Greetings! When I started going zero-waste in the District in 2016, I read about all of the amazing bulk options in San Francisco. I was frustrated and jealous of the bulk options available there, and worried it might be impossible for me in DC. But after a lot of research – and knowing there is no “zero” in low-waste living – I discovered that there was much more than met the eye to allow those of us living in DC to find our own way towards zero-waste. To live more sustainably, to live our values in something as ordinary as our everyday purchases and habits, to live healthier, and to reduce our footprint on this Earth both in terms of trash produced and resources consumed.

My idea and initiative for this website came from a simple wish to make it easier for others to go zero-waste in the District, hopefully helping to spare them the hours and hours of research and “field trips” I did to create a system that worked. And while the idea for the website may have been mine, I am indebted to the kind and generous support of many in DC, without whom this website would not be live today. I really couldn’t have done it without you, Cathy, Amy, Cele, and Howard. 

I post about my efforts to go zero-waste on Instagram at @lien_livinglightly. In late 2018 I left the District, and moved to Portland, Maine.