How to convince your partner, mother, father, siblings, friends to go zero waste / green? 

How to convince people to go zero waste?

When I was writing recipes and several of these posts, I realized my partner actually comes close to a zero waste lifestyle, though I always considered myself to be the driving force. The thing is I turned my life around for me. I did not want to consume more, contribute to our massive wasteful industries, and I wanted to use more natural, gentler products for my skin and my immediate environment.

Another “radical event” was attending a riverbank clean-up. In a city that was tooted as one of the most environmentally friendly ones in Europe, with people being portrayed as nature-loving, there was just so much garbage… It really opened our eyes.

I had a couple of major health scares and was diagnosed with hard to pronounced conditions of unknown causes and unknown treatments. The is no funding for research on these rare conditions. What I found was this great world of plants, old healing methods from all continents and a lot of them worked quite well. I had a problem, researched the crap out of it, and tried a lot of things. When I tested a solution, and it worked much better than the “standard” store-bought, classic … my partner naturally started to pay attention. After my trial and errors with DIY shampoos – and after my several fails turned into sth good, he asked if he could try it as well. I said no. Your hair is totally different. It won’t work because of this and this. But I can make you your own. And this is what you need to watch out for. He went poo free, I helped to brush his hair in the adjustment period.
My errors helped him find success sooner. We/he troubleshot what didn’t work for him he never went back. The same process repeated several times with different products in all areas of our lives. Blogs about zero waste or science-based yet natural lifestyles were far less common back then and our process is the basis for this blog. I don’t want you to go through all the failures I did. I want to shorten the learning curve for you, as I did for him.

I didn’t tell him or expected him to change. There was no pressure. I asked him what he would be worried about if he goes zero waste with this thing, and then the next thing… Addressing those as we went along. I get that it often takes more time, more money, more knowledge… to do something differently. Is he going to think I went mad stopping to use regular shampoo? Am I going to stink using a natural deodorant? How will I feel seeing my blood every single month when I get faint by the sight of a small cut? Is it really safe? Is it weird? Does it even make a difference?

I chose to talk about general ideas and environmental problems as we went for a walk, dinner, or on holiday. No topic is really off, no matter where we are and what we are doing. I shared info I learned about the harmfulness of ingredients I was learning about, new studies from around the world, we would watch an environmental documentary in the evenings… No pressure, no agenda. We went to check a local farmers market and I taught him how to choose seasonal produce… It’s hard to say no to organic/local when it tastes so much better than what’s in the supermarket and we both like to eat well.

I see zero waste more as a way of life, than just a simple swap of the products we use. For me, it went together with elements of minimalism (simple living), eliminating what is harmful to me (and the environment) and learning about our society as a whole, how we are sold products we do not need, and rejecting the elements of consumerism that make me less of the person I wish to be. If that means powders, oils and glass jars, so be it.

If you are trying to get your friend or family member on board with a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, start slowly and ask many questions. You know this person best. Sometimes we need encouragement, some people need to hear/see the data, sometimes hearing how a neighbor did this and this works better. It just depends.

I do believe most people want to do better and we want a healthier, more sustainable economy. This doesn’t happen with a linear economy that we have now, with tons of waste created on the side. How our food is made, the pitfalls of recycling, our inability to deal with our garbage was pushed to the side, away from consumers, for decades. Finding credible info and then sharing them with others is one part of the equation. There are workshops (like the Climate Collage), movie screenings, plenty of documentaries, and books now available. We also have a lot to learn from Native communities around the world.

The other side of the coin is seeing our friends and neighbors making different changes. It’s super encouraging and it’s easier to do it together.

Some “sneaky ways” to “convince” people to be more environmentally friendly

If you have a killer vegetarian or vegan recipe, make it for your meat loving friends. People often do not realize that being a vegetarian doesn’t mean just eating lettuce all day.

Ask your friends for a bike ride, instead of doing an activity involving cars or something you know isn’t sustainable.

If you frequently do international city hopping, invite them on a trip closer to home, taking the train.

You can choose an organic restaurant or order in from a restaurant that uses biodegradable packaging.

Invite them to an activity, like learning to bake sth. or a DIY project.

Switch to gifting experiences and time, versus things.

Bit by bit, after seeing and experiencing the benefits, people naturally shift, they just might need a gentle “push”.

….and then…

Then there are also people who do not believe there is a problem. It can just be a disguise they want to create because it’s too painful for them to admit they (were)/are wrong. Or they just want money/power more. If this is the case, it is not your job to change this person and there is little you can do.

How to convince people to go zero waste? We can’t. All we can do it listen, offer advice and resources and live by example. That is the most effective way.