way are all the couches facing? The answer is towards the tv.. “. So, what are you most likely going to do when you sit in the lounge room?”.

 

You don’t need any motivation to do it, you just watch it because the lounge room is designed that way. This amazing metaphor is the key to which one can rearrange their mind and home (or environment) to make it easy for them to complete their intended goals. 

Moreover, his whole framework of habit creation is getting really good at starting things. For example when you can never be bothered exercising after work, then when you go to your place of exercise and within a few minutes of working out you feel great. You just have to turn up, like brushing one tooth per day. But you must to have an easy system set up for you. 

 

Believe it or not but I’m not a life coach, my journey is in compostables, assisting society towards zero waste through business and education. And if you’re reading this, you probably want me to get back to the point. 

How can we use this ‘habit hack’ to move us to a more earth friendly living environment?

There are many ways, such as:

• Having a small visible compost bin in your kitchen that goes to your backyard compost or the local councils green waste bin

• Having bins with lovely signs on them showing what can and can’t go in there for example: Glass, Recycling, compost, soft plastics, hard plastic, polystyrene. 

• Buying bulk and having refillable jars or containers for easy access and use (and it looks beautiful too).

   

What my team and I have developed at ECO wipes is fully and truly compostable wipes because they are raw bamboo and they are unbleached, so whether they go into your bin, the green waste or your home compost it will break down fast into nutrients. 
Simple, easy and guilt free.

But the way we help make it easy for our community is our zero-waste and bulk model:

• You buy in bulk so you save money mid-term

• You save on excess packaging and waste.

• You save time and fuel on trips to the store. 

• We have a swapping system for our formulas, like the ol’ milk man method. 

• We deliver it to your home 

• You can order when you like or subscribe and let it roll. 

• A refillable ‘KEEP’ dispenser for all of your wiping needs.

• You become the middle woman or man yourself. 

• We contribute your money to regeneration projects that we will keep track of for you and send you updates of your great work.  

• Know you’re doing good for the environment and supporting a business who will continue to improve the way they do things and the positive impact they will make on our soil.

 

This is our personal zero-waste action plan we have provided for you. We wanted to make it so easy as well as cost effective in the mid-term that it was a no brainer. 

There are many amazing local companies out there who are also supporting homes and businesses in moving toward less waste. And in future blogs i will be shouting out the ones we love and trust.

 

It is a symbiotic exchange, and it needs to be done in tandem as a community. Businesses and people together. Otherwise, big businesses will run wild, cut costs, and cut care. 

 

If you need some guidance setting up an awesome system at home that supports your desires to move to less waste living, then i highly suggest you watch a video from James Clear on how to create habits. He has some long lectures and a great book, however i have attached a very attractive and engaging video for you to watch (Ignore the title, it was designed to capture a particular business audience), but the principles remain the same.

"The Billionaire Algorithm" | (it will change your future!) - YouTube

 

If you’re like me and love a good step by step recipe. Here’s a summary of the actionable steps to good habits:

 

If you have any cool ideas to share how you get into good ECO habits, please share it in the comments to help inspire our community

Enjoy and stay savvy ECO warriors.