This blog started out as a zero-waste blog, tracking my progress and implementing sustainable changes to my everyday routine.
Throughout this journey, I’ve lived in three different countries, in three different circumstances.
The reason I point this out is because context is important. Access to eco-friendly options and alternatives is key and so is financial stability and convenience, in order to maintain sustainable changes.
When I moved to London, my life changed in every way imaginable. A relationship ended, a job started, a community was found and new experiences were endless.
Finding my feet in a world that was accessible yet so foreign to me was exciting and distracting all at once. Everything I thought I knew needed to be either reaffirmed or disposed of and I spent my energy adjusting my world view to new insights and learnings.
I’d be lying if I said sustainability had the same level of priority as it did before, during my time of “finding my feet”. I wanted to learn and see everything and if it was at the expense of zero-waste principles, I was ok with it.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t just ignore my core values. I’d still bring lunches in reusable containers, I’d stick to my second-hand rule for needed items, I’d support businesses aligned with my values and I’d live my life with necessities only, excess was never my style.
What has changed is my relationship with waste. While I am still conscious of the waste I put out in the world, I will no longer stick to a zero-waste rule for a simple reason: it drove me crazy.
Having zero-waste as limiting factor rather than an ideal was a mindset I needed to shake in order to facilitate sustainable changes while adjusting to a new lifestyle.
I no longer believe in policing myself for the waste I produce. I believe in trying my best with the means I have. And sometimes that means I have a week of producing zero waste (yes, it does still happen occasionally) and sometimes it just means “it is what it is”. I’m ok with that.
Sustainability in every way is one of the driving factors of my life and as I learn and grow, the meaning of sustainability will vary and change.
That being said, this year I will dedicate to sharing sustainable practices of a big city girl. My lifestyle now is a different one, the way I implement my values has evolved and I can’t wait to bring you a long.
Buckle up, it’s gon’ be a wild ride!
