Read the sript watching the video above

A Zero-Waste Family

If you're in need of a little inspiration to produce 1.__________waste in your home, these folks may just do the trick.

“We do not produce any waste at all. So if we can’t compost it or reuse it or recycle it we will just not 2.____________it into the house.” That’s right.

San Diego-based Frederika Syron and James Harker along with their three children have been waste-free since 2015. They don't even own a trash 3._________!

“So we are just like everyone else. We do go to restaurants, we travel. The only difference is that we make more conscious decisions.”

But their journey wasn’t always easy.

“When we started making changes, I said “I don't have time for that. I don't know about this”.

But by making 4.__________________________they realized it was possible and anyone could do it.

“One of the things that I did was I took the trash can out of our kitchen, caused everybody to walk to the other side of the house and gave us some moment to think like “What is this thing and why do we have it? And maybe how can we swap it out for 5.________________________?”

 And then they started to think of how they could reduce waste room by room. So for the bathroom they either make their own cleaning products or “go to a zero waste shop to, say, 6.___________ shampoos or soaps in containers that we already have. And these are shops where you can go in and either bring your own containers or oftentimes they'll have containers there so that you can buy; and you refill them.” They also switch their plastic 7. ________________for bamboo ones. As far as the bedrooms, “you tend to have lots of clothes; and so we look at ways to buy those second-hand. Our daughter, our teenage daughter, is like the queen of awesome jumpsuits and second-hand fashion”

And to reduce 8.______________, they decided that they’d take it to the next level by gardening.

“Now we grow 80% of the food that we eat as a family behind us on a really modestly sized city loft.” “We grow actually 37 different types of vegetables and herbs, and we grow above 15 different kinds of fruits and berries.” And they're doing their 9.__________to help the earth 'cause “most American households throw away about 25% of the food they bring into their house.” They say this is a huge learning opportunity for the kids. “They learn biology, math, science, and they're having a lot of fun!” And after their healthy meals they use reusable washcloths instead of paper towels. “We haven't bought paper towels in 10 years”, which helps the environment and saves a 10.___________penny.

Since becoming zero waste, “we save eight over $18,000 a year.” They say if you wanna try out this lifestyle, start small.  “Any little step and change is a huge change in the right direction.” To learn more about this fam and to get zero waste tips you can head to  www.zerowastefamily.com

Getting inspired to live like more sustainably with a zero waste family.

.

noun

bare infinitive (first form of verb)                     

adjective

negative 

adjective 

If impossible, enter "-"

adverb

inspiring/  

product

production

What is Sustainable Living? 

Source: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/sustainable-living-principles-benefits-and-examples.php 

Sustainable living is based on four main pillars namely minimizing waste, limiting the use of Earth’s natural resources, the wise use of the environment, and ensuring quality working/living environments. The following are the guiding principles that can be used as an initiative to make sustainable and stable living a reality.

Principles of Sustainable Living

1. Effective land use and wildlife protection

This principle requires people to realize the need for effective land use and wildlife protection. The aim of the principle is to aid in creating new habitats and restoring biodiversity through effective land use and incorporating the practices in our surrounding environments.

As the custodians of the planet’s natural environment, wise actions with regards to proper land use and wildlife protection are vital in embracing sustainable living.

2. Sustainable water usage

The principle emphasizes on the need to advance good water utilization practices by designing water management systems that can deal with issues such as flooding, water wastage, and protection of water sources from pollution or destruction.

3. Supporting local and organic foods

The principle implies humane and sustainable farming by ensuring the availability of healthy, local, organic, low impact, and seasonal diets.

Food wastage is also highly discouraged. For this reason, people need to support local farming and organically grown products by buying local and eating organic foodstuffs.

4. The use of sustainable materials

Sustainable materials refer to healthy, efficient, and durable products. Examples include materials that are locally sourced, manufactured from waste or renewable resources, and those with low embodied energy.

5. The use of sustainable transport

Promoting the use of low and zero-carbon transport mechanisms is one of the overriding principles of sustainable living. It encompasses the need to reduce travel and accepting green transport services such as electric trains and cars and walking or cycling as an alternative to driving high emission vehicles.

6. Zero waste and zero carbon

According to this sustainable living principle, every little thing done should focus on reducing the waste to the landfills. Only buying and consuming the needed staff is essential.

Priority should be given to quality and not quantity to achieve this goal. People also need to find the easiest ways of using efficient and renewable technology.

7. Creating own healthy environment

This involves indulging in active and meaningful life activities to promote good health and well being. Fun, healthy, and less stressful living can be achieved by fun activities such as biking, hiking, walking, sailing, and skiing.

Benefits of Sustainable Living

Sustainable living comes with numerous benefits. Not only does it limit the impacts on the natural environment, but it also redefines our lifestyles with a promise of good health and reduced cost of living.

 The health benefits are attributed to little dependence on vehicles or machinery and the consumption of quality food products that is either locally or organically produced.

From the point of ecology, utilizing the sun’s energy, reducing environmental footprint, use of non-toxic materials, and effectively using the planet’s resources will ensure the environment is stable and able to support the current generations as well as generations to come in the future.