Hello everyone, it is Pille here. Before starting this ESC project “The World We Have”, I had heard about the zero-waste lifestyle and stores but I didn’t fully understand how they work exactly and didn’t make the connection of their impact on our environment. Before I start with my main thoughts I think it is better to explain what these zero waste concepts really are. Zero waste is a movement to reduce the amount one consumes and consequently throws away. People living a zero-waste lifestyle strive to use as little single-use plastic as possible, instead opting for sustainable and reusable alternatives. Adopting a zero waste lifestyle is one of the most sustainable ways of living. It influences all environmental areas by preventing resource extraction, reducing the amount of materials sent to the landfill or incinerator, and reducing pollution from producing, transporting, or disposing of materials. A zero waste shop enables customers to eliminate packaging and encourages the use of containers from home to fill and refill with bulk wholefood, natural beauty and cleaning products. Ever since I arrived in Lecce, I have seen so much waste everywhere, especially in the countryside, highway roadsides and beaches. We have organized a few beach clean ups with VulcanicaMente and EduVita, but it is not enough. Everytime I see the amount of trash, plastic in nature or unnecessary packaging in the stores it makes me sad. There are so many beautiful reusable bags out there and it is really easy to make one (see our videos of how to make a reusable bag out of an old T-shirt here), but still I see how many plastic bags people use in the stores. I know that some of them are biodegradable, but even they need certain conditions to decompose. A high percentage of biodegradable plastic ends up in landfills, where nothing biodegrades. After all this sadness and negativity, big was my surprise when I saw that Lidl Italy sells solid beauty products. It was a part of a promotion, so they sold them for a short time, but it was a very positive thing. I really hope they will become a permanent staple of their inventory. The second positive surprise were the local bio stores in Lecce, who sell zero waste cleaning products and food. But the biggest was when a zero-waste store, “NoPla” was opened in Lecce. To get more insight about the zero-waste world in Lecce I decided to have an interview with Alessio Giaccari, the founder of “NoPla.” How did you get this idea to start with a Zero-Waste store here in Lecce? When I was studying in Rome, I saw a sustainability market like this and thought that my city, Lecce, should have one too. I thought it is a good idea to open a zero-waste store here. My store is different, better from other zero-waste store franchises because of the local products. My market has only local products from local producers. I hope the citizens of Lecce will embrace this store. What do you think about the current waste situation in Lecce? It is a huge problem here, our sea is full of plastic. When I go to the beach in summer, I am really sad, disappointed. I think that people have to change their mentality, they have to learn to pay attention to packaging when they shop for food. Where do you see this store or its impact in 5 years? Do you have any dreams regarding this? My dream is to open franchising stores in Bari, Brindisi, Taranto.. Zero-waste stores are the winning idea. What are the benefits of Zero-waste stores? No packaging, saves the environment, that’s the big one! The food is also better than in the supermarkets, because it’s organic, all my products come from local producers. Have you been living according to this principle yourself? Yes, absolutely! I am a great supporter of the plastic free movement. My sensibility brought me to open this sustainability store where we sell many products without packaging. My friend and I asked for financing from the Region of Puglia and we won money to open this store. Who or what are the biggest enemies to our planet/environment? Plastic, people.. People have to change their mentality. Our world is at a critical moment, climate change is getting worse. We have to pay attention to our and our children's future. How could we solve this problem? Less packaging, recycling. We have to clean the trash from the streets, beaches and nature. A commitment from every person is important to the world. Who inspires you in this path? Netflix documentaries, Greta Thunberg, when I saw her impact with her strikes. I thought I have to change something in my vision, so I thought opening this market would be a good idea. Maybe this store can have an impact even in a small city, and that makes me smile. Thank you very much Alessio for taking time to answer my questions and for all of your effort trying to fight pollution and climate change! For more information you can look at this informative documentary that highlights the sad truth about our plastic consumption: “The Story of Plastic”. I had the opportunity to see this movie thanks to Precious Plastic Salento. Very often people think that it is just me, it won’t make any difference in the big picture. In truth every action is important. If one person starts with something then other people might follow. Let’s try to live more sustainably, and also support local enterprises and products! But please remember you don’t need to be fully perfect and zero-waste to make a difference to our planet! Have you heard about zero-waste stores or this documentary before? ~Pille
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