Minimalism, Zero Waste, and privilege
Iâm watching âMinimalism: A Documentary About the Important Thingsâ, and thereâs something kind of turning over in my mind that Iâve thought about before but not too much in depth, until now.
The people in this documentary are saying things that have incredible merit, no doubt. Minimalism and living with less is a valiant, important, and worthwhile thing to pursue. And I think that if you have the resources and the capability to do so, then you absolutely should. Itâs better for your psyche, better for the environment, go crazy, down size your life.
But.
Man, are the people in this documentary WHITE. Some of them have no doubt struggled with things that I feel close to home. But othersâ transitioning into a minimalist life style, by quitting their job, and buying a tiny house, and living on a farm, or having a 420sqft apartment, especially designed for your want to have optimal usage of your space, but not a lot of it? Thatâs not realistic. These are things that are reserved for a select few of individuals. Going zero waste isnât easy and the start up is expensive. And if you have children, are working a very demanding or extremely unfulfilling job, itâs going to be difficult to find the time to start. Donating or trashing all of your belongings and living with less is a great idea. But itâs not as easy like so many people talk about it being, for people living lower income America. These things are miles away from top priorities from anyone that is trying to put food in the table.
We need to acknowledge this.
If you look around on the internet, there are very few people with an abundance of responsibilities going zero waste, and there are even less people of color doing it. I LOVE the planet and I want to do anything I can to lessen my environmental impact. But as a collective, we need to see and understand why saying things like âit saves you money in the long run!â Is something people with privilege say. People who live these lives are not bad people, and I see, every day, how hard zero waste transitioning people are working to better themselves and the world around them. I believe in this, but we need to start acknowledging that this is a difficult thing to do.














