Choosing a Life Without Trash | Sam McMullen | TEDxUofM

The world is a pretty big place, and it can be hard for individuals to have a big impact, especially when it comes to maintaining the environment. Does one person going “zero-waste” for a year even make a difference? Environmental activist Sam McMullen investigates the power of community in preserving our environment.
Sam McMullen is a junior at the University of Michigan, pursuing degrees in biochemistry and philosophy. As a passionate environmentalist, Sam has been living a zero-waste lifestyle for the past seven months in an attempt to not produce any waste at all for a year. His experiences as a student at UM combined with his environmentally positive lifestyle give Sam a unique perspective on an individual's ability to influence perceptions about waste and environmentalism.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@hannahgraceoutdoors]

I’ve watched numerous zero waste videos now and am starting to make changes. SO MUCH is wasted which is unnecessary and I’m very aware of it daily now. Small changes daily.

[@abigailhutchinson5487]

Hannah Grace how did it go? did you end up going zero waste?

[@celia.aaaaaaaa]

Yesss I'm soooo glad that more people are talking about zero waste!! 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱💙💙💙

[@03p650]

Zero waste or waste very less I was trying it back in my hometown I was looking like clown for people.... finally by seeing a TED X from UofM it’s relaxing and supporting.

[@thisneurodiverselife]

Super inspiring TED Talk!!!! Zero Waste, or simply reducing our waste is something so simple yet the impact is huge. My wife and I have been moving that way over a few years now. It's just as simple as make a better choice each time. I was stoked at how this talk was presented, such a great speaker and real info with real stats. I just hope everyone who watches this takes it on. I hope to be 100% Zero Waste, we are planning on growing all our own food, producing our own electricity and catching our own water. We plan to be 100% off the grid in 5 years. I hope we can achieve this? One Life, One Search, Peace Out, Shane

[@earthrebranded]

How is it going 1 year later?

[@MsSusieStone]

Did you achieve your goal?

[@thisneurodiverselife]

@@earthrebranded hey, sorry for not replying earlier, I must of missed this notification. At 1 year on, we were doing very well. Since then, it has been up and down. At the 1 year mark, I actually had an event on site were I fed everyone from my farm. We had a lamb on a spit, which we grew on farm, roast spuds which we grew, as well as beer which made. Thanks for the question, I've restarted my channel, which I plan on talking about this lifestyle a little. If you want to follow along. One Life, One Search, Shane

[@thisneurodiverselife]

@@MsSusieStone hey, Thanks for the reply. We haven't achieved it yet. It's been a strange few years, with covid and life. But we are still working towards it. So the progress.... I closed my business down and got a job working on a Windfarm, where i got an electric car, so I sold my car. We now have solar, which runs about 80% of our power needs. We have switched to ethical cleaning products. Zero, is a great brand who make cleaning and hygiene products. They reuse your packaging, and containers. So no waste. We are starting to grow our own food again. I've just built 400m of swales in the front paddock to plant a food Forrest. I do need to get rain water tanks, that is a big item. But we are still moving forward. Just got stuck there for a while. I've restarted my channel, where I plan on talking about this stuff a little, if your interested? One Life, One Search, Shane

[@MarileeGetgen]

As I head back to campus next week, I'm making a commitment to go vegan and reduce my waste. It also helps that I have a few money saving goals, so I have even more of an incentive to refuse potential waste.

[@abigailhutchinson5487]

Emerson Getgen how did it go?

[@chilidili]

pragmatism + activism is where it's at if we want a movement. great job, mr. mcmullen

[@hollyp3065]

great phrase!

[@Cassiopeia45]

So inspiring!! Amazing work, Sam and Lydia!

[@ussamabinnaveed]

what an inspiration!

