Zero Waste Goals - 9/19

Trying to reduce one's garbage output takes a lot of changing habits.  Everybody has to figure out their own way.  And everyone's on a different level too.  If you are just starting out, simply remembering to bring your own reusable bags might seem like a huge obstacle. 

Usually the first few things that people are encouraged to do in attempting to go zero waste are:

1) bring your own bags when shopping
2) bring your own water bottle
3)  bring your own reusable travel mug
4)  avoid plastic straws
5)  bring your own cutlery when eating at fast food places

Then you might move on to:
6) using alternatives to plastic wrap
7) composting
8) buying milk in returnable glass bottles
9)  making things like broth, yogurt, ghee, mayo at home
10)  making your own cleaners, laundry detergent

But the point is, it takes time to establish these habits.  And because our society actively works against us, it is hard to maintain these good habits.  You really have to live in a very counter cultural way.  It is very easy to slip up a lot!  I am always restarting myself.

The motto for zero wasters is:  BE PREPARED!  Just like the scouts, you have to think ahead to what your needs will be and then provide for yourself accordingly.    A really nice thing that dovetails with zero waste is going to minimalist and trying to simplify your life.  Slowing down helps a lot.  If you are overbooked and stressed out, always running on adrenaline, it is much harder to go zero waste.  You'll always find yourself caught in a bind where you have to compromise.

I've been homeschooling for 21 years.  This is my first year not homeschooling, so I still think in terms of the academic year.  September is a time for making goals.  I like to make goals all through the year actually.  I've got September goals, New Year's resolutions, Lenten goals and summer goals. 

Autumn Goals:

1)  Learn to make homemade vinegar - I started a challenge for this beginning 9/22 on the Catholics for Zero Waste facebook group.

2)  Make and can tomato sauce from my garden tomatoes (currently in the freezer) - I need canning jars!

3)  Learn to ferment something my family will actually eat (because it ain't sauerkraut!) - I'm thinking of homemade ketchup or somewhere I saw a carrot slaw that looked promising.

4)  Harvest carrots and radishes from fall garden.  These are the only two things I got around to sowing for the fall garden.

5)  Make beef bone broth (I bought bones from local farmer)  I make chicken broth all the time.  And I've started saving veggie scraps and making vegetable broth, but I've not done beef broth before.

6)  Prep garden for winter.  I need to learn more about soil amending

7)  Ask for micro-green growing kit for Christmas and then grow micro-greens!  I think this would be so cool to do.

8)  Read more about gardening.  There is so much I need to learn!

What are your zero waste goals, right now?