Reinventing the Reuse Economy

We invite you to watch Sarah Goff’s TedxUF talk, “Reinventing The Reuse Economy To Fight Climate Change”. She urges us all to recognize the enormous problems of overconsumption and wastefulness and create a revolutionary reuse retail system nationwide in order to address the climate crisis. Goff advocates for a system that rivals big box store new retail in both square footage and convenience so customers use the resources that are already produced and locally available, thus eliminating the need to manufacture and ship new products.

Sarah Goff and The Repurpose Project recently opened a second location in Gainesville, FL called Reuse Planet. Check-out both locations and buy used!

• The Repurpose Project Address: 1920 NE 23rd Ave, Gainesville, FL 32609

• Reuse Planet Address: 1540 NE Waldo Rd, Gainesville, FL 32609

Fast Fashion

What is Fast Fashion?

Why are we concerned with Fast Fashion?

• Environmental destruction

• Unfair labor practices

• Poor quality outputs

Fast Fashion Facts

• Each year 80 billion items of new clothing are purchased globally!!

• In 2018, the US generated 17,030 tons of textiles but only 14.7% were recycled, according to the US EPA. 

• In the past 20 years, more clothing has been made from polyester, a synthetic material derived from oil. When washed, polyester clothes shed tiny plastic fibers that pollute waterways.

• Wastewater from garment factories often contains dyes containing toxins and heavy metals. Greenpeace has been working to reduce this. 

• The Fashion Industry accounts for up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emission.

Fast Fashion Videos

• The True Cost - 1.5 hour documentary on Fast Fashion (NOTE: there are graphics scenes from the 2013 Dhaka garment factory collapse and ads during this YouTube video)

• Made in America - 10 minute documentary of apparel factories in Los Angeles, CA

Alternatives to Fast Fashion:

• Buy used clothes

• Buy less clothes

• Buy durable clothing that you plan to wear year after year (e.g., capsule wardrobe)

• Mend your clothes

• Rent clothes 

• Donate quality clothing for reuse directly to friends or family, or organizations in need

• Organize a neighborhood or community clothing swap

• Slow Fashion

• Create a circular textile industry

Textile Recycling, is that a solution?

• It can be part of the solution. If you truly want to recycle old, worn out clothes that you’ve had for a very long time and that aren’t worthy of being reused, then consider textile recycling. If you use textile recycling as a way to clean out your closet so you can fill it up with new clothes, then no, it’s not the answer.

• Retold Recycling 

Used Clothing Stores in Gainesville:

• Sandy’s Savvy Chic Boutique 

• Weecycle of Gainesville

• Haven Attic Resale Store

• St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Shop

• Goodwill Thrift Store Gainesville 

• Plato’s Closet

• Outreach Thrift Store (2430 NW 6th St, Gainesville, FL 32609)

• Flashbacks Recycled Fashions

• Humane Society of North Central Florida Thrift Store

Used Clothing Online Stores

• Worn Wear - Patagonia

• Thred Up

• Depop

• Poshmark

Buying New? Check out this Fashion Accountability Report by ReMake

References:

• US EPA Textile Material Specific Data

• Bick, R., Halsey, E. & Ekenga, C.C. The global environmental injustice of fast fashion. Environ Health 17, 92 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7

• Good on You. What is Fast Fashion

• The Climate Impact of Fashion

*Download a PDF version of this web page.

2021 Zero Waste Recap

Day 1 - Zero Waste Recap

 Zero Waste Week 2022

We are starting out Zero Waste Week with a recap of the main accomplishments from 2021. Check-out the slides below to get caught up on our zero waste activities! (Select ‘Enter Full Screen’ in the bottom panel of the slide to expand. Mobile users please rotate screen for optimum viewing).

Composting the Beaten Path Way

Equal Parts of Economics, Ecology, Biology, and Philosophy

ZW Gainesville is continuing our 2021 celebration of Nothing in Nature is Wasted with a series of blog posts highlighting the many people and organizations throughout Alachua County who practice and support our community in the journey toward sustainable living.

Our series, entitled Bolstering Sustainability, will begin with an interview with Stephan Barron, founder and owner of Beaten Path composting service in Gainesville. It will become clear to readers that composting for Stephan is more than a profession -- it is a mission.

Stephan Barron picking up compost

Stephan Barron and a good friend originally began composting for a few restaurants in downtown Gainesville to feed the community garden they were operating. He rapidly realized “that innovative, natural crop-growing could alter the current unsustainable food system that exists in our cities.” This philosophy ultimately evolved into a business as Stephan “grasped how economics and ecology worked together.” Stephan envisions a food production system “that is decentralized, where the wealth and material created would be distributed equitably and  locally, instead of winding up in the hands of investors who do not even live here.”

ZWG: What drives you to have a business that deals with sustainability?

