0:00:08.456,0:00:15.012
This is all of the trash[br]that I've produced in the past 3 years.

0:00:21.382,0:00:27.442
When I say that, people think[br]that I'm crazy, or that I'm lying,

0:00:27.442,0:00:29.742
or they'll ask me questions like:

0:00:29.742,0:00:33.302
"Hey. So, how do you wipe your butt?"

0:00:33.302,0:00:35.774
(Laughter)

0:00:36.374,0:00:38.949
I live a zero waste lifestyle,

0:00:38.949,0:00:42.509
and I have for the past 3 years.

0:00:42.509,0:00:45.957
Now, zero waste,[br]that's a pretty big idea. Right?

0:00:45.957,0:00:48.722
So let me define it for you.

0:00:48.722,0:00:52.959
To me living zero waste means[br]that I don't make any trash.

0:00:52.959,0:00:57.667
So no sending anything to landfill,[br]no sending anything in a garbage can,

0:00:57.667,0:01:00.586
and no spitting gum on the ground,[br]and walking away.

0:01:00.586,0:01:02.239
Right? No trash.

0:01:02.239,0:01:05.665
This is a big concept,[br]and this all started

0:01:05.665,0:01:09.444
when I was an environmental[br]study student at NYU.

0:01:09.444,0:01:11.763
My senior year, I was[br]taking a course called:

0:01:11.763,0:01:14.026
"The Environmental Studies[br]Capstone course",

0:01:14.026,0:01:18.398
which is the culminating course that all[br]environmental study students need to take

0:01:18.408,0:01:22.365
in order to go out into the world,[br]and make it a more sustainable place.

0:01:22.365,0:01:24.768
Well, there was a girl in this class,

0:01:24.768,0:01:28.388
and every class she would have[br]this big plastic bag,

0:01:28.388,0:01:30.209
with a plastic clamshell full of food,

0:01:30.209,0:01:33.306
a plastic fork and knife,[br]a plastic water bottle,

0:01:33.306,0:01:35.176
and a plastic bag a chips,

0:01:35.176,0:01:36.882
and she would eat all of this,

0:01:36.882,0:01:40.242
and then class after class,[br]would just throw it in the trash.

0:01:40.242,0:01:42.646
This was really frustrating,[br]because here we were

0:01:42.646,0:01:46.944
these environmental study students[br]trying to make the world a better place,

0:01:46.944,0:01:50.492
and there she was, throwing[br]all this stuff into the garbage.

0:01:50.492,0:01:52.195
One day after class,

0:01:52.195,0:01:56.655
feeling still particularly upset about[br]watching her throw everything away,[br]

0:01:56.655,0:01:58.795
I went home to make dinner,

0:01:58.795,0:02:00.485
and I opened my fridge,

0:02:00.485,0:02:03.965
and noticed something[br]that I had never seen before.

0:02:03.965,0:02:10.341
Every single thing in my fridge was[br]in one way or another packaged in plastic,

0:02:10.341,0:02:11.841
and I couldn't believe it.

0:02:11.841,0:02:16.153
You know I was getting so mad at this girl[br]for making so much plastic trash,

0:02:16.153,0:02:18.654
and it turns out that I was just as bad.

0:02:18.654,0:02:23.555
I was that girl, and so I made[br]a decision in that moment.

0:02:23.555,0:02:26.224
I was going to stop using plastic.

0:02:27.084,0:02:29.803
Well, quitting plastic --

0:02:29.803,0:02:31.133
(Laughter)

0:02:31.133,0:02:34.071
not so easy of a thing. Right?

0:02:34.071,0:02:36.321
When you think about your everyday life,

0:02:36.321,0:02:40.341
when you wake up in the morning, go into[br]the bathroom, and you brush your teeth.

0:02:40.341,0:02:42.857
What is your toothbrush made out of?

0:02:42.857,0:02:45.043
(Audience softly) Plastic.[br]LS: Plastic.

0:02:45.043,0:02:47.749
What is your toothpaste[br]probably packaged in?

0:02:47.749,0:02:49.560
(Audience) Plastic.

0:02:49.560,0:02:53.390
LS: Your face wash, your moisturizer,[br]your contact solution.