[@chooselove4all574]

This is a great idea, but I think that a more practicable and urgent solution would be to encourage a zero-plastic-trash lifestyle. It would be easier for people to implement. And paper waste biodegrades, while glass is inert. It's far more necessary to reduce the plastic use, owing to the presence of the continent-sized plastic garbage patches in the oceans. Most people could move from plastic to paper bags and still be making an enormous difference, or from plastic squeeze tubes to glass jars. Even if the glass or paper or metal is not recycled, it is nowhere near as problematic to the health of earth. Plastics have phthalates, BPA, or other plasticizers that are harmful to living beings. There are thousands of chemicals that can leach out of plastics into food- either our food, or those of animals. And animals are killed eating the plastic that makes it into the environment. I fail to see the relative problem with biodegradable pizza boxes (unless they are coated in plastic) as compared to a plastic bag that will persist for millions of years and get eaten by sea turtles, dolphins, albatrosses, and other animals. Yes we should target zero trash, but most people are not going to do that. However, we could feasibly get people to exchange plastic packaging for paper, glass, and metal in many cases if we focus on getting the consumers to demand it, and/or if we make the manufacturers responsible for the health and environmental consequences of their packaging. When I was a very young child, most things were still packaged in glass, paper, and metal. Even Dannon yogurt (I'm vegan now) back then was packaged in paper cups that were lined with wax. I remember they introduced plastic cups when I was around 6 years old. We could easily go back to the way things used to be.

[@LorriePaige]

There are now yogurt in real ceramic containers. P.S. I'm vegan too. :)

[@learnlanguageswithyogee9509]

Thanks! I am inspired!

[@greenwoman8860]

You DO have an impact! Changed my way of living... and I've forwarded this to others with the hope it will impact their lives too!!

[@donnas7323]

Very nice! So interested now. Will think!

[@k.w.1459]

I don’t use toilet paper. ... much. (Only when I run out of real cloth wipes) I use a $30 bidet now. Best!

[@derartas]

same

[@wvu500]

Nice job!! Impressive.

[@ritagopalan316]

You don’t need to use toilet paper. You can use a bidet toilet sprayer and thus save trees.

[@cryptolanka4109]

You inspired me to take action ! That's all it matters

[@cecilyastrid5046]

This is such a good talk. Thank you so much!! You have inspired me and my family and we are trying to become Zero Waste😘

[@abigailhutchinson5487]

Cecily Astrid how did it go?

[@ophan3536]

How can someone get in touch with this project? I am very interested. Thank you!

[@abnerwong9077]

+0 Polaris their website is www.livezerowaste.org and theres a contact info below

[@ophan3536]

+Abner Wong Thank you!

[@lydiamarie488]

+0 Polaris You can contact us at [e-mail]. Thanks so much for your interest!

[@ophan3536]

+Lydia McMullen-Laird will do!

[@lydiamarie488]

+0 Polaris I replied to your email yesterday, just wanted to make sure you got it :)

[@mattmeikle9180]

its a shame only 163 views. kinda saddens me

[@ophan3536]

+Matt Meikle I think it is because it was just put up yesterday? I am hoping anyway! It scares people to think they have to do it exactly like him. Like veganism, it seems so drastic a change, people feel reluctant and incapable. More videos of the likes, and showing people they have many options to make a difference will create a wider effect.

[@lydiamarie488]

+Matt Meikle Help us share this with everyone you know :) Thanks for the support!

[@lydiamarie488]

+Matt Meikle Over 1000 :D

[@hollyp3065]

check again now you'll be happy :)

[@peacefulheart6077]

+Matt Meikle over 33,000 today. Better, but not enough, right? Share more?

[@shukran4631]

I'm not in college and I think it would be very hard to not use paper at high school and as someone who loves making art. also I try my best to use less plastic but my mum can't care less she always comes home with a bunch of groceries in plastic bags and usually they're put in another plastic bag too I can't even make her recycle things so watching these videos make me feel very bad since I can't really do much besides not using straws

[@PsyCreate]

It's also about what 'you' do. Becoming accountable of our own decisions would inspire others to change their mind-set

[@westkomer5570]

Yet we have to balance waste and jobs

[@15minoflame]

why on earth is the bike still broken?

[@davidhodgin8900]

nobody addressing the fact that he cute tho

[@davidhodgin8900]

napkin tho fr

[@augustine.c8204]

easy. I just won't leave the house. whoops, not so easy....... that bag of chips is in a bag.....