Repurpose an old yoga mat.
Many yoga mats are made from petroleum-based PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and rendered flexible with phthalates, which are known hormone disruptors. PVC isn’t easily recyclable—you can’t toss it into your plastics bin and leave it at the curb—and what’s worse, once PVC hits the landfill, it can leak chlorine, carcinogens, and other toxic chemicals into the soil and air.14 So if you have an old PVC yoga mat, do all you can to extend its life and keep it from doing harm to the environment. Here are a few ideas:
Donate it to charity. If your mat is in good condition, either donate it to a local charity or see if the neighborhood community center or senior center can use it.
Give it to an animal shelter. Check with area shelters to see if they accept yoga mats for bedding or to line crates.
Use it in the garden. A yoga mat makes a generous, foldable knee pad that you can easily hose down.
Bring it to the beach. Throw it down in the sand to lie on, and save your towel for drying off.
Take it on a picnic. A yoga mat provides a more stable surface over grass than a sheet or a blanket.
Use it for sleepovers and camping. It offers a little extra padding between the ground and your sleeping bag.
Turn it into a car liner. For transporting potted plants, pets, muddy boots, wet surfing gear…
Use under pet food and water bowls. Cut it to fit so spills are contained.
Buy a new, sustainable yoga mat.
If your current mat is good for your practice, stick with it. But when you need a new one, look for a mat made of natural rubber or jute, which are biodegradable materials that don’t off-gas volatile compounds.
FOUR Travel Near and Far with (Almost) Zero Waste
Travel has a huge impact on the planet. In 2017, the EPA reported that transportation accounted for 29 percent of total greenhouse-gas emissions in the United States,1 beating out electricity by one percentage point as the largest share of the problem. A typical passenger car emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, says the agency. A nonstop, round-trip flight in coach from Newark Airport to Los Angeles emits about 1.3 metric tons, according to MyClimate.org’s CO2 calculator. (That calculation goes up if you fly business or first class, and also if you have a connecting flight.)
It’s enough to make you want to walk everywhere. Of course, then you’d wear out your shoes that much faster, requiring you to dispose of and then replace them. Likewise, biking, skateboarding, roller-skating—any mode of transportation you can think of—would eventually require you to get at least one part replaced.
So strive for (almost) zero waste. If you can walk or ride a bike literally everywhere, then do it more often. But if you can’t, use common sense. Take public transportation whenever possible, and save on fuel in other ways where you can. Be efficient when it comes to travel gear and travel plans. Utilize whatever tips and strategies fit with your lifestyle during your trips to work, to visit family and friends, and to explore the world.
Wear comfortable shoes when walking.
Real talk: if you can’t walk a block in those shoes, you know you’re going to end up driving (or asking someone else for a lift). So save yourself the CO2 expenditure and make sure all the shoes you own are comfortable enough to walk in. Can’t let go of your less practical favorites? Stash a pair of sneakers in your tote so you can slip them on and then skip the bus, subway, or hired ride.
Use more public transportation.
The math just makes sense: subways and heavy rail trains produce on average 76 percent fewer greenhouse-gas emissions per passenger mile than an average single-occupancy vehicle (aka your car); light rail systems produce 62 percent fewer greenhouse gases, and bus transit produces 33 percent fewer, according to a report from the Federal Transit Administration.2 Spare the planet the greenhouse gases and air pollution—and save yourself the stress of driving—and take public transportation whenever you can. That means when getting around your town or commuting to work, and also when traveling out of town. There’s no better way to experience another city like a local than by taking their metros, trains, and buses.
Or carpool.
Which sounds like more fun: Monday morning commute, or Monday morning mini road trip? If you’re all going to the same place—the office, Back-to-School Night, the climate change rally—why not go together and reduce your overall carbon footprint? Census data from 2017 shows an uptick in carpooling among the top eleven US metropolitan areas.3 Even nondrivers can get in on this pollution-reducing strategy by choosing the ride-share option in their favorite car-for-hire app. For every extra person in that car, you’ve just kept one more vehicle off the road.
Ride your bike.
A distance that might seem insurmountable on foot can seem incredibly doable on two wheels. A sixteen-mile round-trip journey to buy your favorite local honey? No big deal. Just strap on a helmet (and a backpack, for carrying purchases) and hit the road. The only energy used in biking is your own, which means you’ve just gotten a nearly-zero-waste workout, too. A double win for you and the planet.
Get an electric or hybrid car.
According to the US Department of Energy, transportation accounts for nearly three-fourths of all American petroleum consumption.4 Switching to a hybrid or electric vehicle will help bring that number down, lowering the United States’s reliance on petroleum, releasing less CO2 into the atmosphere, and reducing our collective current rate of greenhouse-gas production. The money you’ll save on gas? Consider it a bonus. If you’re buying a new fully electric car, the savings don’t end there. The federal government offers tax credits ranging from $2,500 to $7,500 on new electric car purchases (the rate varies depending on vehicle size and battery capacity).5 Many states offer incentives, too—including cash rebates, additional tax credits, access to HOV lanes, and reduced toll fees.6
Maximize your fuel efficiency.
