Sustainability is being discussed for decades. But it got more attention during the last years for instance with the zero-waste movement and minimalism. People started to see that it is necessary to change our current lifestyles and start being more mindful. We need to re-think about our consumption habits and waste production.
But what is sustainability?
There is no fixed definition of the word sustainability as we use it today. In general, it means that something can sustain for a longer period. The sustainability movement uses this definition and applies it on our planet and how we use its resources.
Sustainability is a bigger approach, divided into smaller segments. I would like to describe two of those segments which are zero-waste and minimalism.
The minimalist movement
It is certainly not a new thing and has its origins from art. The minimalist philosophy as we know it today is more related to the emotional or physical clutter that we collect in our lives. For example the goal of minimalism is it to get rid of all the unnecessary stuff around us which is no longer in use or bring us no joy anymore. Relevant spokesmen and women for this topic are ‘The Minimalist’, who reintroduced the topic to a broader audience with their documentary ‘Minimalism’.
Another example is Youheum, who is working as a digital nomad and lives her life as an extreme minimalist and shares her experiences with it on her blog ‘Heal Your Living’. If you want to know more about these people and their approaches to life, visit their websites and read about why they decided to change their lives drastically.
A second movement – zero waste
Besides minimalism there is also a second movement. It is called Zero waste and is particularly important to me as apply it in my daily life and for the Kombucha production. And again, there are different levels of zero waste living. Some persons are only trying to avoid throwing away spoiled food while others are living the extreme version of it such as the environment activist Laura Singer, who has only produced one jar of trash in several years.
Local market products
Buying local ingredients or produces at a market in your city has many advantages. First of all, the pollution created by producing local food has less impact on the environment than an imported product. Fewer fuels, gas or in general energy is used to grow and transport the products.
Additionally, by buying ingredients from a local market, I support the farmers and the local economy. Most of the products at fresh markets are package free. Simply bring you reusable shopping bag and you can do your grocery shopping completely zero waste!
Join the local market movement and support your local community.
Re-using bottles
I only use glass bottles whilst brewing Kombucha. The glass bottles can be recycled or reused. This is to protect the environment from plastic waste. Greenpeace released an infographic showing the plastic waste situation in ASEAN. Thailand is on the 6th place of plastic polluters. And on the 2nd when it comes to the plastic waste import between 2016-2018. These statistics shocked me, and I did some research to improve the situation for my company. The bottling process is done manually and in cooperation with a local glass manufacturer the local businesses are supported. Even if this process is more time consuming, I’m convinced that small changes make a big difference.
