Title : Where Are the Zero Waste Men?
link : Where Are the Zero Waste Men?
Where Are the Zero Waste Men?
When my Zero Waste Toronto friends invited Bea Johnson to speak in their city, I wasn’t surprised by how packed the auditorium was. What shocked me was how many men attended or were involved in planning the event. Even though No Impact Man was one of the first things I read when going zero waste- I didn’t read Zero Waste Home until several years later, after moving to Paris- before then, I was only dimly aware of the presence of men in the circular economy conversation. “Where are all the zero waste guys?” my friend Margaux lamented. “Don’t question it,” one of my colleagues, who asked to remain anonymous, warned. “White men get everything- let us have this,” she said.
I can't tell if she was joking, but since my presumed relatives aren’t taking US recyclables anymore, there's a pressing need for as many people as possible to adopt reusables. This post isn’t meant to be exclusionary or enforce the gender binary by any means. However, as @mariagomezdeleon points out, one perception fostered by online communities is that ecofriendly behaviors are typically feminine. “I think this is an issue worth looking into,” she writes. “Why is the zero waste movement primarily [portrayed as] female?” According to marketing professor Aaron Brough, “There is this gender gap in environmentalism... men are sometimes reluctant to go green because they want to maintain their gender identity.”
One causal theory I just made up right now is that historically, women are more vulnerable to the consequences of environmental degradation than men, so they are more likely to be aware of environmental issues and do something about them. “Zero waste is often associated with home making skills, traditional female roles, etc. I think this is limiting in terms of representation. There is so much, albeit mostly not about home making, but more about frugality and thinking through decisions,” wrote Marie of fresh.open.air, whose husband @trail.to.sky is zero waste. "It seems like a lot of things that create waste are marketed towards women," Jarrett, who is not my friend, pointed out, particularly when it comes to cosmetics, clothing, or feminine hygiene. "You don't see dads carrying wipes or snack packs with them at all times. When my dad took me out as a kid, if I got hungry, I ate when I got home. He was more likely to have me blow my nose on a washable t-shirt than be 'ready' with Kleenex." Jarrett recently sold all his possessions after thinking I insinuated he was materialistic, but even before, he wore the same clothes for decades, built a still to make essential oils, and biked everywhere instead of driving. "There seems to be more pressure for women to get new clothes every season to fit in with the latest trends," he said. "I've had this t-shirt since college, and nobody cares."
One causal theory I just made up right now is that historically, women are more vulnerable to the consequences of environmental degradation than men, so they are more likely to be aware of environmental issues and do something about them. “Zero waste is often associated with home making skills, traditional female roles, etc. I think this is limiting in terms of representation. There is so much, albeit mostly not about home making, but more about frugality and thinking through decisions,” wrote Marie of fresh.open.air, whose husband @trail.to.sky is zero waste. "It seems like a lot of things that create waste are marketed towards women," Jarrett, who is not my friend, pointed out, particularly when it comes to cosmetics, clothing, or feminine hygiene. "You don't see dads carrying wipes or snack packs with them at all times. When my dad took me out as a kid, if I got hungry, I ate when I got home. He was more likely to have me blow my nose on a washable t-shirt than be 'ready' with Kleenex." Jarrett recently sold all his possessions after thinking I insinuated he was materialistic, but even before, he wore the same clothes for decades, built a still to make essential oils, and biked everywhere instead of driving. "There seems to be more pressure for women to get new clothes every season to fit in with the latest trends," he said. "I've had this t-shirt since college, and nobody cares."
Similarly, one Canadian photojournalist told me when he buys something, he buys it for life (he also bikes and uses essential oils). However, he suggested the way women present themselves on social media could be different. Fanny, whose husband was a social media star that deleted his accounts after simplifying his life, noted, "He never felt the need to show his followers his closet or our refrigerator. I want the affirmation and support, but he doesn't need to be recognized that way... when his food comes at a restaurant, he doesn't like waiting for me to take a picture of it with our reusable napkins and straws. All he wants to do is eat." Jake, an eco-friendly engineer who also made his own essential oils (there is a pattern here), said something similar that he probably did not expect me to incorporate in a blog post. "I don't see the need to make a big deal of how a person eats or lives. I’ll never feel the need to tell someone I'm vegan. If I'm ordering at a restaurant and someone asks why I'm not eating meat or dairy, I tell them I don't feel like it." When my friend Justin- who is one half of a zero waste power couple (TM Sophi) with my friend Tori- goes to the co-op for bulk staples, he doesn’t post a picture of Tori refilling jars on Instagram. Rather, he sends me one via direct message.
We all know Instagram isn’t real life. Could it be that social media is not a microcosm of the circular economy in general? Could the disproportionate number of female voices online skew its representation of the zero waste population offline? As it turns out, 218 women messaged me that their boyfriends/husbands were eco conscious, they just didn’t post about it on social media (four guys messaged me, and the other 20 messages were either suggestions of male zero waste Instagram accounts or pleas to find more). The way they approach zero waste is different as well, in terms of research and practice. "My partner had no intention before I mentioned it, and still I've done mostly all the leg work: finding bulk stores, getting groceries, encouraging new habits. I have more hype in general about it," wrote Phil. "I see it is a challenge. I like the sense of accomplishment when I make something myself instead of buying it,” Jarrett says. "We started the zero waste journey together," wrote 12stielen. "I was the one reading all the books and articles on the topic, but he immediately took the practical things, like taking containers, into his life."
