How to go zero waste (slowly) with Erin Rhoads

PodcastSeason 1
Written By

Keit Trysh

Last week, during our hostful episode, I tried to answer a very good and very common question: how do we deal with eco-anxiety? That is, the pressure or frustration we feel when even our best intentions to minimise waste and tread lightly on the earth are thwarted by an errant plastic bag or forgetting to ask for no straw.

Considering that I still very much struggle with this issue myself, I think Ben and I did a decent job of trying to alleviate the guilt, and hopefully went some way towards convincing you that we actually can’t ever do these things perfectly. And what’s more, that the second we realise and accept this, the more ease and peace we tend to allow ourselves.

That’s not to say I wasn’t going to revisit the question of eco-anxiety with today’s guest, however, because she’s just about the most qualified person I could think of to give us permission to cool our jets and accept that sometimes our best won’t be gold standard, and that’s OK.

Erin Rhoads is the zero-waste warrior behind The Rogue Ginger - a website that has both the coolest name and the most accessible and practical tips on living a zero-waste (or low-waste) life. I was so happy to sit down and chat with Erin, and hope that our conversation frees you up to begin making changes without the crippling fear of not being good enough. The reality is that any change is better than none and I love how encouraging Erin is in getting each of us to take one step at a time towards less waste, rather than trying to run the entire marathon straight away.

We go back to the moment (the movie, actually) that changed Erin from a mindless consumer to conscious advocate and why her journey towards zero waste began with very small and gradual changes too.

Erin answers a few questions that I’m consistently asked about when it comes to living plastic-free, specifically:

  • How can we avoid plastic wrapping when buying cheese?
  • Is there an alternative for lunch wraps that doesn't require us to cook our own?
  • How can we open up the low-waste conversation with suppliers, family and friends without making people feel judged?

We also talk about the one simple change you can make today - regardless of where you are in your journey towards living plastic-free, as well as offering an encouragement to act rather than get angry.

It's a conversation full of practical tips and encouragement, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

BONUS: Erin is also part of the upcoming Live Life Simply Online Retreat and will be taking us through the essentials of zero-waste living. Registration is open now so be sure to secure your place before October 22, 2017. The retreat opens its doors on October 23 and we can’t wait to have you!

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