Walking the Talk: Launching Zero Waste Days

Last September, our city took to the streets to demand action on climate change. We stood alongside our members to reaffirm our commitment to building a more just and sustainable world, making clear our local commitments to Climate Action.

As part of these commitments, we launched Zero Waste Days to double-down on sustainability in 2020. Our goal? To reduce our waste down to only compost, with monthly challenges every month to help us get there – from cutting down on printing, food packaging and more.

What have we done so far? 

January 2020 was all about equipping our community with the know-how to walk the talk:

• A slideshow in our space set the stage for learning, with tips, tricks and insights from Impact Hub Global’s Climate Commitments;
• Through a series of Zero Waste Tweakshops, members shared simple hacks for building zero waste into your day-to-day: from sourcing compostable cleaning products (*Ahem!*) to travelling more sustainably and trying out vermicomposting at home (or the office!); 

Move over, 3 Rs: The Zero Waste hierarchy calls on us to first refuse what we don’t need

• At two Brown bag Lunches, hosted by Nu Grocery and Hubber Laurence Pechadre, we dove into the theory and practice of Zero Waste Living and its benefits for your business, wellbeing, and wallet; 
• Partnerships with Nu Grocery and Box of Life helped Hubbers kick-start their Zero Waste journeys with giveaways and discounts on reusable dishware and composting systems; and
• A brand-new print tracking system was set up, helping us to better track our paper and ink use. Can you believe we printed more than 1500 pages in the first week of February? 

What’s next?

With a solid groundwork of knowledge now laid, we’re putting it into practice by instituting Zero Waste Day on the last Wednesday of every month, starting on Wednesday, February 26th, and by December 2020, we hope to have reduced our Wednesday Waste to only compost.

Until then, on the last Wednesday of every Month, we’ll consolidate all of our landfill, paper and plastic bins into one place to better track our waste, and set challenges each month to reduce the amount of waste we contribute to these bins. All the while, supporting you with more themed community events, tips and tricks to help you succeed.

We know that Zero Waste Days won’t be enough to stop climate change in its tracks. But there is no collective impact without individual action, and its with this in mind that we invite you to jump headlong into making our workspace a more sustainable one.

Are you in?