Light reading

Hey there, Simple Year friends! It’s the day before the night before Christmas! Um, I’m hanging out with the fam and taking bets on how long it will take the cats to knock over the Christmas tree, which makes it kind of hard to create a new post.

This is what our Christmas tree looked like when it was still in the yard.

This is what our Christmas tree looked like when it was still in the yard.

But! For your reading enjoyment, here are a few articles I’ve run across during my zero waste journey that have made me stop and think, reevaluate, smile, or just imagine what is possible:

How To Make Less Trash The Simple Way — wondering what it means to live a zero waste lifestyle? This article gives the best explanation I’ve seen to date with great tips to help get you started.

Saying one lives a zero waste lifestyle isn’t about being all or nothing. It’s about becoming more aware and more intentional about how products are designed, where they come from, and ultimately what happens to them when we are done using them.

Can Cities Find A Way To Stop Using Disposable Coffee Cups? — I want this in my town!

If you buy a cup of coffee to go in downtown Freiburg, Germany, you can choose to get it in a reusable cup. Ten or 15 minutes later, you can drop the cup off in a bin at a different café, where it will be washed and reused.

How to Get Rid of Practically Anything — before you trash an item, check out this list.

Here’s how to expand your attic, basement, bedroom, closets, counter space, garage, and/or shelving without paying a dime to a contractor. Sell, donate, recycle, or otherwise get rid of stuff that you no longer want, that others could use, and that’s hijacking space in your home. 

Why I Don’t Recommend Recycling Plastic — great ideas for how to say no to plastic packaging.

Enough with the red party cups and plastic bags and picnic cutlery. Enough with the plastic bottles and yogurt containers and disposable razors. Sure, you should reuse the plastic containers you already have. But we need so stop bringing them into our homes in the first place. Enough! No more excuses. Only change.

Give Me Gratitude or Give Me Debt — attitude is everything. I love this post.

Recently I posted a picture of myself in my kitchen, and I immediately started receiving generous messages from people wanting to help me “update” it. Along with their messages came pictures of how my kitchen could look, if I’d just put some effort and money into it.

I hope you enjoy these articles and they make you smile and imagine, too. And I hope that your holiday season has been and continues to be truly merry and bright. See you Monday.


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