Ep 11: Trash is for Tossers with Lauren Singer
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Trash is for Tossers with Lauren Singer
Episode 11: Show Notes.
Our guest today, Lauren Singer has an amazing story to tell, growing three separate projects and businesses out of her desire for discomfort and the need for a better world! Lauren is the brains behind Trash is for Tossers, Simply Co., and Package Free, three different prongs of the same idea; to reduce human waste and to build a healthier environment and brighter future.
Lauren shares very honestly about her own journey and really digs deep on what it means to properly stand for a cause. She makes it her mission to get away from the hypocrisy of activism without a foundation of aligned action, and rather than preaching about it, uses her critical eye to keep improving her own practices and those of her business. Lauren believes that a sustainable future is a human right, a vision she has been molding and refining since her early years playing alone in the forest!
We chat about her younger years, what it was like moving around a lot, and the different phases she went through during her time at school. We cover her college years and the way she fell in love with environmental science and how that soon aligned with the activist spirit she always seemed to possess. These formative years culminated with her founding the zero waste project, Trash is for Tossers and then subsequently, her business Simply Co., through which she sells items she was already making for herself.
The success of these initiatives was a surprise to Lauren and she has not lost sight of her original goal of a world with truly sustainable and good products. For an insightful, honest, and inspiring chat with a great guest, make sure to join us today!
Key Points From This Episode:
Lauren's favorite childhood activities; playing alone outside in the woods.
Moving around a lot from a young age and the adaptability this instilled in Lauren.
Lauren's life at school and how her abilities grew into more practical applications.
The activist spirit in Lauren; early memories of the feelings that inspired it.
Experiences of depression and the connection between these feelings and the practice of painting.
Lauren's early fundraisers and how she managed to fund her adventures and activism.
Mixed feelings over college and the benefits that Lauren did accrue through these years.
Falling in love with environmental science class and the group of people Lauren connected with.
The first practices that Lauren changed as she became involved in grassroots activism.
Identifying oneself as part of the problem — tackling the hypocrisy in environmentalism.
The roots of Trash is for Tossers and how Lauren implemented the idea of zero waste in her life.
How Lauren met her mentor, Bea, and how this shaped her work.
Starting Trash is for Tossers as a blog in 2012 and growing it from that small seed.
The founding of Simply Co. and how Lauren started to sell the products she was making for herself.
Lauren's mental health at this point — therapy, Abraham Hicks, and more control.
The idea behind Lauren's mason jar; carrying around all of her waste all the time!
Lauren's advice to anyone wanting to pursue their dream of helping, in this strange time.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: