Becoming Less

Single Use Items Strategy

Bizz chats with Waste Free Edmonton co-founder, Sean, about the city's proposed Single Use Items Bylaw and how this strategy will reduce waste in our city. 
 
Find more on the proposed bylaw:
City of Edmonton's Website - edmonton.ca
Single Use Items PDF
Follow and connect with Waste Free Edmonton to stay updated on the SUI bylaw progress and more:
Website - wastefree.ca
Instagram - @wastefreeyeg
Facebook - facebook.com/WasteFreeYeg
Twitter - @wastefreeyeg
YouTube - Waste Free Edmonton
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Books

Bizz and Emma chat about becoming less with our books, including some good reads for more information and ideas.
 
Things we talk about:
Minimalism
E-Readers
Using old worn out books for crafts
Libraries
Little Free Libraries - littlefreelibrary.org
Books mentioned:
Flaneuse - Lauren Elkin
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit - Jeanette Winterson
Zero Waste Home - Bea Johnson
The 100-Mile Diet - Alisa Smith, J.B. MacKinnon
A Beautiful Constraint - Adam Morgan, Mark Barden
Drawdown - Paul Hawken
Why Shrinkwrap A Cucumber - Stephen Aldridge, Laurel Miller
101 Ways To Go Zero Waste - Kathryn Kellogg
Books not mentioned:
Doughnut Economics - Kate Raworth
This Changes Everything - Naomi Klein
The Story of Stuff - Annie Leonard
The Uninhabitable Earth - David Wallace-Wells
Hope Matters - Elin Kelsey
More books on environment and sustainability:
Goodreads - Environment
Goodreads - Sustainability
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Ashley & AJ

Bizz chats with Ashley and AJ about their progress on their own journey to becoming less. 
 
Things we talk about:
Green and Gold Garden - greengoldgarden.com
Eating vegetarian to reduce emissions
Buying groceries in bulk whenever possible
Buying groceries as local as possible
Toiletries such as toothpaste (changetoothpaste.com), floss (kmhtouches.com), and shampoo (jack59.ca)
Reduce driving - cycling as an alternative
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Eco-Grief

Bizz chats with Sam Kriviak, a registered provisional psychologist who specializes in eco-grief.
 
Things we talk about:
What is anxiety?
What is grief?
What is trauma?
How do these tie in with environmentalism?
If we do identify with one or more of these descriptions, what can we do?
Where can we find help if we need it?
Psychology Today - psychologytoday.com/ca
Locations in Edmonton, some with sliding scale fees:
YWCA - ywcacanada.ca or ywcaofedmonton.org
Momentum Counselling - momentumcounselling.org
Drop-In YEG - dropinyeg.ca
Chat Lines. In Edmonton:
Distress Line - 780-482-HELP(4357)
Addictions and Mental Health - 780-424-2424
Canadian Mental Health Association - cmha.ca or edmonton.cmha.ca
Eco-grief specialists, such as Sam Kriviak or Catherine Forth here in Edmonton
Books we mentioned:
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb
Hope Matters by Elin Kelsey
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Finding Minimalism

Bizz chats with Becca about how finding minimalism has enriched her life and how the journey is going so far.
 
References we make:
Marie Kondo - konmari.com
Rose City Organizing - rosecityprofessionalorganizing.com
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Value Clashes At Work

Bizz and Cara chat about how becoming less can be challenging at work.
 
Things we talk about:
Being the only person who's passionate about environmentalism
Creating an environmental committee
Low-hanging fruit such as recycling paper and cardboard, or not using single-use plastics
Starting discussions with coworkers or, better yet, your boss
Working for a business whose business model does not align with your values
We all need to work, so find balance
References:
Terracycle - terracycle.ca
Psychology of Batman podcast - peterrollins.com/podcast
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Blenderz Gets An Upgrade

Bizz chats with Sarah from Blenderz Garment Recyclers about how much they've grown over the last couple years. They're moving into an even bigger location with some cool machinery upgrades. 
 
Find Blenderz:
Support their campaign for the upgrade - app.atbboostr.ca/offering/buildatextilerecyclingfacility
Website - blenderzgarmentrecyclers.com
Instagram - @blenderz_garment_recyclers
Facebook - facebook.com/blenderzgarmentrecyclers
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

2021 Year In Review

Bizz and Cara go over their biggest eco-wins from 2021 and discuss their goals for the upcoming new year.
 
What happened in 2021:
Moved to new home
Small means lower impact, close to work and amenities to reduce travel
Reusable diapers
So many diapers go to landfill every year, then the diapers can be passed on to someone else
New Bike
Purchased from small local business, had used bike first to see what features were good and bad before buying new, can now bike all winter
Woodstove pellets for cat litter
Bizz and Cara both do this!
Composting
Bizz takes compost to a friend's and Cara has the cart system in her new home
Edmonton Cart Rollout
Edmonton now provides pick up to detached homes for compost
Bizz is now treasurer for Waste Free Edmonton
WFE has SUPs bylaw in progress with the city
Cara is now Climate Action Champion for her ward
Begins her new role in 2022
Switched to reusing growlers instead of recycling bottles and cans
Goals for 2022:
Cara hopes to keep close tabs on what goes into her garbage and recycling with regular trash audits
Bizz wants to start getting her chicken from a local butcher and plans on starting a side hustle that will reduce textile waste
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Creating A Demand

Bizz and Cara talk about how voting with our dollar can create a demand for better ways to become less.
 
Things we talk about and references we make:
How we spend our money controls the direction of the market
Supporting businesses with good practices means a demand is created for more good practices. 
Supporting businesses with poor practices means a demand is created for more poor practices. 
Buying second hand does not create a demand up the chain
Unless it's from a thrift store that has questionable practices
Bunz trading app
Buy Nothing app/groups
Blenderz textile recyclers
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Boundaries

Bizz and Cara chat about setting boundaries with others who may not see eye to eye with you on becoming less.
 
Things we talk about:
Gifts - always a big topic
Choosing to ride a bike
Not using paper towels
Bringing a container to a restaurant
Composting - at home and at work
Not accepting disposable diapers as a gift
Getting a spouse/partner on board
Which is more difficult to set boundaries with: friends, family or coworkers?
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)