0:02:53.390,0:02:57.662
So many things that are in our[br]everyday lives come packaged in plastic,

0:02:57.662,0:03:01.446
and so I realized that if I was[br]going to move away from plastic,

0:03:01.446,0:03:03.746
the only way that I was going to do that

0:03:03.746,0:03:06.395
was to learn how to make[br]my products myself.

0:03:07.405,0:03:09.365
Well, I don't know about you,

0:03:09.365,0:03:13.121
but I certainly didn't know[br]how to make deodorant.

0:03:13.121,0:03:16.706
I didn't have the recipe just[br]hanging out in my back pocket,

0:03:16.706,0:03:19.440
and so I realized that I had[br]to do some research,

0:03:19.440,0:03:22.942
and while I was doing research online,[br]I came across a blog called

0:03:22.942,0:03:26.560
the "Zero Waste Home" started[br]by a woman named Bea Johnson

0:03:26.560,0:03:30.540
who is a wife, and mother of 2 kids,[br]out in Mill Valley, California,

0:03:30.540,0:03:34.713
and the 4 of them live[br]a completely zero waste life.

0:03:34.713,0:03:39.567
When I learned about Bea, and her family,[br]my mind was completely blown.

0:03:40.487,0:03:43.158
I thought that I was doing the best[br]thing for the planet

0:03:43.158,0:03:45.194
by not using any plastic.

0:03:45.194,0:03:48.963
But the idea that I didn't[br]have to produce any trash,

0:03:48.963,0:03:52.333
was so empowering, and so inspiring,

0:03:52.333,0:03:54.090
and it made perfect sense. Right?

0:03:54.090,0:03:56.505
Because I was this[br]Environmental Studies student,

0:03:56.505,0:03:59.099
I cared about the environment,[br]studied sustainability,

0:03:59.099,0:04:02.203
talked about sustainability,[br]protested for sustainability.

0:04:02.203,0:04:06.626
But I realized, that I wasn't actually[br]implementing any of those values

0:04:06.626,0:04:11.402
into my day-to-day life, and so[br]I made the decision to go zero waste.

0:04:11.402,0:04:14.272
Let me break it down for you,[br]and tell you some of the things

0:04:14.272,0:04:17.648
that I did in order to make[br]this transition a little easier.

0:04:18.498,0:04:21.983
The first thing that I did[br]was I stopped buying packaged food.

0:04:21.983,0:04:24.893
So instead of going to the store,[br]and buying things packaged

0:04:24.893,0:04:28.890
in paper, and glass, and plastic,[br]I started bringing my own jars,

0:04:28.890,0:04:32.537
and bags to the store to fill[br]with bulk, or package-free items.

0:04:32.537,0:04:36.297
I also started buying my fruit,[br]and vegetables from the farmer's market.

0:04:36.297,0:04:38.454
So, package-free.

0:04:38.454,0:04:40.490
The second thing that I started doing

0:04:40.490,0:04:44.045
was I started making[br]all of my own products.

0:04:44.045,0:04:48.026
Before I started living this lifestyle,[br]my boyfriend at the time,

0:04:48.026,0:04:51.697
used to brush his teeth using baking soda,

0:04:51.697,0:04:56.773
and I thought he was probably the grossest[br]person in the entire world. Right?

0:04:56.773,0:04:59.358
There's no way that you[br]can get your teeth clean

0:04:59.358,0:05:02.132
using something like[br]baking soda, it's gross.

0:05:02.132,0:05:06.529
Well fast-forward, and it turns out[br]that the first product that I made

0:05:06.529,0:05:10.348
was toothpaste, made with baking soda.

0:05:12.208,0:05:15.485
So overtime I started making[br]all of my own products.

0:05:15.485,0:05:18.576
When I would run out of something,[br]instead of going to the store,

0:05:18.576,0:05:21.377
and buying a new one,[br]I would learn how to make it myself.

0:05:21.377,0:05:24.811
So when I would run out of lotion,[br]I learned how to make it myself.

0:05:24.811,0:05:27.315
Run out of deodorant,[br]learn how to make it myself.

0:05:27.315,0:05:30.460
Over time, all of the things[br]I had previously purchased,

0:05:30.460,0:05:33.657
were now, ones that I made myself.

0:05:33.657,0:05:37.885
The third thing that I started doing,[br]was shopping second-hand.

