Welcome to our Blog!

Welcome to our blog: No Footprint Left Behind. We're excited to grow and learn with you on our journey toward minimal waste living.

Who are we?

Just two ordinary people who aim to be mindful about how their choices as consumers have an impact on the environment, each other, and all life forms that inhabit the Earth with us. After all, there is no Planet B.

My mom and I currently operate far from zero waste living, but we sure do try to do our part in minimizing what waste we do generate. We believe that this Earth was not made to sustain only human life. It is our temporary home, and while we are here, we want to do all that we can to protect, preserve, and perpetuate change. We are capable, we are obligated, and we want your help to reduce our footprint together.

What is waste and why do we care about it?

The unusable remains or byproducts of something

The first thing to consider when evaluating wastefulness is: is it actually waste? Some of the things you're tossing in the trash (or even recycling) might actually be reusable! For example, that plastic container that your salad from the grocery store came in could be used to pack your lunch for tomorrow. Old t-shirts that you were going to dump could be your next cleaning rags. The longer you can extend the "life" of a wasteful object, the better! Knowing the legislation surrounding waste in your area is also extremely important. Just because you put it in the recycle bin doesn't mean that it's actually able to be recycled, so make sure you do your research. One of the biggest misconceptions that is preventing us from creating change is that we can recycle our way out of this mess. Unfortunately, it's much more complicated than that.

QUICK RESOURCES

• Earth 911 is a recycling center search that allows you to search for what's recyclable in your city and what's not

• Unfortunately, recycling just isn't as simple as it used to be. Waste Dive highlights recent changes in recycling and waste management policies in each of the 50 states.

• And of course...your city's waste management website!

FAST FACTS

• Landfills are one of the biggest culprits of soil pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

• The United States throws away $11.4 billion worth of recyclable containers and packaging every year.

• It takes 500 years for average-sized plastic water bottles to fully decompose, and even longer for heavier plastic items.

• About 1/3 of the total food produced in the U.S. is wasted. This amounts to about 77 billion pounds of edible food wasted each year. To put that in terms of a dollar amount...that's 30 billion dollars.

What is our goal and how can we accomplish it?

No Footprint Left Behind was started in an effort to get the conversation going about the issue of mindless waste. We intend for this to be a friendly and open-minded space for ideas to be exchanged, and we want to hear from you too! We are by no means professionals, but rather just two ordinary people trying to do their part. Our objective is simple: to share realistic and implementable methods for reducing the footprint of humankind.

So welcome to our blog! And thanks for reading :)