ReUSE 2020 Conference Recap
This July, some of my colleagues in the sustainability office and I participated in the ReUSE Minnesota Conference. Although the annual event is normally hosted on the University of Minnesota campus, this year’s was held on Zoom due to COVID-19. Because of this setting, many more (from 23 states and 3 Canadian provinces) were in attendance, with 212 registrations for the event compared to 118 in the previous year. During our afternoon session on the Psychology of Zero Waste, Christie Manning, Alyssa Erding, Charlee Gorham and I discussed our individual journeys and collective strive for justice in and by changing the human behaviors which continue to cause ongoing health and environment crises.
Christie started off by discussing the importance of distinguishing these consequences that are not “environmental problems” as well as to further make implications of the dangers of such framing. One danger is that us humans have differentiated ourselves from the rest of the environment and this phrasing supports the narrative. Despite not knowing exactly how every aspect of the ecosystem is attacked by these human failures, we know of the human health impacts. This includes (but is not limited to) respiratory and digestive problems and cardiovascular disease as a result of microplastic formation.
Alyssa focused on the importance of sustainable wellness and the impact that one’s mental, spiritual, moral, physical, and emotional strength can have on their surroundings in addition to their own wellbeing. Integral to reaching this wellbeing is pointing out what you can improve upon in your daily life and stimulating others in order to essentially improve collaboratively.
Charlee discussed their start in zero waste through the incentive of working as a zero waste coordinator. This opportunity led them to discover more of the flaws and limitations in the movement, such as the recycling denial mentioned in the Netflix series “Broken,” that most plastic recycling ends up in landfills. In addition to and as a result of this down-cycle abomination, the hazardous and deadly waste fumes produced by landfills are purposefully and disproportionately located in non-white populations.
And lastly, I shared moments where I noticed my hypocrisy during the past 5 years while living between two countries. Simply put, I celebrated having recycling (the same down-cycle abomination) available to me and paying more attention to my plastic and waste consumption while attending high school in Lake Forest, Illinois, and I never found it to be necessary to use my own reusable bag rather than accepting the black plastic when buying grilled corn off the side of the street in Lomé, Togo. When enough guilt kicked in, I pushed my family to only shop with reusable bags, and it was a change I was thrilled about. Seeing this smooth transition affirmed that if I had thought of doing something it was probably because I also could succeed in that endeavor, or at least attempt it.
When it comes to the balance between constants and adaptations with changes in the surrounding, I remind myself that the tree below is the same one through different seasons, simply adapting perfectly for its survival. And I want to embrace the coming seasons of change wherever I am and wherever I end up.
You can watch our session during the ReUSE Conference here
Christie started off by discussing the importance of distinguishing these consequences that are not “environmental problems” as well as to further make implications of the dangers of such framing. One danger is that us humans have differentiated ourselves from the rest of the environment and this phrasing supports the narrative. Despite not knowing exactly how every aspect of the ecosystem is attacked by these human failures, we know of the human health impacts. This includes (but is not limited to) respiratory and digestive problems and cardiovascular disease as a result of microplastic formation.
Alyssa focused on the importance of sustainable wellness and the impact that one’s mental, spiritual, moral, physical, and emotional strength can have on their surroundings in addition to their own wellbeing. Integral to reaching this wellbeing is pointing out what you can improve upon in your daily life and stimulating others in order to essentially improve collaboratively.
Charlee discussed their start in zero waste through the incentive of working as a zero waste coordinator. This opportunity led them to discover more of the flaws and limitations in the movement, such as the recycling denial mentioned in the Netflix series “Broken,” that most plastic recycling ends up in landfills. In addition to and as a result of this down-cycle abomination, the hazardous and deadly waste fumes produced by landfills are purposefully and disproportionately located in non-white populations.
And lastly, I shared moments where I noticed my hypocrisy during the past 5 years while living between two countries. Simply put, I celebrated having recycling (the same down-cycle abomination) available to me and paying more attention to my plastic and waste consumption while attending high school in Lake Forest, Illinois, and I never found it to be necessary to use my own reusable bag rather than accepting the black plastic when buying grilled corn off the side of the street in Lomé, Togo. When enough guilt kicked in, I pushed my family to only shop with reusable bags, and it was a change I was thrilled about. Seeing this smooth transition affirmed that if I had thought of doing something it was probably because I also could succeed in that endeavor, or at least attempt it.
When it comes to the balance between constants and adaptations with changes in the surrounding, I remind myself that the tree below is the same one through different seasons, simply adapting perfectly for its survival. And I want to embrace the coming seasons of change wherever I am and wherever I end up.
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| Tree in front of Old Main in late summer |
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| Tree in front of Old Main in fall |
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| Tree in front of Old Main in winter |
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| Tree in front of Old Main in late spring |
You can watch our session during the ReUSE Conference here
Written by Sustainability Office student worker Norah Ntagungira
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