Trash Queens Episode 2: Compost Commitment Phobia

Rachel Flood doesn’t produce trash. She reuses all her containers and composts her organic scraps at the Union Square Green Market. In our second video, you’ll hear more about Rachel and the lifestyles of the most committed composters out there. You’ll also better understand why some people are hesitant to go whole-hog on sustainability.

But if you ultimately decide, like we did, to try a greener lifestyle, here are a few thoughts to get you started:

1.Cut the plastic

Rachel doesn’t use plastic utensils, water bottles or bags. People who live trash-free usually carry around a reusable tote bag, a full thermos of water and maybe even a fork or spoon. These habits can be hard to start, but trash-free gurus like Rachel say they’re easy to maintain once they become second nature,

2.Never compost alone

You may not know it but composting is happening all around you, carried out by non-profit organizations, community gardens and homeowners all over the country, from New York to Florida. And that’s great — it means you don’t have to kick off your sustainability project solo. If you live in New York City, you can get involved with the NYC Compost Project, which has locations all over the city.

3.Slow and steady

Most importantly, remember that even the smallest act matters. It’s more important to make minute changes that you can maintain over time than to go overboard and burn out quickly.

Composting isn’t a race, even if Rachel Flood is a winner. You don’t have to go to extremes to reduce your carbon footprint and the amount of waste you put into landfills.

Xoxo,

The Trash Queens

Video produced by Eleanor Cummins and Ellen Airhart