0:05:37.885,0:05:39.765
So instead of buying new clothing,

0:05:39.765,0:05:42.404
and putting new waste[br]into the waste cycle,

0:05:42.404,0:05:45.931
I would buy things that were[br]totally recycled, second-hand.

0:05:45.931,0:05:48.609
So not making any new trash.

0:05:48.609,0:05:51.487
The fourth thing that I did[br]was I downsized.

0:05:51.487,0:05:54.644
So I focused on having only[br]the things that were truly necessary,

0:05:54.644,0:05:56.439
and that I really needed.

0:05:56.439,0:05:58.267
Well this was really, really hard

0:05:58.267,0:06:01.111
because I'm the kind of person[br]who's really sentimental,

0:06:01.111,0:06:05.597
and I can tell you as to why[br]a toothpick needs to be in my life.

0:06:06.307,0:06:10.324
But after I really got through[br]that process, and I completely downsized,

0:06:10.324,0:06:13.331
I realized that I had so many[br]fewer things in my life,

0:06:13.331,0:06:16.859
my home was less cluttered,[br]and everything with easier to clean.

0:06:16.859,0:06:19.079
And when you have fewer things

0:06:19.079,0:06:22.999
you realize that you take[br]better care of them. Right?

0:06:22.999,0:06:26.611
When you take better care of your[br]things you don't have this mentality like:

0:06:26.611,0:06:31.106
"If I don't want this anymore I'll just[br]throw it out and I get a new thing later."

0:06:31.106,0:06:34.684
No, I only had a few things[br]and so I took care of them,

0:06:34.684,0:06:38.003
and wasn't sending anything[br]to the landfill.

0:06:38.003,0:06:40.443
All this must sound[br]pretty difficult. Right?

0:06:40.443,0:06:43.085
I assure you, it's not that hard.

0:06:43.085,0:06:45.836
I'm just an average, lazy person,

0:06:45.836,0:06:49.980
and I wouldn't live this lifestyle[br]if it was difficult.

0:06:49.980,0:06:52.737
In fact the benefits[br]of living this lifestyle

0:06:52.737,0:06:56.295
far outweigh any of the negatives[br]that you can imagine.

0:06:56.295,0:06:59.709
The first benefit is that I save money.

0:06:59.709,0:07:01.796
So I save money when I buy my food,

0:07:01.796,0:07:04.255
and the products, and when[br]I make my own products,

0:07:04.255,0:07:07.160
because I'm not paying[br]for the embedded cost a packaging,

0:07:07.160,0:07:08.980
so things are cheaper.

0:07:08.980,0:07:12.128
I'm also saving money by shopping[br]completely second-hand,

0:07:12.128,0:07:16.831
because second-hand clothing is usually[br]less expensive than new clothing.

0:07:16.831,0:07:19.291
I'm also saving money[br]because I've downsized.

0:07:19.291,0:07:21.211
I don't go shopping all the time now

0:07:21.211,0:07:23.941
and you know just buy things on impulse.

0:07:23.941,0:07:26.768
I only have what I really need.

0:07:26.768,0:07:29.255
The second benefit is that I eat better.

0:07:29.255,0:07:34.119
When I go shopping now I don't have[br]the option to buy processed food products,

0:07:34.119,0:07:39.285
package-free, and so now my diet consists[br]of things like fresh fruit and vegetables,

0:07:39.285,0:07:45.340
or bulk greens, and nuts[br]that I buy with my jars and my bags.

0:07:45.340,0:07:48.224
And so when you eat better,[br]you feel better.

0:07:48.224,0:07:53.105
Over these past few years, I've noticed[br]that my weight has stabilized,

0:07:53.105,0:07:56.166
I have more energy, I need less sleep,

0:07:56.166,0:07:58.919
and when you're eating better,[br]and you feel better,

0:07:58.919,0:08:01.648
and you save money, you're happier.

0:08:01.648,0:08:05.852
But besides those things I'm happier,[br]because for the first time in my life,

0:08:05.852,0:08:09.124
I'm living in direct[br]alignment with my values.

0:08:09.754,0:08:13.375
And why is this important? Right? Waste.

0:08:13.375,0:08:16.305
Well, waste is a really big problem.

