Environmental protection has been my passion from the age of 7. As a young girl, I craved information about how to best care for the environment. I started a recycling program at my school, and was speaking out about animal rights at a young age. However, I wasn’t satisfied with just recycling and turning off the lights. In light of the mass deforestation and species loss going on, I knew there was so much more work to be done.

So, I organised my first reforestation project with my schoolmates, and spent my free time caring for injured birds at a local sanctuary. When I finally left school, I was able to get my Bachelor’s and Master’s in Natural Resources Management and Sustainable Development. I felt like I was in my element while I was managing programs to reforest clear-cut tropical landscapes and even participating in campaigns to stop big oil from destroying biodiverse habitats. It was fulfilling work to join environmental organisations in their efforts to protect ecosystems and to fight for environmental justice. I wanted to keep doing that and at the same time, make more meaningful changes in my personal life too.

Before learning about the zero waste movement, there were actually many things I was doing that were already “zero waste” without having heard of the term. I was composting, reusing bags, buying things secondhand, refusing things I didn’t need, repairing broken items, sharing items with friends, using public transportation, etc. But when I saw Lauren Singer’s video showing off her trash in a jar, it made me realise I wanted to take my waste reduction a step further!

So, I did a trash audit. It helped me realise where my plastic waste was still coming from. The main source of trash was actually from my food. So, I began to buy beans & grains in bulk to avoid the plastic waste, and veggies at local markets. I also made the switch to a reusable razor, shampoo bar, conditioner bar, toothpaste tabs, cloth pads, etc. It was so much fun that I started making more of my own body care products & herbal remedies. 

It feels great to have a trash can that holds just a fraction of the waste it used to hold, knowing I’ve reduced my individual pollution. However, it’s so important to not get caught up in perfection, for two reasons. First, everyone has a different set of privileges (time, money, location, health, education) that will affect how much they can reduce their waste. Secondly, I want to bring up the danger of strictly blaming ourselves and working only on ourselves to be better. We can do everything to better ourselves in our personal lives, and at the same time try to stop corporations responsible for ecocide. The consumer is not the first person responsible for the ecological crisis. It’s important to hold accountable the companies responsible for environmental destruction, for example the 100 corporations responsible for 71% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. 

So, let’s scale up the low waste movement as we can, and at the same time pressure large corporations and lawmakers to make meaningful changes on a large scale!

Love Christelle💕

Connect with Christelle here @permacrafters

and also have a look at Permacrafters Eco school 

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