#zero waste alternatives

Is it really possible to live a zero-waste life?

Lauren Singer lives a nearly trash-free life, but she didn’t go zero waste overnight. Her story, and some easy tips to get started on reducing your own waste.

A growing number of waste experts think that shooting for zero waste is realistic, not just for individuals, but for large organizations, even cities. And there’s good reason to try: waste is a major contributor to global warming, both in the production of goods that end up in the trash, and the emission of greenhouse gases from the trash itself.

Conservation International CEO and UCLA Visiting Researcher M. Sanjayan talks with Lauren Singer about how she went from an average trash-producing person, to someone who can now fit five years of garbage in a small jar. Singer provides simple tips to help you start down the road of reducing your waste, even if you never hit zero.

And the University of California is committed to going zero waste by 2020. Across the UC system, we’ve already diverted 69 percent of our solid waste from landfills.

To learn more about UC’s zero waste initiative and how you can help, visit zerowaste2020.universityofcalifornia.edu.