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Set Up an Eat Next Shelf
Put a little sign, tape, or shelf in your fridge specifically for things that need to be eaten soon before they go bad.
Build your "To-Go" kit
A ton of your out and about waste is just because you don't have alternatives handy. Make yourself a little kit and put it in your bag, car, or somewhere handy so you don't forget it when you leave the house. Common items include:
Cloth napkin or bandana
Utensils (like a regular fork, knife, spoon is fine)
Tupperware container
Coffee mug
Water Bottle
Build your own, and put it somewhere obvious!
Opt out of prescreened credit offers
The credit bureaus sell your name to card issuers, who mail you offers you never asked for. One federally mandated form turns it off - five years online, forever if you mail the signed version. This is the purest version of a one-time action: three minutes now, and the mail stops arriving for the rest of the decade.
The Fridge Check The most impactful thing you can do to fight food waste is just check your fridge and pick the one thing that needs to be eaten soonest.
Write a "Should I Buy This" Checklist The best way to stop waste before it every enters your life.
Waste happens when you purchase something, not when you throw it away. One of the most effective tools is to add a little process before you buy something. Here's an example, but come up with your own!
Monthly Fix A quick session with yourself once a month
From the behavioral scientist Matt Wallert. Sit down once a month and find something to do, a swap to make, a repair to do, a skill to learn.
Zero Waste Coffee System Three steps to a fully waste free system.
There are three components to a zero waste coffee system: the beans, the brew, and the grounds. A lot of grocery stores or coffee shops will let you refill a container with beans; your job is to find one. Then french press or mochapot are the best truly zero waste brew methods, you can also get a metal filter for drip machines or V60s. And last but not least, just make sure you compost your grounds to round out the whole process.
Use a Reusable Water Bottle
Try a Kitchen Plastic Audit
Go through your kitchen and fridge and find one thing that you can swap out for a bulk or plastic-free alternative. Could be food or kitchenware.
Add zero waste to your email signature
A great "set it and forget it" way to show your support for this issue. Just add a quick line below your signature, link to your favorite article, zero waste blogger, or just ZeroWaste.Org.
Bring Your Own Bag
Bring your own coffee cup Keep it top of mind for three weeks to solidify the habit
Designate a reusable tupperware for leftovers save packaging waste and food waste when you eat out.
Pick a container that is easy to bring along with you to restaurants and designate it as your "go-to" leftovers container. This will make it more likely that you take it with you, and help save packaging waste and food waste when you eat out.
Zero Waste Egg System
Do a Plastic Free Grocery Trip
Classroom Recycling Petition The Ann Arbor Public Schools have “recycling bins” in all classrooms (paid for by a $100,000+ state grant). None of the contents are actually recycled but are sent to the landfill. This situation has been going on for several years. We, the undersigned local citizens, find this unacceptable and not in accordance with our community’s values. Other local school districts (e.g., Ypsilanti, Dexter and Chelsea) actually have classroom recycling, and AAPS needs to do what’s needed to make it a reality here too. We call on AAPS, and other parties as necessary (City of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and Recycle Ann Arbor) to work together to put real classroom recycling in effect in AAPS. Cosponsored by: Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice Sierra Club Huron Valley Group ZeroWaste.Org
Host a Movie Screening
Screen a zero waste film to spread the word!