TED | 为什么我要过零浪费生活 | 自由微信

TED | 为什么我要过零浪费生活

蔡雷英语 2020-11-17

本期题目：为什么我要过零浪费生活

TED是Technology, Entertainment, Design(科技、娱乐、设计)的缩写，这个会议的宗旨是"用思想的力量来改变世界"。TED演讲的特点是毫无繁杂冗长的专业讲座，观点响亮，开门见山，种类繁多，看法新颖。

感觉自己是一个行走的垃圾制造厂？被家里堆积成山的垃圾弄到抓狂？想为地球的环保事业做一点力所能及的贡献？美国纽约大学毕业生、环保企业家劳伦·辛格（Lauren Singer）大学期间主修环境科学，在过去2年中，辛格未产生任何垃圾，真正打造出“零垃圾”生活。而今天，她也将在TED的舞台上，给我们讲述一种新的“可持续的”生活方式。

点击下划线标题，观看更多TED视频↓↓↓

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Transcript（精选）

This is all of the trash that I've produced in the past 3 years.

这是过去三年我制造的所有垃圾。

When I say that, people think that I'm crazy, or that I'm lying, or they'll ask me questions like:

每当我这么说时，人们总是觉得我疯了，或认为我在说谎，或是他们会问我些问题，像是：

"Hey. So, how do you wipe your butt?"

「嘿，所以妳是怎么擦屁股的？」

I live a zero waste lifestyle, and I have for the past 3 years. Now, zero waste, that's a pretty big idea. Right?

我过着零废弃生活，而且已经持续了三年之久。零废弃，这听起来很笼统。

So let me define it for you. To me living zero waste means that I don't make any trash.

让我来解释给你听。对我而言，零废弃代表我不制造任何垃圾。

So no sending anything to landfill, no sending anything in a garbage can, and no spitting gum on the ground, and walking away. Right? No trash.

不送任何东西到掩埋场、不丢东西进垃圾桶、不随地乱吐口香糖。不制造垃圾。

This is a big concept, and this all started when I was an environmental study student at NYU.

这是一个很革命性的想法，一切都要从我还在纽约大学就读环境科学时说起。

My senior year, I was taking a course called: "The Environmental Studies Capstone course",

我大四时，我修了一堂课叫做：「环境科学总整课程」

which is the culminating course that all environmental study students need to take in order to go out into the world, and make it a more sustainable place.

这是一堂毕业必修课，所有环境科学学生都要参加以习得实务能力，并让这世界更具永续性。

Well, there was a girl in this class, and every class she would have this big plastic bag, with a plastic clamshell full of food, a plastic fork and knife, a plastic water bottle,

可是呢，在我班上有个女生她每堂课都会带着一个大塑料袋，里面有装满食物的塑料盒、塑料刀叉、塑料水瓶

and a plastic bag a chips, and she would eat all of this, and then class after class, would just throw it in the trash.

及一包塑料袋装的洋芋片。她会将食物全吃光，然后每次上完课，剩下的垃圾就被她丢进垃圾桶里。

This was really frustrating, because here we were these environmental study students trying to make the world a better place, and there she was, throwing all this stuff into the garbage.

这极令人挫折，因为我们是一群环境科学学生，为了让世界变得更好而努力，然而她却毫不在乎地制造大量垃圾。

One day after class, feeling still particularly upset about watching her throw everything away, I went home to make dinner, and I opened my fridge, and noticed something that I had never seen before.

有一天放学后，我带着不能认同她制造大量垃圾的烦躁心情，回家准备做晚餐，当我打开冰箱，我发现到一些我从没注意到的事情。

Every single thing in my fridge was in one way or another packaged in plastic, and I couldn't believe it.

在我冰箱里的每一个东西都是塑料包装，我简直不敢相信。

You know I was getting so mad at this girl for making so much plastic trash, and it turns out that I was just as bad.

我对那个女生制造那么多塑料垃圾感到气愤，但到头来却发现我和她一样糟糕。

I was that girl, and so I made a decision in that moment. I was going to stop using plastic. Well, quitting plastic --

我就跟那个女生一样。因此，当下我做了个决定。我要拒用塑料制品。嗯……拒用塑料制品……

not so easy of a thing. Right? When you think about your everyday life, when you wake up in the morning, go into the bathroom, and you brush your teeth.

这并不简单，对吧？你仔细想想你每天的生活，当你早上醒来，进去浴室，刷牙──

What is your toothbrush made out of? Plastic. LS: Plastic. What is your toothpaste probably packaged in? Plastic.

