**Please note that this text has been automatically translated and contains French/Quebec references.**
I want to talk to you about Mélissa de La Fontaine, do you know her?
She is the author of the book Tending towards zero waste and she is also one of our experts in Quebec on the subject.
I read his book last year. It’s such a great resource when you want to embrace a zero waste lifestyle!
Besides, I particularly love the part about washable handkerchiefs:
“When I took the step of using washable tissues, I must admit that I did it backwards. It disgusted me a bit. But I told myself that I would try and if it didn't suit me, I would just have to stop. It's been six years since I adopted this habit and I'll never go back. Here are my two tips for magical reusable tissues: Choose a SOFT fabric. Whether you make them or buy them, it's the same rule. Find a small bag to carry your tissue around all day: it's more discreet and avoids little snot spots in your pockets, your handbag or your backpack. »
Mélissa de La Fontaine, Tending towards zero waste, p.75
I so agree and finally thought it all out for you! I'm offering you exactly everything you need to get started on your washable tissue adventure, with magic tissues to boot!
In short, I recommend this book, highly interesting on many levels to guide you in all your next little actions.
Moreover, during the first zoom welcome to the zero waste challenge with the 50 participating households, we had a preview of Mélissa de La Fontaine's conference: Tending towards zero waste . A great overview of the book, at the heart of the subject and explained in person!
I'm sharing with you (in a mix of my words and his, and without spoiling everything for you ) three things I learned from his conference preview:
WE DO OUR BEST
First, we obviously have to follow our personal limits and our life context.
It's called TRENDING towards zero waste, it's not for nothing. We don't need to produce 0 waste overnight. No need to feel guilty if you do it either. It is above all a minding.
Especially since we may have life circumstances that prevent us from doing so! Maybe bulk is not possible for us if we have allergies (because of cross-contamination) or maybe access to bulk is difficult where we live (in fact, Cindy Trottier has just lots of things to say on the subject because she lives in the region and practices this lifestyle). We all have our limits as humans and even our animals have limits to zero waste (they need litter!).
But just the act of questioning, of having thoughts on the subject in our life can be really beneficial. So don't put pressure on yourself! Do your best. Take it one step at a time and start with easy steps. Our actions must last over time, so if we set ourselves challenges that are too difficult, we will perhaps do them for a week, a month, but then we will become discouraged and abandon them. Take it at your own pace and remember that there are no rules; you are not breaking the law if you make waste.
DIY RECIPES FOR COWARDS, THEY EXIST
I will admit that I am one of those who had, at some point, the desire to do everything DIY: deodorant, bath bombs, bath salts, lip balms, liniment... who bought $250 worth of stock (because 'there were just large formats at the time I bought them; bulk ingredients didn't exist yet) and who ultimately didn't get overwhelmed by the experience and got discouraged.
Mélissa actually said she was a coward and what bothered her was especially cleaning up everything after the recipe. And she's right: cleaning bowls of melted wax is hell. SO, she makes her recipe directly in the little Mason jar which will serve as a container later. The only thing she will have to clean: her spoon. Bright. Maybe I'll eventually give DIY a second chance; I want to try the homemade deodorant. Besides, I don't use cosmetics or creams and for soaps, shampoo bars and bath bombs, I think I prefer to continue to encourage local artisans or companies who do them better than me.
A MUFFIN IN A SILICONE MOLD, IT GETS MOLDY
Hahahaha yeah, I learned that from his conference!
The thing is that when we make muffins, we no longer want to use a small paper for each muffin, so we look at alternatives and the silicone mold or the small silicone molds is one of them… but it is better to remove the muffins from their mold quickly, because unlike paper, it does not breathe silicone, and it molds much more quickly!
So this is it!
I've already said it, but I highly recommend his book, it's full of tools and good tips! It's in the library if you don't want to buy it.
I just can’t wait for the sequel “Beyond Zero Waste”!
Hehe, that's the title of the rest of his conference which I have never seen/listened to, but which I would be very curious to see. I just don't know if she has plans to turn it into a book.
Next week, I'll tell you about a good plan that I just discovered in his book, and that I've been loving for a month already!
