I have been fortune to attend a Zero Waste Certificate Program by the California Resource Recovery Association (C.R.R.A.) this fall at Santa Monica College. I was apprehensive when accepted to the 10-week program but have learned so much about Zero Waste and how it’s a huge solution to climate change.
What is Zero Waste?
Before this class, I prided myself as a sustainability pro and thought i knew what Zero Waste meant. I produced a charity event last year that we touted as “Zero Waste” by working with Sustainable Works to host a waste-free, plastic-free, solar-powered event. We did a good job but I have larned there is so much more we can do to get to zero.
Definition of Zero Waste by Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA.org):
“Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use. Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them. Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.”
*I bolded my favorite parts of the definition!
As I arrive at the 6th week of the course, there are some KEY LEARNINGS from this program:
1. Adopting Zero Waste creates green jobs & saves money!
2. Zero Waste cuts down greenhouse gases created in landfills, one of the leading contributors to Global Warming (or Global Kaos as one of the professors renames it!)
3. Zero Waste is easy, it’s not brain surgery but will require everyone to change our lifestyles.
4. The professors of this course are true eco-warriors, most have spent 20+ years in consulting businesses and communities in recycling, composting, waste management and zero waste around the globe. This is not a glamourous issue but the teachers shared passion for a sustainable future offers students a “glass is half full” approach to the issues.
5. Single-use plastics are part of a larger problem with products, packaging and waste.
I am excited for the upcoming weeks of class and more excited for my zero waste journey! The adventure continues….
