My Zero Waste Story

Hey there, I’m Regan and on May 11, 2018 I sent an email to my family declaring my intent to collect every piece of trash I produced throughout the entire month of June and keep it in a pasta sauce jar. I’m not exactly sure why I did this- if you ask my mom I wasn’t a particularly frugal child. But here I was, challenging myself to produce zero waste.

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself — Jalal ad-Din Rumi

I prepared for my zero waste month arduously. I did the research, learned how to make certain household items, and checked my local stores for package free and bulk items. I prepared a list of rules that I would follow for the month and I enlisted the help of my family and friends to hold me accountable.

I celebrate my birth month every year by collecting my trash in a jar. That first year, I fit all of my waste in a 16 oz jar. In 2019, my jar was 8 oz. In 2020, 4 oz. As I change the way I engage with the things in this world, I can’t help but notice my world has changed too.

If your church, school, community group, or company would enjoy learning more about living zero waste, contact me to speak at your next event!