idea by @nemesyaaa

Have veggies like tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, etc where the skin has started to wrinkle but no mold has begun to form? For example....

Try roasting them! They can then be eaten in a variety of ways (on toast with hummus or smear of choice, put in a blender with other ingredients of choice and make a delicious soup, or it can even be frozen for later use to add some extra flavor).

Have some bread that got dry and stale but hasn't begun to grow mold yet?

Use it to make budget-friendly breadcrumbs, soak it in custard for bread pudding or strata or make the absolute best French toast. Whatever you decide, you'll be glad you didn't toss those crusty slices.

Your bananas have started to brown and bruise (but again mold-free)?

Congrats on having the primary ingredient for some delicious baked banana goods: banana bread (very versatile if you switch out different additions like chocolate chips, walnuts, pumpkin puree, nutella, etc), banana bread waffles, banana bread French toast, banana nut muffins, etc.

Have some random partial bags of cereal that probably won't get eaten even though they're still in date? Ice cream or yogurt toppings. Same goes for any random sweet treat you have a handful left of: Graham crackers, cookies, chocolate candies, etc.

Also, if your potatoes start growing little nubs......

And you have even so much as a balcony that you can keep a potted plant on then you can grow your own endless supply of potatoes....

Here's a article that may be helpful to get started...

I grew up in a house where we didn't have much so we were harshly scolded for any perceived waste but I've been working hard to shift my mindset out of that negative view into a more positive and creative approach. The first time I roasted my wrinkly peppers instead of tossing them and used them to make a delicious soup it really made me appreciate the progress I've made.

This is the version of zero waste that I think is more realistic and achievable for the majority of people instead of that overpriced nonsense people pushed.

There are so many tips and tricks like this out there that I wish came to mind when people hear the phrase "zero waste" instead of the version that benefits capitalism with greenwashing.

Also the phrase "zero waste" is offputting as it can be intimidating to people that are just starting off who don't feel like they can really belong to the community because they aren't able to buy all the sustainable and eco-friendly products that are ridiculously marked up to appeal to white middle-class people who want to appear morally superior to the lower class who can't afford the privilege of just buying a sense of morality.

However because the term zero waste is tainted by such people, I'm suggesting this version of sustainability that is more attainable be called "resource-efficient", "waste reducing", or "sustainable consumption". Whichever you prefer.

I think it will help people shift out of that guilt and shame that has been taught to us by the more uppity members of the sustainability community.

This is one of nature’s most anatomically perverse of all beasts. A FISH, like a carp or a bass or a beta is a fish, but it bent its body straight up only to bend its head permanently back down. It stretched its skull into a pipe. It tapered its tail like a lizard, specifically like a chameleon. It can also move its eyes independently by the way, you know, like a chameleon. Fun fact, it can change color to express its mood, like you know whatever does that. It doesn’t properly swim anymore. It buzzes its few remaining fins like an insect’s wings to float itself around at a snail’s pace. It lives its whole life clinging to coral branches or seaweed, which means it decided to become a “tree dweller” in an environment where gravity didn’t even matter anyway. The males get pregnant. They make noises at each other by rubbing some of their neck bones together. Every day, EVERY DAY a mated pair does a little dance and a little neck bone song so they remember which two seahorses they were. They’re a beautiful precious obscenity. Nothing so adorable ever made such a strong case against a logical creator.

They have as little skin and meat as they could get away with. Their skeleton is almost all they are.

Lions have a 20-30% success rate on their hunts, depending on daytime and if they’re in a group. Great white sharks, anywhere from 40% to 80%, depending on the size and skill of the individual. Dragonflies, which are one of the most successful terrestrial hunters, can hit about 80-85%. Seahorses? 90% success rate, sometimes more. Only a fraction of their prey escapes that powerful vacuum. They’re incredibly precise. 

If you touch them, they feel hard, because of the skeleton underneath their skin. Their tails are being studied to make coiling bridges, because of how strong that interlocked structure is. Different species range in size from over a foot long, to barely an inch. 

and the newest seahorse family member, discovered in 2015, the ruby sea dragon ❤️

"Sit down."

"It's fine, I can-"

"Sit." The hero met their eyes. "What sort of mentor would I be without giving you the appropriate post-battle aftercare?"

"You don't have to phrase it like that," the sidekick mumbled. They did sit, though.

"What?" The hero grinned, opening up the first aid kit. "Aftercare?"

The sidekick looked down, horribly aware of the heat radiating off their face.

The hero laughed quietly; warm and fond.

"The injuries aren't that bad," the sidekick said. "I'm just tired." So very, very tired. Their limbs felt like melted marshmallows; pitiful goop.

"Mm, no wonder. You were very impressive out there."

"Just doing my job." They shivered as the hero began to make quick work tending to their minor wounds, touch warm and strong and confident. They tried not to lilt into it. They blamed the exhaustion in the fact that they did.

