This is an excerpt from an article BeZero.org. Read the full article here.
Written by Brooke Lorimer
Naropa Peace Studies major/Environmental Studies minor
Zero waste and intentional living have shaped the way I relate and interact with the world since my discovery of the two earlier this year. By downsizing my wants and needs, and swapping out disposable products for reusable alternatives, I feel I am beginning to live a life that is value based.
For my 21st birthday I knew I wanted to extend these values to the celebration. Beyond a lifestyle of creating less trash and decreasing environmental impact, Zero Waste also means embracing the moment in front of me, and getting rid of excess in order to engage with life fully.
The idea of embracing the moment in front of me and dropping expectations was not always what my birthday consisted of. For me, birthdays are a big deal. Birthdays prior to this one, I wanted everything to be planned. The intended outcome of all this planning was that the day would be absolutely perfect. Of course, these ideals ended up causing more stress and disappointment than fun.
I realized that for this birthday, if I was to bring my true intentions of the Zero Waste lifestyle into the day, I would have to let go of expected outcomes and over planning. The result was absolutely blissful. Not only was it a low impact day, it was a day fully embraced. I had decided to drop my expectations and instead make only two requests, making as little trash as possible, while enjoying the day as much as possible.
