When we think of zero-waste, most of us immediately think about environmental concerns. The first thoughts that come to mind are recycling and composting. I have done really well in this area. Because of my raw food diet and lifestyle, buying only fresh fruits and vegetables and bulk nuts and grains eliminates wasteful packaging materials, supports local farmers and minimizes my carbon footprint on the planet. I primarily buy local organic produce, which is really easy to do in this part of Florida. All of that makes excellent compost which I use in my garden.

Thankfully recycling is easy here as well. Although recycling is a great idea, it still uses quite a bit of energy.

There are many global issues to be concerned about: global warming, debt, inefficient and unbalanced use and sharing of resources for the basic necessities of life, food water and shelter.

I believe all of this really points to the fact that we have been too selfish and too wasteful for too long.

So, I've been thinking...

What if we could make our actions just so much more efficient, from the start; actually have a life where we are not generating waste at all?

What if we only put clean burning fuel, organic fruits and vegetables into our bodies?

Wouldn't we have so much more energy and vibrance available to us to use through out the day?

What if we applied a zero waste policy to other areas of our lives? Zero-waste of Time? Zero-waste of energy? Zero-waste of money?

We would be then cooperating with natural Law, The Law of Efficient Action. I can actually see my life as being so much more free and being so much more happy and healthy.

Where is a good place to start? Right where you are, with you. You can make your life so much simpler by adopting a vegetarian, vegan and ultimately a raw-food lifestyle. Fruits and vegetables are our natural diet. Our digestive systems are made to process vegetable matter, that's why the digestive tract is so long and that's why meat eaters have some of the disease issues that they do, Most meat-eaters are overweight and under-energized; just like well-fed lions.

We get are fuel from the Sun's energy. The closer we are to that fuel source the more energy we have. Plants get their energy directly from the sun and store it in their cells. When we consume the plant and we consume concentrated sunlight.

However, by eating that cow or pig or chicken. The suns energy has been diminished no less than 10 times, if there was any there at all. Factory farms do not feed their animals' fresh grass hay and grain. No energy there.

And what about all of those packaged processed foods that are also consumed. No energy there, either, it's all been refined and processed out.

And what about all the waste generated to bring what is loosely termed as food to the market; from transport to packaging?

Think about all of the trash generated at your house during the week and take a look at how you can make a conscious effort to start with you and your family to move as close to zero waste as possible. I know that when I look around my neighborhood, I am very disturbed by the amount of trash that gets put out on the curb twice a week; that's compared to my one little bag every couple of weeks. We also reuse and recycle office paper and do as much as we can electronically and digitally, including our shopping.

I combine all of my errands into one trip and do them one day a week. I use public transportation and ride my bike whenever I can.

Think of the how making a few conscious choices in that direction and a few shifts in thinking and action could positively affect the entire planet.

What about wasting money? The media certainly has gone to a lot of trouble to make us feel less than worthy if we don't have the best, the biggest, the most powerful...you fill in the blanks. Not only is it the big stuff that has gotten us into trouble with debt, it's the incidental things that most of us barely give any thought to, just because it has become a comfortable habit. Think about how much money you have spent (wasted ) on that daily cup of designer coffee? What about you smokers? Have you thought about what you could do with all the money if you would have saved it rather than spent it on cigarettes?

What would make you happier? A cup of coffee and a cigarette right now? Or would it be knowing that you could use that money to do something good or fun for yourself?

Not only that, think about all the time wasted when you are choosing a habit or behavior that weakens you and steals your time and energy.

If you sit down and think about where all the time and money went on any one day, you would most likely feel a bit disappointed with yourself. I know I do.

Please participate in this thread and share your ideas for zero-waste policies that you have successfully incorporated into your lives and routines. I would ultimately like to compile a zero-waste "how-to" e-book to share so that we all can begin to act efficiently; making us all conscious stewards in our lives, communities and our planet.

For more food for thought got to: http://thestoryofstuff.com