If you do drive a vehicle that relies entirely or partially on gas to run, make sure you’re burning as little fuel as possible. This one’s super easy—basically, just drive like a grown-up. Don’t brake hard, accelerate hard, or speed wildly, and maintain a steady rate whenever possible. Also, keep the trunk empty when you can: the more weight in your car, the more fuel it requires to move. So while it might seem like a good idea to consistently keep your trunk full of beach gear (or fishing gear, tailgating gear, or hiking gear) for spontaneous day trips, it’s actually not the most eco-friendly move.
Turn off your engine.
Many states have laws prohibiting keeping your motor running while parked, with heavy fines (into the thousands) if you get caught doing it. It’s for good reason: according to the US Department of Energy,7 personal vehicles generate around thirty million tons of CO2 every year just by idling. By some estimates, if we all stopped idling, it would be equivalent to taking five million vehicles off the road.8
Check your tire pressure.
Whether you’re driving a two- or four-wheeled vehicle, maintaining proper tire pressure not only makes driving safer but also extends the life of your tires and can increase fuel efficiency (less fuel = less pollution and greenhouse-gas emissions). According to the US Department of Energy,9 you can improve your gas mileage by up to 3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper PSI (pounds per square inch). Check the inside of the driver’s door or the owner’s manual for your car’s recommended PSI.
Book direct flights.
It’s a catch-22: you want to experience different cultures, see different parts of the world, and immerse yourself in humanity in all its variety—and yet to travel any great distance, you likely need to catch a plane, an act that helps pollute our planet, putting Earth and its every living inhabitant in peril. Of all the transportation-related greenhouse emissions in the United States, aircraft are responsible for 12 percent.10 Instead of resigning yourself to streaming travel documentaries on your laptop from the comfort of your couch, fly smarter. Step one: book direct flights. The most jet fuel
is wasted during takeoff and landing (taxiing is the biggest offender in the process11), so the more times you do that in one trip, the greater the environmental cost of your journey. Yes, it might be more expensive than taking a connecting flight, but consider it a small price to pay for extending the health of our planet and the people on it (including yourself).
Skip the upgrade.
It’s simple math: You can fit more coach seats in an airplane than business or first-class seats, which means that the more passengers there are on the plane, the smaller each person’s carbon footprint will be. Research from the World Bank12 found that the footprint per mile for business and first classes is “substantially greater” than that of economy class, so if you fly coach, you’ll not only save money but you’ll also be a greenhouse-gas-emission-reducing hero. (And keep your heroism in mind the next time the passenger in front of you reclines their seat right into your lap. Think: I’m saving the planet. I’m saving the planet. I’m saving the planet.)
Buy carbon offsets.
In an effort to make your trip carbon-neutral, you can also turn to carbon offsets. The idea here is that you’ve reduced your environmental impact in all ways possible but still want to make up for the rest; so, basically, you spend money to fund a project that reduces greenhouse emissions—whether that’s planting trees, landfill-gas capture, or wind power. Some airlines even have programs that help you calculate your CO2 footprint per flight and then choose to support a project through the organizations they’ve partnered with—and if you’re flying internationally, soon the burden won’t be fully on you. A UN agreement called CORSIA13 has called for airlines themselves to start offsetting their international flights by 2021.14
Don’t buy travel-size toiletries.
When you travel, be sure to bring the same reduced-plastics mentality that you apply to your daily grooming routine. Rather than buy mini packaged versions of your favorite soaps, shampoos, lotions, and other personal-care items, portion some of your at-home favorites into small metal reusable travel bottles and tins. Or, if you’ve already got a shelf full of mini toiletries taking up space in your cabinet, use them until they’re empty—then refill them again and again, to keep them out of the not-so-efficient plastic recycling stream or landfill.
Pack lightly.
There are many theories as to why airlines charge passengers for traveling with extra bags. When the fees were first implemented, the price of jet fuel was to blame. Today, some skeptics suggest that it’s just a revenue stream airlines don’t want to give up, especially since we’ve all gotten used to paying. Either way, the fees are here to stay. But if that isn’t enough to make you reconsider packing that fifth pair of shoes, remember that the more luggage you bring on the plane, the larger your individual carbon footprint. So, bring only what you’ll need, make sure shoes do double duty for different outfits and activities, and call ahead to find out if there are hair dryers or beach towels available where you’re staying. Not only will you be treading more lightly from an environmental-impact perspective but you’ll also skip the extra baggage fees and lighten your load when zipping through airports or hauling your luggage up stairs or onto the hotel shuttle bus.
