Amber Atkinson is an English Literature and Creative Writing student in Manchester, who’s raising awareness around living a ‘zero waste’ and vegan lifestyle through social media.
When explaining the term ‘zero waste’ to me, Amber told me: ‘People get confused with the term ‘zero waste’, they think that it means zero waste completely, but it’s not, it’s the idea of the movement towards creating less waste. It’s impossible to create nothing, even with the food you’re buying, and at the end of the day it’s been transported from somewhere and that’s petrol waste in itself. If you’re not eating organic, the pesticides used to grow the crops run into the Earth’s water system and is harmful waste that damages habitats. You’re always going to have a footprint in today’s world, but the zero waste movement is the idea of moving towards having a smaller footprint.’
Amber herself
Amber decided to start living a ‘zero waste’ and vegan lifestyle towards the end of last year after being inspired to make the change by a number of bloggers and Instagram users that she follows, such as a vegan chef who is an advocate for zero waste living and cooking. Amber is also concerned, not only with her own waste footprint, but that of others that maybe aren’t as aware as herself. ‘Going to the beach and seeing how much rubbish had been washed up and was also floating in the water had a huge impact on me.' Amber recently documented her ‘beach clean-up’, on Instagram, whereby she spent two hours collecting washed up plastic bottles, plastic bags, cigarette butts and other non-biodegradable items from the shore.
It is estimated that 12.7 million tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year, with loads of it washing up on beaches around the world – and even being found frozen in Arctic ice, or in the seafood that we eat. 80% of life on Earth lives within our oceans, and plastic threatens a vast array of these species with extinction.
I was interested to see how Amber managed her ‘zero waste’ lifestyle as a student, and she talked to me about the ways in which she tackles waste and how she encourages her housemates to do so too. ‘I started with produce bags – using reusable cotton or fabric bags to take with me to supermarkets. I avoid buying fruit and vegetables that come in plastic wrapping, I don’t buy any produce wrapped in plastic anymore.’
Recently there has been a surge in awareness from public figures and celebrities about the damage that plastic straws are having on the environment, with designer Vivienne Westwood promoting Project Zero’s ‘Refuse the Straw’ campaign. This campaign raises awareness of the damage that plastic straws have on the environment; it takes 200 years for a single plastic straw to break down, and it is estimated that 175 billion straws are sent to landfill every year.
Amber gave some tips for those that want to reduce their waste footprint, or attempt a ‘zero waste’ lifestyle:
Start small: remember that it’s the habitual, everyday things that have the biggest impact on reducing waste – from make-up wipes to coffee cups. Every time you go to put something in the bin, consider how next time you could avoid producing that waste.
Consider buying metal utensils: carrying metal straws or cutlery around in your bag when you go out means that you won’t have to use and waste plastic. Amber even suggested buying metal containers to take to fast-food restaurants or takeaways, to reduce the use of polystyrene.
Re-home items that you don’t want: often when students finish university they throw away all their spare cutlery and kitchenware, but there will always be other students in need of certain items or charity shops that welcome donations.
Consider going vegetarian or vegan (or just cutting down on the meat you eat): Amber emphasises the environmental impacts of a vegan diet are far less than that of a meat-eating diet. It makes a massive difference in waste and can be seen as an integral part in her journey to going ‘zero waste’.
Amber’s concern for damage already imposed on the environment was clear. ‘The damage is already there, all you have to do is look up ‘The Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ between Hawaii and California. I don’t know how we’re going to go back from where we are currently with so much waste already in our oceans, but I think the awareness is growing, and that will make a huge difference.'
So educate yourself, make yourself aware of the current environmental crisis and try to do your part in reducing waste.
