The Queen of Green

Meera Jain, 35, an elementary school teacher.

NEIGHBOURHOOD: North York

ZERO-WASTER SINCE: March 2018

MONTHLY WASTE: Roughly half a grocery bag

Your inspiration to pursue a zero-waste lifestyle:

I’ve always been environmentally conscious. A couple of years ago, friends from Australia visited me, taught me all about zero waste and encouraged me to watch the A Plastic Ocean. After that, there was no turning back.

The hardest part of going zero waste: Inconvenience. Groceries, getting a coffee and clothing my two kids take a little more effort, but it’s all worth it.

Items that are banned from your home: We avoid disposable coffee cups, plastic produce bags and black plastic.

Items you own a lot of:

Reusable produce bags, glass jars and second-hand toys—please don’t ask me how many. Pretty much everything we buy for our children is gently used.

Items you always carry with you: Reusable bag, travel fork, travel mug.

Guilty pleasure you can’t give up:

Minty gum! No one wants their teacher to have coffee breath. I tried some biodegradable ones with limited success.

Sustainable habit you’re proudest of: Transitioning our family to a plantbased diet. I was raised vegetarian and have been vegan for almost a year. My husband and children are vegetarian.

Your most ingenious zero-waste life hack:

Homemade deodorant. I use coconut oil, baking soda, arrowroot starch and essential oils. I buy all the ingredients in bulk, and it actually works!

Where you buy groceries:

I buy perishables at a regular chain grocery store. For dried goods, I go to Bulk Barn and use my own containers. I store bread in a reusable and washable linen bag, and to keep it airtight I wrap that in a plastic bag I reuse. I cut up carrots and celery and put them in water in the fridge. I eventually use that water for my plants.

Where you buy toiletries:

I buy all my toiletries in bulk from Bare Market, Eco and Amour, and Green and

Frugal. They’re all stored in glass jars I bring with me. I also make my own toiletries from raw ingredients.

Where you buy clothes:

I buy second-hand clothes, almost exclusively. For the kids, we love Once Upon a Child and a cute consignment store called Extoggery. We also favour sustainable clothing companies when possible.

On a scale of one to Greta Thunberg, give yourself a sustainability score: Six and a half. We have made some great gains that I’m very proud of, but I’m very aware that we have a lot of work to do. Every day we strive to be a little better than the last.