Stephan:  I think soil health is the key to global health, and I began realizing this more as I gardened and used compost.  In 2 years I saw our garden become one of the healthiest and most biodiverse places in Gainesville, and in turn, Brett and I became the healthiest and strongest we have ever been from working within it.  It was here that I realized how important compost was. In more ways than I could write here without it being a novel, soil is the literal skin or foundation to our planet.  So as we degrade it more and more, we degrade every single system that this planet supports, including our own bodily systems.  So the work itself is sacred to me, and in a very real way is working to heal the very skin of the earth, and thus the foundation to all life that thrives upon it.

My drive to work within the realm of sustainability comes from many things.  My want to simply help others have healthier lives, to create life, to create purposeful jobs, and on and on.  I would say all of this falls under my belief in and continual study of ecology though.  Ecology is derived from the latin roots "Oikos logia" which translates to "the study of mother"...the study of earth.  And the more one pursues this study I believe the more they realize that the only way for us to continue our lives on this planet at all, and ideally with prosperity, opportunity, and abundance, is if we begin working at every single thing with sustainability in mind.

To me, there is simply no other choice at this point.  If I were to choose work that I know is not sustainable, it would be as if I am committing a malicious crime against humanity, against myself, and as if I were living a lie in regards to my own morals and beliefs.

Turning the compost

ZWG: How do you define success in your composting business?

Stephan:  I think I would define success in this business coming from my economic goals aligning with my ecological beliefs.  If I can cover all of my costs, while providing far more than a "living wage" to those that work for me (ideally $25-30/hour), invest in more efficient technologies as they arise, and then be able to help others start their own composting businesses in town that function similarly but in different zones, (allowing for decentralization and more equitable wealth distribution) that would be magnificent success. 

If I can eventually also give myself the foundational resources and time to run what I deem a truly sustainable farm here in Gainesville, then I've accomplished my dream.  But that's just a bonus and my end goal at this point.

ZWG: Do you ever have your product - soil amendment - that is ready but not sold?

Chicks hard at work

Stephan: Anytime I have actually advertised and worked to sell my soil amendment, it has sold very quickly.

ZWG: How much contamination do you see?    Contamination is defined as nonbiodegradable or non compostable products in the organic material you receive.

Stephan: As of now I am seeing contamination rates of lower than 1% I believe.  there is very little contamination at this point.

ZWG: Are there any items you do not take in your food scraps? Like meat and bones? Anything else? Compostable food packaging? (Steering clear of packaging containing PFAS!) 

Stephan: Right now I encourage folks to not put meat and bones into the compost, although if bits of it make their way in, it is no big deal.  I do this mainly to keep pathogen levels lower but also because I simply want people eating less meat since it’s such a precious and costly resource.  I do encourage people to not put in compostable packaging either because I think packaging, compostable or not, is a wasteful thing that we need to step away from--and because many types are still toxic/harsh.  But thus far the amount of compostable materials I have received have not been an issue.  In time I hope to get a shredder and maybe even a cooker to really handle more packaging, but it's not a priority.  Getting worm farms going is :)  

ZWG: How do you see your business in 5 years?    Do you want it to grow?      Do you want to keep your business steady with residents and restaurants you have?

Compost pick-up and pails

Stephan: Within the next 5 years I have many phases planned, and as I execute them I will see where I can realistically go, and where I want to go.  What I believe and envision is that I will be able to pick up and process food waste for 300 residents a day, with just myself and one employee.  Starting April I will have the chance to find out as the pilot program launches….I have investors lined up to purchase land just northwest of Gainesville so that I can have another composting location, and gain more efficient access to northwest Gainesville….I will have to decide how many more folks I want to hire, and how I want to grow ….[Having two sites] will keep the burden down on the land [on which] we are composting, and will also make our routes to composting sites shorter….From here, the goal is to get both sites operating efficiently enough so that I can start doing personal outreach as well and help other folks start similar composting operations, for example "Two Farms One Dream".  Harry was one of my first helpers in this business and working with me helped to give him the information and experience he needed to push forward with his own, and in a way that specifically suits his lifestyle and goals, which is great!  I want to do that, but even better, maybe help them (two farms one dream) grow first if they need it at this point, and then find and help other folks at strategic locations throughout the city....in turn locking in the decentralization of this. 

These are lofty goals, and who knows if I will get there.  I will certainly try though.

A happy customer’s home

Join us next time as we dig even deeper into the importance of soil and soil enrichment in our next edition of Boltering Sustainability in Alachua County.

Traveling Low Waste

By Amanda Waddle

On June 28th my family and I went on our summer vacation to England and Scotland and because we are working towards zero waste daily, we also wanted to create the smallest amount of waste during our travels. When you start a zero waste journey whether at home or when traveling planning is a must. My husband and I began planning this trip months in advance and we kept zero waste in mind with all of our decisions. I was also fortunate enough to speak to and hear a presentation from Jo Hendrickx, Founder and CEO of Travel Without Plastic. She told me about the ReFill app, which we used and said that with a little planning our trip can be nearly zero waste except during the plane ride and she was correct.