How to Streamline Your Packing List
CHECK THE WEATHER REPORT. Sorry to bring it up, but with climate change disrupting what we think of as “typical” weather in a given location at a certain time of year, it always makes sense to check the weather forecast for your destination ahead of time. This way you’ll know whether to pack your raincoat, your bathing suit, or both.
PICK A COLOR THEME. Black, white, and red? Denim and neutrals? Shades of gray? Make sure every piece of clothing you pack can be worn with anything else in your suitcase so you’ll have the maximum number of outfit combos for any occasion or weather.
BRING ONE LESS THAN YOU THINK YOU NEED. If you’ve set aside multiples of particular items of clothing or accessories, practice paring down. Nine pairs of underwear for a six-day trip? Take eight. Four pairs of jeans? Consider whether three might suffice. Two pairs of boots—one chunky, one stiletto? Just choose one. Unless you’re already skilled at packing light, apply the “one less” rule to your entire suitcase.
STASH SOME LINGERIE WASH IN YOUR BAG. The “one less” rule will be easier to follow if you know you can hand-wash any item you want in the bathroom sink. On second thought, maybe five pairs of underwear are enough…
KEEP TRAVEL NECESSITIES ON HAND. Make room in your backpack or tote for these supplies to stay (almost) zero waste on the go:
Refillable beverage container that can handle hot and cold drinks
Reusable straw
Reusable utensils
Silicone zip-top bag (to hold clean or dirty straw/utensils, leftover snacks, etc.)
Lightweight reusable shopping bag (to save space, roll it up and keep it in a clean, empty drink bottle)
Opt out of receipts.
Get in the habit of declining paper receipts at the register, whether you’re buying an apple at the train station or checking out of your hotel. Typical thermal-paper receipts are coated with BPA (Bisphenol A), an endocrine-disrupting chemical that, according to the National Institutes of Health,15 plays a role in female and male infertility, early puberty, breast and prostate cancer, and metabolic disorders, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). One study found that BPA from receipts can be absorbed through your skin during typical handling.16 Not only that, but if you recycle these receipts, it’s possible that traces of BPA will be recycled along with them—possibly into items like napkins, toilet paper, or other materials that will once again come into contact with your skin. Luckily, skipping the receipt is becoming easier: many vendors—from pharmacies and department stores to restaurants and resorts—will ask if you’d like a receipt e-mailed or texted to you instead.
Work from home.
If you have the option of working from home, try doing it more often. Think of all the resources you could conceivably save:17
Water (skip the shower)
Coffee to-go cup (no temptation to get a paper cup and plastic lid on the way to the office)
Dry-cleaning solvent (no need to dry-clean your casual WFH clothes)
Fuel for the commute
Commute-related noise and air pollution
Electricity to light the office (those office overheads are surely more energy-sucking than your home office LED bulb)
Gas to heat the office (unlike most workplaces, you’re in full control of the thermostat at home)
Desk space
Office supplies (no need to photocopy that report and walk it to your colleague’s desk)
… and you could probably think of more resources unique to your work and living situation. The point is, businesses are catching on to the fact that telecommuting has many benefits—to the worker, to the company, and to the environment. There’s less emphasis on the IRL, face-to-face experience when workers can be connected to their colleagues no matter where they’re located. In fact, Darby Hoover of the NRDC says that for that organization, investing in a good video-conferencing system was a great way to connect staff who were already spread out across the country and around the world.
FIVE Build an (Almost) Zero-Waste Wardrobe
As a culture, we’re kind of clothes junkies. The newer, the fresher, the trendier, the better—and then once a piece is worn out, or just played out, we get rid of it. And while the EPA estimates that 14.2 percent of clothing and footwear was recycled in 2015 (the most recent year for which the agency has data), an estimated 10.5 million tons of textiles went into landfills that same year.1 We have a long way to go to get to zero waste.
What’s worse, garment-related waste starts even before you rip the tags off a new item. In her article “Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry,”2 author Luz Claudio notes that the “demand for man-made fibers, especially polyester, has nearly doubled in the last fifteen years, according to figures from the Technical Textile Markets.” The
manufacturing of these synthetic fabrics, continues Claudio, requires
large amounts of crude oil and releasing emissions including volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, all of which can cause or aggravate respiratory disease. Volatile monomers, solvents, and other by-products of polyester production are emitted in the wastewater from polyester manufacturing plants. The EPA, under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, considers many textile manufacturing facilities to be hazardous waste generators.
Synthetic fabrics are not the only materials with an unfriendly environmental profile. Cotton requires chemicals and vast amounts of water and other resources to produce; organic cotton might use fewer chemicals, but it still requires water, land, and other natural resources to grow. Bamboo is a sustainable resource, but turning it into the soft fabric we’ve come to know requires harmful chemical solvents like lye and carbon disulfide.3 The takeaway? There is no one perfect fabric to choose when it comes to a zero-waste, environmentally friendly wardrobe. Not yet, anyway.
The (Almost) Zero-Waste Guide Page 6