0:08:16.305,0:08:18.805
In fact the average American person

0:08:18.805,0:08:23.594
produces approximately 4.4 pounds[br]of trash per person per day.

0:08:24.474,0:08:28.579
Over the course of a year, that's like[br]taking 8.5 of your best friends,

0:08:28.579,0:08:30.505
and throwing them in the trash.

0:08:30.505,0:08:32.164
(Laughter)

0:08:32.164,0:08:34.337
Don't do that, it's not nice.

0:08:34.337,0:08:35.647
(Laughter)

0:08:35.647,0:08:39.891
So, if you care about your friends,[br]and you don't throw them away,

0:08:39.891,0:08:41.831
and you think that it's possible for you

0:08:41.831,0:08:44.666
to reduce how much trash you're producing,

0:08:44.666,0:08:47.316
I have 3 simple steps for you.

0:08:47.316,0:08:51.245
The first step is to actually look[br]at your trash, and understand what it is.

0:08:51.245,0:08:53.994
Because you can't solve a problem[br]of having a lot of waste

0:08:53.994,0:08:55.512
until you know what is it.

0:08:55.512,0:08:57.421
So when I did this exercise,

0:08:57.421,0:09:00.691
I realized that I had[br]3 main sources of trash.

0:09:00.691,0:09:02.605
The first was food packaging,

0:09:02.605,0:09:05.755
and so I learned how to shop[br]in bulk or package-free.

0:09:05.755,0:09:07.532
The second was product packaging,

0:09:07.532,0:09:10.034
and so I learned how to make[br]all of my own products.

0:09:10.034,0:09:13.969
And the third was organic food waste,[br]and so I learned how to compost.

0:09:13.969,0:09:17.719
And just by identifying those 3 sources[br]of waste and eliminating them,

0:09:17.719,0:09:21.160
I have reduced my trash by about 90%.

0:09:22.040,0:09:26.020
The second thing that I'd like to suggest[br]is picking at the low-hanging fruit.

0:09:26.023,0:09:29.215
So doing little things,[br]one-time changes in your everyday life

0:09:29.215,0:09:33.102
that have a large-scale,[br]and long-term positive impact.

0:09:33.102,0:09:38.632
This includes things like using a reusable[br]bag instead of a plastic or paper bag.

0:09:38.632,0:09:41.651
Or using a stainless steel,[br]or glass water bottle,

0:09:41.651,0:09:45.079
instead of buying plastic water bottles.

0:09:45.079,0:09:49.751
Over the course of however long,[br]you realize that these little changes

0:09:49.751,0:09:53.203
actually add up,[br]and make a big difference.

0:09:53.203,0:09:55.962
The third thing that I'd like[br]to suggest is the DIY

0:09:55.962,0:09:59.279
or actually learning how[br]to make your products yourself.

0:09:59.279,0:10:03.046
Now I absolutely love doing this[br]because when you go to a store,

0:10:03.046,0:10:06.605
and you have to buy products[br]you kind of have to settle,

0:10:06.605,0:10:08.792
and accept them as they are. Right?

0:10:08.792,0:10:11.909
If you don't like the way[br]they smell, too bad.

0:10:11.909,0:10:14.580
If you don't like[br]the way they feel, sorry.

0:10:14.580,0:10:17.800
If you don't like what they're[br]packaged in, you don't have a choice.

0:10:17.800,0:10:20.217
But for me, since I make[br]all my own products,

0:10:20.217,0:10:23.307
If I don't like the way they smell,[br]I change the scent.

0:10:23.307,0:10:26.148
If I don't like the ingredients[br]in them, I change it.

0:10:26.148,0:10:29.659
If I don't like the packaging,[br]it's my choice.

0:10:29.659,0:10:33.882
And so by making my own products[br]I have complete control

0:10:33.882,0:10:37.053
over what I'm putting in my body.

0:10:37.053,0:10:42.299
Now I started living this lifestyle[br]while I was still in college.

0:10:42.299,0:10:47.523
And when I graduated, I had a real job,[br]a real-person job in sustainability,

0:10:47.523,0:10:50.725
which is exactly what you'd think[br]I'd want to be doing. Right?