All our Zero Waste items we packed for our trip (not pictured is my husband's Klean Kanteen all metal water bottle)

We flew Virgin Atlantic from Orlando to London and then from Glasgow to Orlando. During each 8-hour flight we were offered 2 meals, 2 snacks and at least 3 times we were offered something to drink. All of the meals and drinks involved single-use plastics, including plastic cups, plastic flatware and snacks/food enclosed inside of plastic. The airline industry is aware of the waste produced in flight and there are some airlines working to reduce their waste. By bringing our water bottles and filling them right before we boarded the plane, we were able to avoid using any single-use plastic cups. We refused several items offered but we did contribute to waste on both flights we occupied by accepting the main meal on each flight. Virgin Atlantic did mention sustainability and asks passengers to reuse their plastic cup but beyond that there wasn’t much in the way of reduction of waste or reusable items. I decided to write them a letter and communicate some suggestions that the airline can do to reduce waste and I encourage you to do the same. If you find yourself in a situation where there’s more waste than necessary, please reach out to the company or manufacturer and let them know.

My most used travel items - water bottle, ChicoBag, napkin, and small multi-purpose cloth

Our trip began with two days in London. In London we ate at restaurants that used durable/reusable plates/cups/silverware and also refilled our water bottles at restaurants along our travels. This allowed us to stay hydrated and avoid waste. We packed travel bottles of shampoo and conditioner (Plaine Products) and bar soap and we were able to avoid single-use hotel shampoos and soaps. Our hotel was in a somewhat residential area and one street over there was an open-air market selling local, fresh unpackaged fruits and vegetables. We were excited to use our own reusable bag (ChicoBag; see picture of most used travel items) to buy some local healthy unpackaged food for our adventures.

London was over in a blink of an eye and then we found ourselves on an overnight train to Scotland called the Caledonian Sleeper. This was a pretty exciting way to get from London to Edinburgh and offered very small bunk bed room with a shower/toilet combination bathroom. We woke up and made our way to the dining car where we were pleased to use durable silverware/plates/bowls for our breakfast. 

Scotland is an amazing country with lots of natural areas, wildlife, and history. Stirling, Scotland is home to Zero Waste Scotland  where they are working towards a more sustainable country through better recycling (Scotland does a great job to keep their recyclables separated), food waste prevention, a bottle return program, reuse store certification and promoting a circular economy. I was able to sit down with a few individuals from Zero Waste Scotland and received some great information about their Revolve program where they certify reuse stores for cleanliness and quality. Zero Waste Scotland’s great work is based on their research department’s many surveys. I was very grateful for their time and the information they shared.

Free tap water can be found via the ReFIll app in many places throughout England and Scotland

We visited 13 cities in Scotland and spent most of our time in the highland area out in nature or in small towns. It was nice to get out of the big, crowded cities of London and Edinburgh. We visited several chapels, cathedrals, hiked through Cairngorm National Park, visited waterfall and went to northeast Scotland to visit a cliff dwelling bird colony. Through all of these adventures we kept sustainability and low waste as a top priority. During these 5 days in Scotland we practiced the same zero waste standard of practice: we filled up our water bottles regularly including using the ReFill app, ate at restaurants that used real/durable/reusable plates/cups/silverware, used our reusable bag with any purchases and avoided single-use plastics. We did buy a scone at a few places and took it to go and it was given to us in a small paper bag. If you ever make it to Scotland, be sure to indulge in their scones, they are amazing. A note on souvenirs. We bought very few souvenirs and when I or my girls wanted something (my husband is anti-souvenir and bought nothing), we thought hard about if we actually needed it or just wanted it. I did buy a washcloth from the Buckingham Palace giftshop and a tea towel from Rosslyn Chapel. The girls each bought a pen and we kept a few British coins as souvenirs. As a family we took over 1000 pictures and tried our best to be in the moment often going over what we did that day right before bed.

While in Aviemore, we stayed at an AirBnB where there was a washing machine. We brought Dizolve Eco-strips (formerly Dizolve.com, now they are sold through tru.earth, still a Canadian based company) in a water proof container in anticipation of a doing laundry. These small and light weight laundry strips are easy to use and great for travel. Our most used zero waste travel items were the small packable reusable bag, our water bottles and a couple of small wash clothes (see most used travel items picture). Our last night in Glasgow was in a Travelodge where they had refillable shampoo and conditioner containers attached to the wall in the shower, which we were happy to see.

Scotland collects recyclables in several containers to keep each commodity as valuable as possible.

Our sustainability efforts continued as we were able offset our carbon through We Are Neutral, a local non-profit who offers carbon offsets for events, travel and every day life. We provided our itinerary to We Are Neutral to calculate the offset for this trip including our drive from Gainesville to Orlando and back, our flight from Orlando to London and then from Glasgow to Orlando, our train travel and our expected driving through the highlands of Scotland. We were happy to offset our carbon and happy to add this to our trip.

Traveling with the goal of zero waste is possible with some planning and with the mindset of taking a few reusable items that will allow for refusing single-use items and being a waste reduction hero.