Each Brazilian produces an average of 379 kg of garbage a year. Multiplying by the country's population, over 76 million tons. This is not good for our planet. How to reduce that number? That is the question. Renata Ceribelli found a girl in New York, that two years ago has changed dramatically habits with one goal: to get to zero waste.
Lauren's only 23 and an immense discipline to live in a radical way. Formed in Environmental Studies from the University of New York, she decided two years ago to live without producing any waste. But how she can?
To understand a little how this life to produce zero waste, the reporter Renata Ceribelli asked to accompany her routine, and they were shopping.
"Here I have the bag I always bring when I come to the market. I fill it with my vegetables. Inside bring bags where I can put the vegetables," says Lauren.
The bag is made with linen, cotton or organic material, not plastic.
"If I want to drink water, avoid buying plastic bottle. I bring this glass mug with me always. Now it has coffee, but sometimes I put water, tea, anything," says Lauren.
Lauren says that does not buy anything with packaging. So rather go to open air fairs, usually organic. But even in the big stores, she always buy food such as rice, beans, everything in bulk. "The packaging is made using a lot of energy, a lot of water. It's a waste. For example, candy, I'll do it myself. It's healthy and fun."
Bread: just what is out of the plastic packaging. Juice: in glass mug. Fish, chicken, beef: Lauren does not eat any of it. It is vegetarian. "As a matter of sustainability. Because meat producers use lots of water, lots of land, and also because it is the life of an animal," he says.
When going to the fair, Lauren asks to store products bought within your bag. And it is becoming more common. "More and more young people are thinking about it, we have to eliminate boxes, bags. They are paying more attention to waste," said the marketer.
But what she considers garbage? "For me it's all garbage that goes to a landfill and stay there forever. So when you put your trash in the trash, it goes to the truck, which goes into a giant landfill and stay there forever. I don’t like feel that I'm sending things to a place and that will stay on the planet forever. I prefer to use things that break the process, "she explains.
Is it even possible to live well? In Lauren's apartment kitchen, the pots are all glass. The detergent herself produces. The shampoo and moisturizer too, all beauty and cleaning products. All this not to pollute the planet. Even the toilet paper is recyclable paper.
Now it takes time and dedication to make this lifestyle, right? "When you go to a store, it takes how long? 45 minutes? One hour? Say you want to buy a shampoo, you need 30 minutes, at least? I do toothpaste, deodorant and moisturizer in five minutes" Lauren says.
The toothpaste is two tablespoons of coconut oil soup, a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate and 20 drops of mint essence. Mix everything and ready.
Lauren share the experience of living without producing garbage and also its revenues on his blog on the internet. But if one were to follow her example? What would be the first step in changing the lifestyle?
"I would say the first thing you should do is look at your trash. Watch what you will play out. In my case, I had a lot of waste food and packaging," says.
What she produces of garbage is in the freezer, in a recycled paper bag. She doesn’t waste anything. Has all the food leftovers: eggshell, fruit dregs. "When with a reasonable amount, I take it to a large container filled with other organic waste and that everything is stacked on the floor with heating, worms and turns into fertilizer," she explains.
But what to do, for example, with a torn clothes, that you cannot donate? Again, Lauren surprising. "If I have a pair of jeans that has a huge hole and I cannot use, I'll take her to the fair, where they have a textile recycling session and they will turn this into a new fabric," says.
Everything else she keeps in a little pot. Clothes labels, shows input bracelets, straws of drinks she drinks, laces that come gifts. And all the junk that Lauren has produced the last two years fits into a small pot. Moreover, waste not, because she will not throw away. Will save it in the hope of emerging technology that can recycle it.