"Guys totally nerd out about it," said Meredith, whose husband bikes to work year round and keeps reusables in his office and backpack (he even likes Meow Meow Tweet, they are cool and I love their cute family so much!). "Justin was always really conscious," Kathryn of Going Zero Waste said. "He brought his own bags and water bottle everywhere, but he definitely... worked to eliminate a lot before meeting me. He accredits a lot of his mindset to growing up in a culture that was full of people using reusables. When I first told Justin I wanted to go zero waste, he said, 'But we already do so much!' But it was important to him. It was also his idea for the bidet attachment. He's very proud of that one" (I would be too, I love mine).
"Guys totally nerd out about it," said Meredith, whose husband bikes to work year round and keeps reusables in his office and backpack (he even likes Meow Meow Tweet, they are cool and I love their cute family so much!). "Justin was always really conscious," Kathryn of Going Zero Waste said. "He brought his own bags and water bottle everywhere, but he definitely... worked to eliminate a lot before meeting me. He accredits a lot of his mindset to growing up in a culture that was full of people using reusables. When I first told Justin I wanted to go zero waste, he said, 'But we already do so much!' But it was important to him. It was also his idea for the bidet attachment. He's very proud of that one" (I would be too, I love mine).
“I mentioned it to [my partner] and expressed an interest. He was the the one who bought me Bea Johnson’s book! I think we were both open to ways of improving. He resisted the tooth powder and deodorant at first. Now he loves it, talks about it, shows off," Zoe from @aintnoplanetb wrote. “He always has a backpack or we have a reusable bag with mesh bags in the car for produce and the like,” said Sophi of her husband. “I go to zero waste places and he supports me. He talks about it with a lot of people he meets. He often comes home saying, 'Did so and so start following you?' He picks up litter a lot... he’s thoughtful in that way. He didn’t want to support zoos or aquariums- that’s before me doing zero waste.”
“Fernando usually carries a backpack with his water bottle or hand carries it," Monica, @girlforacleanworld, said of her husband. "He takes his lunch with reusable spork in a reusable bag to work. He found out about zero waste through me, but he was already half way there. When we met he was making his own deodorant and toothpaste, was conscious about litter, but he would use plastic bags and make waste out of habit. He’s very conscious now, and goes above and beyond to refuse bags, cups, straws, etc. but there are some areas where he still creates waste. For example, his hair product comes in plastic (he tried making his own and didn’t like it). He prefers a plastic toothbrush. He went back to buying Tom's deodorant, but after a beach clean up we did where we picked up 900 lbs of plastic, he was shocked and went back to making his own because he didn't want to buy plastic." Several women wrote that their partners were shocked by imagery of the Pacific garbage patch. The piece de resistance of this paragraph was going to be what Amanda from Mama Eats Plants had to say about her vegan husband, who is instituting composting measures and diverting waste in the restaurants he manages. I accidentally deleted it when I was trying to copy and paste her message into this post, but I love when she wrote, "I don't know how eating meat became equated with being strong, masculine, etc. but it's pretty ridiculous. We've got to empower men to eat better, regardless of veganism. I want my husband to live a long and healthy life with me that's not cut short by a heart attack or disease from a lifetime of unhealthy habits." I think the same could be said for zero waste.
For some, the motivations for men and women to reduce waste seem to differ slightly. “Mine comes out of a need to nurture and care for things,” says Fanny, whereas her husband does so because “it doesn’t make sense to extract resources and put so much energy into something that’s going to thrown away.” "My motivations are mostly environmental but also I think it’s just a healthy way to live in general,” said Jason. My ex appreciated the aesthetics of zero waste (and liked his bamboo toothbrush and homemade mouthwash), whereas Archana once wrote that her husband found zero waste economical, a sentiment many shared. "Since he's already from the PNW, he already had a bit of a green heart," wrote Rachel. "Certainly outdoorsy and did his recycling and all that. I've been more of an influence on what sort of belongings come into our apartment and how we minimize stuff." One Parisian friend, who bikes instead of taking the metro, uses an unpackaged alum stone instead of traditional deodorant, grows his own food, and reduces leftovers, simply says he “hates waste." "I think our motivations are the same," wrote Olivia, @ofbranchandbone. "I tend to want to do more to impact others to change habits, and he is fine just focusing on what he personally can do."
I wish I could have incorporated everyone's comments and insights into this post, but here are some zero waste men to follow on Instagram. Please comment if you know any more, and thank you to everyone who responded so thoughtfully!
Zero Waste Guy
Sustainable Joes
Zerowasteguru
Rob Greenfield
Sougowei
Eating With Max
Isaac Kramer
Tidy Guy
I wish I could have incorporated everyone's comments and insights into this post, but here are some zero waste men to follow on Instagram. Please comment if you know any more, and thank you to everyone who responded so thoughtfully!
Zero Waste Guy
Sustainable Joes
Zerowasteguru
Rob Greenfield
Sougowei
Eating With Max
Isaac Kramer
Tidy Guy
Thus articles Where Are the Zero Waste Men?
that is all articles Where Are the Zero Waste Men? This time, hopefully can provide benefits to you all. Okay, see you in another article post.
You are now reading the article Where Are the Zero Waste Men? the link address https://letsexploretravels.blogspot.com/2018/01/where-are-zero-waste-men.html
0 Response to "Where Are the Zero Waste Men?"
Post a Comment