What do Insomniac events, the HBO show VEEP and the local elementary school play all have in common? They all use salvaged materials from Eco Set. You can find a ‘set’ at the theater, in commercials, tv shows, movies, events, and festivals. Our special guest Kris Barberg, of Eco Set and Materials Oasis, shared hacks and inspiration around how to create a more eco-friendly set. She also shares some great stories about some epic props.

We hope this episode helps people in production, large and small, find solutions from creation to tare down to redirect, divert and reuse their sets.

This episode will help anyone planning an event for up to 200 guests to reach a goal of diverting at least 80% of waste from going to a landfill. It will focus on small steps to make an event more sustainable behind the scenes. The key is in the planning phase. Take the time to know how many are attending, what materials for decor can be reused after the event, and how guests receive and consume food and drinks. These three steps seem easy, but they will take some planning.

Listen to this episode to hear stories from Sofia (host) as she shares ten years of experience as a Zero Waste event consultant. We are back with Season 2! Kicking this season off, Michelle interviews Sofia to get tips on making your next event more Zero Waste. Not only is Sofia the host of this podcast, but also a ZERO WASTE event consultant. She has seen it all and sorted through the worst of post-event trash.

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In this episode, Sofia and Michelle caught up with the inspiring and charismatic Bea Johnson at an event hosted by Bring Your Own Long Beach. Known as ‘the mother of the zero waste lifestyle’, Bea and her family have exemplified what it means to be zero waste for over a decade. Her journey began when during a move she realized that her family seemed to be happier surrounded by less stuff. She began to examine how they consumed and what it would mean to live with ‘less’. Not long after her journey began, she wrote ‘Zero Waste Home’, a book which details how a zero waste lifestyle should simplify your life, not complicate it, and how most of us already have what we need to reduce our waste within our homes. 

Bea has traveled the world sharing her lifestyle along with these tips and tricks on how to reduce your waste and lead a more meaningful life. She continues to learn from other cultures on the journey and has enjoyed seeing zero waste and bulk stores opening around the world. To make locating these stores easier, Bea created the Bulk Finder App, a crowdsourced tool to find bulk stores around the world. How neat!

Bea truly lives by (embodies?) the 5 R's: REFUSE what you don't need, REDUCE what you do actually need, REUSE by swapping disposables for reusables and buying secondhand if you do need something, RECYCLE what can't be refused, reduced or reused, and ROT (compost) what's left. You can hear more of her story by listening to this inspirational episode of the podcast or visiting zerowastehome.com. 

We can all learn to live more, in our own way. It would be great to hear how you are fighting to reduce waste and live your life more fully! Share your ideas with us by joining the community  #zerowastelifehacks #zerowastelifehacker 

Did you know that it is estimated that 400 million toothpaste tubes are discarded every year in the United States only? On the global level, that number rises to 1.5 billion discarded toothpaste tubes. AND about one billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown away every year in the United States, creating 50 million pounds of waste annually.  

In this episode, we are joined by Lindsay McCormick (founder of zero-waste toothpaste brand BITE) to discuss facts and hacks around our teeth routine and how effortless it is to switch our teeth routine to a zero-waste habit.

In Episode 3 we talk about our relationships with water, the most important substance in our bodies and on our planet. We get into some facts around the plastic water bottles and how simple and economical it can be to get in the habit of carrying a reusable water bottle with you while simply saying no to single-use.