So Zero Waste Tour South Africa happened in May, and I am writing a blog post about it at the end of June!  Slight delay.

The tour was absolutely fantastic, and I wish it could have been longer, but it was new ground to us all.  Well, we were more than pleasantly surprised.  People were scrambling for tickets! Bea Johnson is such a wonderfully inspiring speaker, and she really got her message across about how we can all make a difference. You can find a little summary of the sponsors and media coverage here. I could not have even begun to pull this off without Rhian of EcoAtlas, Noleen of Food & Trees for Africa and Hayley of Two Oceans Aquarium/Rethink the Bag. It was so wonderful to work with all three of them, and can you believe that we achieved what we did, via whatsapp, email and the very occasional skype!  I have never even met these awesome people!

When I picked up Bea from Durban airport, it was like picking up a friend I had seen just the other day! We had such fun together and my time with her and listening to her talk really inspired me.  But I must say, what really impacted me the most was how she says we need to find our balance in the zero waste lifestyle.  That our habits must be sustainable and suit our family. Well that made me really think about how much time I want to be spending online. The zero waste lifestyle has given me more time, but I want to use this time wisely.  On my hands on hobbies, my friends and family etc.  So I decided to stop selling the zero waste products and also spend less time promoting the lifestyle online. I confess to being quite fickle in my decisions so let’s see if I stick to this one!

It has been so wonderful to receive messages from people with queries about the lifestyle and letting me know they were inspired by the talks. The Zero Waste to Landfill South Africa group now has over 1100 members and is continually growing.  It is such a useful space for people to share ideas and get inspiration.

I would also like to encourage people to update the Bulk Finder on the Zero Waste Home website. Keep your eyes peeled for places where you can buy unpackaged goods in your own containers. Spices, tea, coffee, condiments, oils, nuts, dried fruit, grains, shampoo, conditioner, soap etc. That way it will be easier for everyone to find places in their surrounding areas. Very often within larger stores there will be a bulk bin or counter tucked away that you have never noticed before. Or maybe there is a producer who will sell direct from their factory, farm or home. If you are unsure, feel free to email me the details and I can upload it for you.

Bea has shared her experiences of her Zero Waste South Africa tour with us over on her blog, have a read. There will also be a zero waste feature on Carte Blanche soon; once they have scheduled it I will announce the date.

Keep spreading the message and inspiring each other, we can all make a difference! #zerowastesouthafrica