We talk with local residents who have embraced environmentally friendly lifestyles and practices, and invited them to give their tips on how you can do the same!

Anne, waste minimiser extraordinaire, Vermont 

Meet Anne, our Green Living Champion. She leads a very inspiring low waste lifestyle and says, “reducing waste is easy and does not need a drastic change in lifestyle, just a more mindful one”. Anne has always loved nature and cared about the environment and has made small changes along the way to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. “I sought out information and tried to apply the learnings to my life”, she says.  

Doing this, Anne and her family have dramatically reduced the amount of waste they produce, and they have not needed to put out their 80-litre red lidded garbage bin for four years. “It still has space and we hope to make it 5 years before we finally put it out for collection”, Anne says proudly.  

“Capturing all organic waste and either composting it or putting it in the FOGO (lime green lid) bin, means there is nothing decomposing in the landfill (red lid) bin, so it does not have to be put out every week”.  

Anne considers herself a mindful consumer and refuses to buy processed and packaged food and products. When shopping, she thinks about the end-of-life disposal of every purchase and makes buying decision based on that. “Adopting a plant-based diet also has had a big impact on reducing our carbon footprint”, says Anne.  

Along with waste, Anne has slowly reduced the amount of water and energy her household uses “we are also almost off fossil fuel - once we install an induction cooktop, we will be able to disconnect gas to the property.”   

“It is really easy to make a big difference with relatively small incremental changes. For example, installing water tanks that are plumbed to the toilet is the best use of captured rainwater.  

Turning off all appliances at the wall when not in use, reduces the standby electricity that appliances use”.  

Anne’s top tips to help others live a more sustainable life and decrease the amount of waste they generate: 

1. Reduce soft plastic use 

“Collect some soft plastic or mesh bags and use them when buying loose fruit and veg. Wash and dry the bags after each use and reuse the same bags again and again. Avoid buying food – such as fruit, veggies, breads and cakes - that is packaged in a plastic bag or container, there are plastic free options available.  This will drastically reduce the soft plastic waste generated each week. Buy groceries at bulk food shops, where you can take your own containers, fill and reuse them. Make your own cookies, crackers, popcorn and snacks, it is fun, tastes great and usually needs only a few ingredients instead of the long list in processed products”. 

2. Limit buying items in hard plastic, glass or cans 

“We have not put our recycle (yellow-lidded) bin out for 6 months. To achieve this we limit what we buy in hard plastic, glass or cans. We make our own yogurt, ice cream, jams and preserves – it is easy and does not need any special equipment. We buy liquids like vinegar, laundry and dishwashing liquid from bulk shops, so the same container can be reused over and over again. Even milk can be purchased in reusable containers”. 

3. View everything as a resource and find a use for it 

“When pruning bushes in the garden, chop them into small pieces and drop them on bare patches, it is called ‘chop and drop’. Even peanut, pistachio and walnut nut shells can be collected and spread on the garden as mulch. Fruit, vegetable and garden waste, a worm farm needs a very small space and does a great job of transforming organic waste into beautiful compost for the garden or potted plants”. 

4. Buy in-season 

“Eat what’s in-season: no fruit or vegetable grows all year round. The price of fruit and vegetables is a good indicator of what is in season - if it is expensive - it is not in season. Buying food that is in-season is great for the hip pocket, as they are usually more reasonably priced than out-of-season options.