Zero Waste Tips For Men
I’ve noticed that I often share zero waste tips geared toward women and children but not so much for men. Since I’m married to a zero waste man, here are his zero waste tips for eco-minded men.
My husband James is incredibly minimalist and uses very few personal care products. He owns four pairs of shoes: sandals, sneakers, nicer shoes for work, and winter boots. He takes good care of his shoes and clothes and will mend broken items before considering recycling.
Clothes — James’s wardrobe is pretty minimal as well, with one suit and a couple of work shirts bought secondhand. When he buys new clothes he likes the brand Pantagonia. He loves t-shirts for his days off and likes white organic ones from Pact, an organic brand. They also sell his socks and underwear.
Personal care — Ever since he began experiencing thinning hair, James has shaved his own head using the electric shaver he also uses for his beard. He has had the same shaver for over ten years and keeps it in good shape with regular maintenance and cleaning. He uses castile soap for both his hair and body, which we buy in bulk at a zero waste store, and coconut oil when the skin on his arm or legs gets dry. He uses toothpaste tables and a bamboo brush for his teeth.
Workouts — James does not go to a gym and instead enjoys more sustainable workouts by biking to work, which is about an hour one way. He also works out with Noah’s soccer team, which he coaches.
Food — James brings lunch to work pretty much every day, often leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. He’s kind of started a trend at work. At first, he was the only one eating lunch in, but over time, more staff have joined him. The company used to buy cookies for staff to munch on, but now James bakes breakfast cookies at home and brings them to work for everyone to enjoy.
James’s Favorite Zero Waste Hacks:
- Rechargeable batteries! I have kids—need I say more?
- Use Stacher bags instead of plastic zip-lock bags.
- Use Glass food storage containers so that you can see what’s in them.
- Stove-popped popcorn with lots of nutritional yeast is the BEST zero waste snack!
If you want to learn more about James and our family’s zero waste tips, you find more in our book “a practical guide to zero waste for families”. Did you also know you can watch our documentary “zero time to waste” for free? Click on this link.