"And now I'm just doing mine, hotshot."

The hero pressed closer, shifting so that they could take the sidekick's weight. They stroked their fingers, entirely unnecessarily, entirely lovely, through the sidekick's hair.

The sidekick's eyes fluttered closed. A small, embarrassingly needy sound left them. "S-sorry."

"Don't be. You're sweet."

"I'm useless like this."

"I think it's adorable." The hero placed the last plaster over a cut on the sidekick's temple. "You never let me look after you normally. I like it."

"Well, I'm supposed to be supporting you...."

The hero pressed a kiss to the sidekick's temple.

The sidekick's eyes, for all of their tiredness, snapped open. They glanced up at the hero.

The hero smiled again. "Kissing it better. Did it help?"

The blush returned full force. "You're ridiculous."

"I could kiss the rest of them too. Just one might be a fluke. It's not scientific."

"So stupid." The sidekick covered their burning face with their hands.

"So cute."

"Don't tease me." It was another mumble; torn between the delicious squirming feeling that the teasing left in them and the sheer horror of it, that the hero might be mocking them.

They didn't think the hero was mocking them, though. They weren't the sort. Did they flirt with possibly everything? Yes. Were they unkind? No. But that didn't make it real. That didn't make the desperate rise of hope in the hero's chest any easier to bear.

"You are cute." The hero did a last check over the scrapes and scratches, before moving. They pulled the sidekick up into their arms, cradling them like they weighed nothing. "My cute little absolute devastation of a powerhouse."

"It was nothing." The sidekick clutched hold, stomach swooping.

"You saved my life."

"You save them. I save you. It's nothing."

"Hey." Some of the flirting dropped. The hero waited for the sidekick to meet their eyes. "It's not nothing. Thank you."

The sidekick swallowed, but managed a nod.

The hero carried them through to the spare bedroom, and for all of the sidekick's flittering nerves, they were half-asleep by the time they arrived. Sapped of strength and energy. It made it easy to go along with the hero for once, to let them tuck the sidekick beneath the sheets.

The world felt lulled.

The hero caressed their cheek, taking another moment to study them, gaze intent.

The sidekick slid theirs away, breath catching.

"I'm not teasing you," the hero said, softly. "I'm quite genuine in everything I've said or done. I wouldn't tease you. Not like that anyway."

"Oh."

"Get some rest, hotshot. Good job today. I'll be in the other room if you need anything."

The sidekick wanted to stay awake. They wanted to tug at the string of the hero's earnestness, whatever the hell it all meant. Their eyes were already closing again, the room tunnelled at the corners.

Their last act was to reach out, woozy and weak, and take the hero's hand. It felt like the bravest thing they'd ever done. Far bolder than that day's fight.

The hero stopped. They mattress dipped with their weight.

"Okay," they said, stroking their thumb over the sidekick's knuckles. "I'll be here."

There’s often this idea that the Jedi want to wipe out the dark side entirely, that they believe only the light side should exist, but what they actually say and do is that they want to destroy the Sith.  And the Sith are not synonymous with the dark side and the Jedi have never said so–have said explicitly otherwise even! In this post and this post and this post I detail it more extensively, but the point is:  The Jedi and George Lucas himself say that the dark side is present within everyone and that the point isn’t to deny that it’s there, but to face it and overcome it.  Overcoming the dark side within all of us is what the Jedi believe, what they teach to their children, what they design their tests around, what word of god explains is exactly how the Force works.  They choose the light, which straight up means there’s both inherently in every single being, their ancient texts literally say, “The Jedi choose the light for all that it reveals.” (Poe Dameron comic.) In addition, I’ve often seen this quote going around from a documentary about A New Hope:  “Which brings us up to the films 4, 5, and 6, in which Anakin’s offspring redeem him and allow him to fulfill the prophecy where he brings balance to the Force by doing away with the Sith and getting rid of evil in the universe.“  Ie, the Sith are evil, they needed to go. The Jedi don’t believe the dark side should or even can be wiped out, because that’s not how the Force works, they wouldn’t literally teach their kids that it’s a lifelong struggle to overcome it if that was the case.

                 (Master and Apprentice | by Claudia Gray) Further, George Lucas says this about the dark side: “Only way to overcome the dark side is through discipline. The dark side is pleasure, biological and temporary and easy to achieve. The light side is joy, everlasting and difficult to achieve. A great challenge. Must overcome laziness, give up quick pleasures, and overcome fear which leads to hate.” Both in-universe and out-of-universe, the way the Force works (in relation to the dark side and the light side) is that it’s about how you approach it, the light is compassion and selflessness, the dark is greed, cruelty, and selfishness.  We all have both of it in us, it’s what we discipline and guard ourselves against. Because–and this is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT themes about Star Wars–the world is about choice and it works better if you’re on the good side.

-quote i still remember about a year later