Welcome to the Sustain LA Zero Waste Blog
In 2006, I was managing a restaurant in Silver Lake when I realized that my values didn’t align with the restaurant’s operation. While I was a few years out from making the transition to a zero waste lifestyle, I had already decided not to patronize any establishments still using Styrofoam containers for take-out. And yet, there we were, using them in our own kitchen.
I went to the owner and suggested that we switch to a more sustainable material. Now, remember, this was 2006. We didn’t have the number of affordable alternatives to Styrofoam that currently exist. It took a lot of reasoning to convince my boss that we could make the switch to zero waste in a cost-effective way. Eventually, he was persuaded, and the change was met with enthusiasm by our staff, customers, and the broader community.
We didn’t stop with to-go packaging. We switched out our cleaning products, made our operations more water and energy efficient, and started recycling and even composting through the City of LA’s food scrap collection pilot program. The changes we made were so successful that the LA Times featured our efforts in an article about the city’s Green Business program, and I decided it was time to start doing this work on a much larger scale.
Sustain LA grew out of my desire to disrupt the concept of convenience and reduce single-use plastic and pollution. It’s my goal that this blog will function as an extension of that mission by providing regular, valuable information and tips on:
- Sustainability, recycling, food recovery, composting, and zero waste initiatives happening around Los Angeles
- Zero waste organizations and heroes that have been fighting the good fight to end plastic pollution
- How to live a zero waste lifestyle
- The zero waste products we use and love
- When and where to find Sustain LA refill stations
- How to host a zero waste event
Embracing the concept of zero waste means rethinking your priorities, debunking accepted “truths” around convenience, and returning to simpler solutions in order to make a big, collective impact through small, everyday changes.
Contact Us today to learn more about how to implement a zero waste strategy at your home or office.