This is my final blog post related to my zero-waste journey!

I am happy with the progress I have made over the last few months, but also feeling somewhat disappointed, as I felt I had to give up a lot of my zero-waste habits due to the coronavirus. Being mindful of waste is always in the forefront of my mind when making any purchase, but I had to make a few changes with regards to buying bulk and opting for bigger packaged items with more waste. Although I feel guilty about some of these purchases, there wasn’t much I could do about it and I just have to consider this part of the journey!

Overall, I feel that this inquiry has been successful. I found new resources that were relevant to living in Victoria, BC,  lots of tips and tricks from other bloggers following a zero-waste lifestyle and information related to some of the challenges that other people face due to location, cost and lifestyle.

Ultimately, I learned that being completely zero-waste is not something that I feel is possible with my lifestyle. I will continue to make as much of an effort that I can with reducing waste, but I think my mindset is moving more towards minimalism rather than zero-waste.  I really enjoy clean and clutter free space and with all my lifestyle changes to reduce waste I feel that these two concepts align nicely together. I have made a very big effort in donating and selling items on VarageSale that I no longer need or feel that I get enough use out of. I find that by selling things it makes the process of letting items go easier. Now that I have reduced a lot of my household items and clothing, I find it much easier to really consider future purchases and whether or not I truly need them.

Advice that I would give for people starting a zero-waste journey is to start with small accomplishable goals. There are sooooo many things to do to help reduce waste and we have many resources available in front of us to help us along the way. Something as small as not buying coffee unless you have a reusable mug to use is a great first step. When I reflect on all the changes I have made I feel quite happy with my progress! I hope that because of the environmental crisis happening globally right now, more people will also be reflecting on their lifestyle and try and come up with ways to do their part. That being said, I feel that the Government and large corporations have a responsibility to look at how they can make a change and in a way force people to adapt to these sustainable choices.

The Journey is On LED signage