When you hear the words “zero waste” you probably think of a reusable water bottle and shopping at a bulk store. Yes, it’s that, but it’s also so much MORE! Today’s post is dedicated to the skills I have learned over the last 7 years that have helped me reduce waste.

I write this because zero waste has so many hidden benefits from saving money to being more connected to the earth to having less clutter in your home to building community and learning new skills. This is what we mean when we say that zero waste is a lifestyle. It has truly impacted every aspect of my life!

If you’re wanting to learn some of these skills, I will shoutout the resources and creators below who guided me along the way. But, you can also check out Skillshare (man, I wish this was sponsored). This site is home to all things learning new skills to include all of the ones we will talk about today!

Without further ado, let’s get to it!

Making foods

I’ve tried my hand at making SO many foods from scratch in order to reduce single-use packaging. Some of them I still do to this day and others are things of the past. Regardless, I have picked up so many skills and have the know how to make so many foods should the need to make them again arise. These include peanut butter, mayonnaise, plant milk, butter, plant butter, quick breads, rolls, tortillas, granola, cakes, other desserts, hummus, and so much more.

Why did I give some of them up? Well, moving into the RV really put a damper on making a lot of stuff homemade due to lack of storage space, lack of room for extra appliances, and a tiny oven than burned almost everything. As I have moved back into an apartment and will soon re-acquire my blender, I do plan on making hummus at home again (honestly to save money) and plenty of homemade breads.

Sourdough

Sourdough deserves its own category despite it also being a food. Quick breads are one skill and sourdough is a whole other beast. It can be intimidating to start but once you learn what works for you, it’s so easy! I don’t know two sourdough bakers who bake exactly the same. I learned skills here from my friends Maria and Immy, took what worked for me, and adapted it to fit my needs and wants. I make very lazy sourdough with no equipment. You can learn more about my process here.

So, I have learned to feed and maintain a starter, make dough, bake the bread, AND work with the discard to prevent food waste. It is a whole hobby and can kind of take over your life in the best way. Homemade bread is just so tasty, extremely low waste, and saves so much money.

Fermenting

Like sourdough, this deserves its own category. Yes, sourdough is fermented, too, but I find it far less work than other ferments. In an effort to save money and waste I started making my own kombucha in 2020. Since then, I have also learned how to make a ginger bug and ginger ale. They are all so much fun, so cheap, and so easy to do. They are a bit time consuming but so worth it for tasty, homemade drinks. Fermenting truly is a skill that can be implemented anywhere in the kitchen. I like it as a way to also prevent food waste but I haven’t experimented much with fermented foods.

But speaking of…

Food preservation

I have learned how to preserve my own food to avoid food waste! I tried canning back in Okinawa with little success. I think my rubber seals were bad. I would love to try canning again in the future. In Vegas, though I did a lot of dehydrating. I did this mostly to reduce waste for our backpacking meals, but I also dehydrated plenty of food that was about to go bad to use later. In the RV, our only method for preservation was freezing, but that works just fine. It’s usually the easiest and cheapest and works extremely well and low waste with Stasher Bags.

When food is right about at it’s best point but I’m not going to eat it soon, I cut it, freeze it, and store it in a reusable bag. Now it’s ready to use at any point in the future, frozen at peak freshness. It stays out of the landfill and I didn’t throw that money away.

Mending

Now, I am no where even close to being an expert mender/sewer, but hey, I learned HOW to mend and that’s what counts! Before going zero waste, I could do a basic stitch to close a hole and add a button back on to a garment. Now, I know how to darn, how to use a sewing machine (that I got secondhand), and even do small embroidery to do visible mending.

Practice makes perfect! The more I darn, the better my socks look. The more I embroider, the better my little blemish covers look. For me, it’s about having fun and making my garments last a bit longer instead of throwing them away. I am continuously learning and adapting.

If you want your garments to look like new, I suggest a YouTube tutorial if you’d like to try it yourself or take it to a seamstress/tailor to see if they can do a more professional looking mend than you can. That version is not free but it’s still zero waste!

But, at the very least, learning how to close small holes and add buttons back on is very easy and I always see sewing supplies at thriftstores.

Researching

While I did start my zero waste journey while I was in school where I also learned how to research, I have done so much researching making content. Much of my content is educational. I have learned how to find credible sources, how to use Google scholar, and how to formulate my own conclusions based on data.

Again, I am by no means an expert here and am always learning, but this is a great skill to have! I am always questioning what I see online and fact-checking. I would say that’s a separate bonus skill!

Use Ecosia to plant trees while you search ;)

Social Media management

Not everyone is going to learn this skill but I sure did when I started to make content online! From being able to read analytics and follow trend and predict trends, there is a lot of skill that goes into making content online that is entertaining, valuable, and high quality. I have learned photography, videography, video editing, color grading, and more when it comes specifically to YouTube videos. I have also designed my own website, written an E-book (get your copy here), and learned the basics of graphic design, too. Many of these skills will be valuable in other fields and I often used them for my previous job in the Air Force and will likely have to use some of them when I start school this month.

Composting

Yes, composting is a skill! It’s not that hard once you get into it, but depending on your climate, you can’t just set it and forget it. My mom’s compost pile in Ohio is very lucky. It has perfect weather and soil and animals to help it break down. But, when I composted in Las Vegas, it took time to learn how to do it in such a dry climate. From making sure to add enough greens to watering the bin to rotating it often, it was a learning game for sure! Plus, this skill is one of the best things I think we can do for the planet as individuals. If you want to start composting, I highly encourage you to watch this video to see which option is best for you.

Dyeing

I dyed for the first time (lol) in spring 2024. Our white comforter was getting dingey in the RV so I dyed it dark green…or attempted to. There was so much trial and error with this giant garment that I learned a lot. I learned first and foremost that dyeing smaller items is so much easier. I also learned how to properly use fixatives, water temperatures, times, and more. It was a fun experiment and I’m excited to dye more items this year now that we have a proper bathtub to do it in.

New crocheting methods

I can’t say I learned to crochet to be zero waste but many things I have crocheted since becoming zero waste I learned in order to prevent waste. I learned how to crochet market bags to use at the store which was my first crochet project that wasn’t just a rectangle or a circle. My first circle project was a handmade rug I made out of old t-shirts so I also learned how to make my own upcycled yarn. I have also made a bag saver, pot holders, and wash rags.

There you have it! Some skills I have learned and use regularly to live a zero waste life. What has living zero waste taught you?

Maybe in the next post in this “zero waste in more than a reusable water bottle” series I can talk about life lessons I learned from living an eco life. What do you think?

As always, remember that you small actions make a big difference in the long run :)

Emma

Skills I Learned Thanks to Living a Zero Waste Life