I'm glad to say I finally feel like I'm in a good place to reassess my sustainability.

Post-pandemic survival mode, and after moving to a place where zero waste stores are not really a thing, I've decided to hop back on the "aiming for less waste" train.

I've always been mindful of my choices, but have certainly been a little too lenient at times.

I'm not sure I want to start a whole audit of my lifestyle, so I'm just going to start somewhere and start small.

Groceries are a good place to start, especially now that the farmers' market season is upon us.

Grocery Store

I walk to my local grocery store and feel like I fell into a routine. I need to pay more attention to what's offered in bulk or package-free.

By the way, I have a whole article dedicated to shopping in bulk.

Farm Stand / CSA Baskets

A local farm has the cutest farm stand, open May through October and I'm so excited to head there, I may or may not have seen that they already have STRAWBERRIES!

Farmers' Market

I can't wait for the first day of the market. It was my lifeline during the pandemic and is the place where I made my first friends in town! I can't wait to see what new food vendors have signed up for this season!

More local resources

Walking around town, I saw that somewhere was selling farm fresh eggs. I'm gonna make a note of other local opportunities to shop local, organic, and package-free.

Foraging

I saw on the Falling Fruit map that it was possible to harvest apples from a public tree.

Last year, our dear neighbor allowed us to harvest from his apple trees and we pressed some delicious apple juice together with my parents when they came to visit!

Bartering

This is the perfect segue to this other category. I'm really into the idea of money-less exchanges. I remember attending my first food swap, what a great sharing experience! Now I simply need to think about what I could offer...

Food-Saving Apps

• Too Good To Go

I was recently reminded of this app and thought I'd include it on this list. While the food you'll get won't be package-free, it will be diverted from the compost pile, or worse, the landfill! Log onto the Too Good To Go app and get access to surplus food or meals for a fraction of the price!

• Olio

Olio is an app that lets you pass on what you no longer need to people who live nearby. 

An alternative would be your local Buy Nothing group, Facebook sharing group, or Nextdoor app.

Composting

I cannot end this article without mentioning a key step in the food cycle: where it all ends.

I'm lucky to have access to an outdoor space and to have been gifted a tumbler composter through my local Buy Nothing group.

If you don't, maybe you could give bokashi or vermicomposting a try, or find a neighbor who would be willing to share their compost bin with you via ShareWaste.

Ready to kickstart your journey to less waste?

Check out my Zero Waste Lifestyle articles, my Zero Waste City Guides, and my Zero Waste Shopping Kit!