Next steps

For the past couple weeks, I have been sketching different design ideas based on my experiences during the 30 day exploration. To help generate further ideas, I plan to go back through my own blogs as well as others doing similar things and start listing out some of the themes. I want to capture specific foods, tools, and systems mentioned as well as the emotions connected to them. I hope this will help me expand my thinking into new areas.

Wrap-up and reflection

Well, my 30 days are up and it's time to consider what I have learned and what choices I will make going forward. I have to say that this process has made me more aware of what a huge amount of food we are throwing away as a society. Prior to this exploration, I was focused more on the waste associated with food, such as packaging. I have also realized how difficult it is to avoid some sort of waste, even with fresh local food - like the bags and wrapping from our CSA. Also, some waste decisions are out of your control, like when a restaurant places a paper napkin at your place setting that they will throw away even if you don't use it.

I took up composting, but it hasn't seemed like I've done much but created a pile of leaves and food. I don't think anything has really started to break down yet. Hopefully once the weather gets warmer I will start to see a transformation. As a renter with no garden, I also feel like I would better off if I could donate my scraps to a community garden. In the future, I can see myself really getting the benefits of it though.

I also plan to drastically reduce and hopefully eliminate the use of paper towels, plastic wrap, and aluminum foil. I will continue to bring my lunch in my own containers and try to grab lunch on the go less often. But I do know that I will be back to some of my old favorites, like Chipotle. And I have to be honest and say that I am not likely to bring my own containers to the deli/butcher counters anymore. It's just too awkward. 

Overall, this has been a interesting experience that has opened up new avenues for me to explore as a designer - though one thing I am happy to give up is blogging about it!

 

Tea time

I couldn't resist having some hot tea at the morning breakfast buffet in the hotel. There's something about free food that seems to override concerns about waste. 

Actually, most of the food in the conference was buffet style with regular plates, cups, and napkins. Although I can't know for sure, it seems like they managed the amount of food pretty well so that were not too many leftovers.

Gelato!

Got to see a bit of Vancouver today and stopped into a chocolate shop for gelato. I ended up taking a few samples and throwing away the little spoons they gave me. When we ordered the gelato, I looked closer at the spoons and saw they were recyclable. The symbol was so tiny it was quite hard to miss, especially on the semi-transparent plastic. But I am taking them home for proper recycling.

The gelato container itself had a sadder fate. Now normally, I get my ice cream in cones so as to have a consumable container, but this gelato was for sharing. A bowl just made more sense from that standpoint. 

Apple core

Sadly, this apple core will not make it back to my compost in Atlanta. 3 day old fruit probably doesn't do well in a suitcase - not to mention possible customs issues.

Sushi

Tonight my friend and I went out for sushi in Vancouver. Wooden chopsticks and a napkin into the trash. 

Green touches

I got into the Four Seasons Vancouver and decided to relax in the hot tub. They had pitchers of water infused with things like lemongrass and cucumber and lemon/ginger. They also had what looked initially to be disposable cups. Upon closer inspection however, I noticed that they were in fact compostable. So I picked one up, and I will plan to bring it back home with me.