How did you come up with the idea of Zero Garbage Portugal?
At the beginning of 2016 I literally looked at my waste bin and thought: How is it possible for a person who is concerned about the environment to still produce so much waste?" I had a lot of undifferentiated garbage and plastic packaging. I thought to myself that recycling could not be enough, I had to do more! I started looking for information on the internet and discovered Bea Johnson's "Zero Waste Home" blog. I bought her book and started to implement all the tips in the various areas of my home and my life. As there was no talk about it in Portugal at the time, I decided to start talking about it on my blog and tried to create a Zero Waste community to bring together all the people who were trying to live the same way as me, that's how the facebook group with the same name was born. At the time I also contacted several stores to find out where I could start shopping in bulk. This information then gave rise to the site www.agranel.pt where it is possible to consult all the bulk stores in Portugal and also add new stores. (Photo: Tiago Martins)
What exactly is Lixo Zero Portugal?
It is the movement that intends to spread the lifestyle zero waste, based on 5 principles, inspired by Bea Johnson and that follow exactly this order: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and decompose (rot) that is to make composting. The aim is to reduce as much as possible the amount of waste we produce, especially that which ends up in landfill or is incinerated.
Ana lives 100% plastic-free? If so, since when?
No, because that would not be possible. Plastic is everywhere, in houses, cars, hospitals, etc. I don't think plastic is a target to be shot down. The problem is the way we use plastic. Due to consumerism and the low price of plastic, all plastic started to be used as if it was disposable. For convenience reasons we started to buy everything packed! It is this plastic that we must eliminate from our lives. I tried to eliminate all disposable plastic from my life and replaced it with reusable versions, such as bags, cutlery, plastic cups, among others. I still have to use some plastic like the packaging of contact lenses and liquid to hydrate the lenses. Everything I can replace with other alternatives, I replace. And I started doing all my food shopping in bulk stores, where I use my own cloth bags and glass jars. (Photo: José Coelho/Lusa)
Do you think that people are becoming more and more aware about life and plastic-free shopping?
I think so. The media have contributed a lot to this, due to all the news they publish about the impact of plastics. As more and more people are aware of this problem, more and more people are sharing tips on a more sustainable lifestyle on social media. In this way, it is possible to understand that it is quite simple to adopt more sustainable practices in our daily lives. We don't need to be radical. The most important thing is also to continue using what we already have, we do not need to buy new sustainable things just because we now want to have a more sustainable lifestyle. We must extend the useful life of all the things we already have, even if they are made of plastic. (Photo: José Coelho/Lusa)
He also created a blog called Ana Go Slowly. Can you tell us more about it?
I created the blog Ana, Go Slowly in 2012, one year after I started living a minimalist lifestyle. In 2011, I realized I wasn't happy, even though I had everything that was supposed to make me happy. I loved my home, my job, my friends and family, but I felt that the days were passing and that they were repeating themselves... I decided to start looking for information about organization, how to simplify my life... until I discovered an American blog about minimalism. I realized that the minimalists were much happier people, with fewer things and fewer worries. I realized I wanted the same for myself! I started with the clothes and the shoes, because I had lots of things too. I gave and sold a lot of things. I already had a lot of environmental concerns at the time, and I tried to give it to those who really needed it. I then moved on to other areas of my house and the rule was always the same: keep only what was essential, what I wore and really needed! Then I started to do the same for commitments and even for people who were in my life. I started to be with only those I really liked and to do what was really best for me. A year later I decided to create the blog precisely to share all the changes so good I was living. I decided to name it "Ana, Go Slowly" inspired by the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh's phrase "Smile, breathe and go slowly.", because I always liked to do everything running and needed to slow down, live slower and with more quality. It was also on this path that I discovered yoga and meditation.
What is your personal wish for the future on our planet?
I want all people to defend planet Earth as if it were their home because it really is! We just don't realize it yet. We live too focused on our lives and don't realize that we are part of the whole! We're all one and we're all part of planet Earth. If we understand this, I'm sure we'll all contribute to making the planet a better place.
We know that you teach yoga and meditation classes, do you use support materials in these classes?
I always use the blocks to sit. Sometimes we work with elastics too. Sometimes I like to take books with texts that I read during relaxation or at the end of the lesson as something that stays in the air for students to reflect on.
Do you share/ introduce the connection of yoga and sustainability/consciousness in your classes?
Yeah, every chance I get. I think the two are connected. When we start practicing yoga, we begin to be aware that we are part of something greater and in this sense we want to protect that whole of which we are part. (Photo: Ana Milhazes)
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