0:10:50.725,0:10:55.054
Well, at the same time I was still running[br]my blog: "Trash is for tossers"

0:10:55.054,0:10:58.908
and I noticed that I was[br]getting a recurring question,

0:10:58.908,0:11:01.506
and it went something like this:

0:11:01.506,0:11:05.369
"Dear Lauren, I absolutely love[br]the products that you're making,

0:11:05.369,0:11:08.686
and I too want truly natural products.

0:11:08.686,0:11:12.177
But because of life, family,[br]friends, blah, blah, blah, blah,

0:11:12.177,0:11:14.777
I just don't have time[br]to make them myself.

0:11:14.777,0:11:17.917
Do you have any product that I can[br]buy that are equivalent?

0:11:17.917,0:11:21.169
Thanks for your help.[br]Lots of love. Person XYZ."

0:11:21.169,0:11:25.400
So I went to stores,[br]and I started looking at products,

0:11:25.400,0:11:27.676
and while I found that they[br]were beauty products

0:11:27.676,0:11:30.495
that were reminiscent of the ones[br]that I was making myself,

0:11:30.495,0:11:33.753
I didn't notice the same trend[br]for cleaning products.

0:11:33.753,0:11:36.352
When I looked at the ingredients[br]of cleaning products,

0:11:36.352,0:11:38.789
even the "natural" cleaning products

0:11:38.789,0:11:41.479
contained ingredient[br]that were really harmful.

0:11:41.479,0:11:45.221
Things that were carcinogenic,[br]and endocrine-disruptive.

0:11:45.221,0:11:47.855
You know, when I looked into it further,

0:11:47.855,0:11:50.072
I learned that cleaning[br]product manufacturers

0:11:50.072,0:11:51.721
aren't even legally required

0:11:51.721,0:11:53.903
to disclose the ingredients[br]of their products

0:11:53.903,0:11:55.943
on the product packaging,

0:11:55.943,0:11:58.081
and so when we go and buy a product,

0:11:58.081,0:12:00.911
we're at the complete mercy[br]of the company,

0:12:00.911,0:12:03.913
hoping that they have[br]our best interest in mind.

0:12:03.913,0:12:08.419
I feel that we, as consumers, have a right[br]to products that are transparent

0:12:08.419,0:12:11.010
and that aren't bad for us,

0:12:11.010,0:12:13.603
and so I started thinking[br]about my own products,

0:12:13.603,0:12:16.003
the ones that I've been making for years.

0:12:16.003,0:12:19.859
That are safe, and effective, and have[br]ingredients that I use to do things

0:12:19.859,0:12:23.471
like brush my teeth,[br]or make salad dressing.

0:12:23.471,0:12:25.586
And I realized that I had an opportunity,

0:12:25.586,0:12:29.230
and so I quit my job,[br]and started a company.

0:12:29.230,0:12:33.539
Because I feel like we, as human beings,[br]have a right to products that are safe

0:12:33.539,0:12:36.940
for our homes, and our bodies,[br]and the environment.

0:12:38.410,0:12:42.954
I get comments all the time,[br]that I'm doing this for attention.

0:12:42.954,0:12:45.605
But I live this lifestyle for myself.

0:12:45.605,0:12:48.345
I would never tell anyone how to live

0:12:48.345,0:12:50.770
or how much trash[br]that they should produce.

0:12:50.770,0:12:52.875
I just want to provide tools,

0:12:52.875,0:12:54.955
through my blog and my business,

0:12:54.955,0:12:56.682
for people, who like me,

0:12:56.682,0:12:59.282
want to reduce how much[br]trash they're producing.

0:12:59.282,0:13:02.515
I live a zero waste lifestyle,[br]because to me,

0:13:02.515,0:13:04.625
it's the best way I know,[br]how to live a life

0:13:04.625,0:13:07.765
that aligns with everything[br]that I believe in.

0:13:07.765,0:13:09.800
And what's the point. Right?

0:13:09.800,0:13:13.728
I'm just one person.[br]What difference can I make?

0:13:13.728,0:13:15.770
The point is simple:

0:13:15.770,0:13:19.761
I want to be remembered for the things[br]that I did while I was on this planet,

0:13:19.761,0:13:23.500
and not for the trash that I left behind.

0:13:23.500,0:13:25.029
Thank you.

0:13:25.029,0:13:28.872
(Applause)