你的牙刷是用什么做的？塑料。塑料。你的牙膏是用什么包装的？塑料。

LS: Your face wash, your moisturizer, your contact solution.

你的洗面奶、乳液、隐形眼镜药水……

So many things that are in our everyday lives come packaged in plastic, and so I realized that if I was going to move away from plastic, the only way that I was going to do that was to learn how to make my products myself.

太多我们生活中会用到的东西是塑料包装，所以我认知到，如果我要过个远离塑料的生活，只有一个办法可行──我必须学会如何自制产品。

Well, I don't know about you, but I certainly didn't know how to make deodorant.

我不知道你会不会，但我那时还真不知道怎么做出除臭剂。

I didn't have the recipe just hanging out in my back pocket, and so I realized that I had to do some research,

我根本不知道配方，所以我发现我需要做点研究。

and while I was doing research online, I came across a blog called the "Zero Waste Home" started by a woman named Bea Johnson who is a wife, and mother of 2 kids, out in Mill Valley, California, and the 4 of them live a completely zero waste life.

当我在网上浏览数据时，逛到一个部落格，叫做《零废弃之家》，是由一位名为Bea Johnson的女士所创立。她和老公及两位小孩住在加州的米尔谷，一家四口过着完全零废弃的生活。

When I learned about Bea, and her family, my mind was completely blown.

当我深入了解 Bea 和她家人的生活方式，我震撼不已。

I thought that I was doing the best thing for the planet by not using any plastic.

在那之前，我以为拒用任何塑料制品，就是爱地球的最佳方法。

But the idea that I didn't have to produce any trash, was so empowering, and so inspiring, and it made perfect sense. Right?

但不必制造任何垃圾的想法，更加令人信服与激励人心，而且它听起来很合理。

Because I was this Environmental Studies student, I cared about the environment, studied sustainability, talked about sustainability, protested for sustainability.

因为我是一名环境科学的学生，我关心环境、研究永续性、谈论永续性、为永续性抗争。

But I realized, that I wasn't actually implementing any of those values into my day-to-day life, and so I made the decision to go zero waste.

但我发现，在我的日常生活中，并没有实践任何永续发展的价值。所以，我决定开始我的零废弃生活。

Let me break it down for you, and tell you some of the things that I did in order to make this transition a little easier.

让我逐一说明并分享我怎么做，好让这整个转变的过程更容易些。

The first thing that I did was I stopped buying packaged food.

第一件事：我开始拒买包装产品。

So instead of going to the store, and buying things packaged in paper, and glass, and plastic, I started bringing my own jars, and bags to the store to fill with bulk, or package-free items.

所以当我去商店购物时，我不再购买用纸、玻璃或是塑料包装的产品。我开始自备罐装容器、袋子去商店盛装大量或者是无包装的产品。

I also started buying my fruit, and vegetables from the farmer's market.

我也开始从农夫市集采买蔬菜水果。

So, package-free. The second thing that I started doing was I started making all of my own products.

所以，也是无包装。第二件事：我开始制作属于自己的产品。

Before I started living this lifestyle, my boyfriend at the time, used to brush his teeth using baking soda,

在我开始这样的生活前，我那时的男朋友都用小苏打粉来刷牙。

and I thought he was probably the grossest person in the entire world. Right?

我那时候觉得他大概是全世界最恶心的人了。

There's no way that you can get your teeth clean using something like baking soda, it's gross.

因为你不可能用小苏打粉把牙刷干净，这很恶心。

Well fast-forward, and it turns out that the first product that I made was toothpaste, made with baking soda.

可是呢，时光快转，我的第一个自制产品却是牙膏，用小苏打粉做的牙膏。

So overtime I started making all of my own products. When I would run out of something, instead of going to the store,

从那时起，我开始花很多时间自制产品。当我发觉一个东西快用完了，我不再到店里买新的，

and buying a new one, I would learn how to make it myself.

我开始学习如何自制自足。

So when I would run out of lotion, I learned how to make it myself. Run out of deodorant, learn how to make it myself.

所以当我乳液快用完，我就学自制乳液。除臭剂快用完，我就学自制除臭剂。

Over time, all of the things I had previously purchased, were now, ones that I made myself.

随着时间过去，那些我习于购买的商品我都开始自己动手做。

The third thing that I started doing, was shopping second-hand. So instead of buying new clothing, and putting new waste into the waste cycle,

第三件事：我开始买二手货。我不再买新衣服让垃圾变得更多，

I would buy things that were totally recycled, second-hand. So not making any new trash.

我开始购买那些回收制品、二手物，所以不再制造任何新的垃圾。

The fourth thing that I did was I downsized.

第四件事：我开始设法过个简单的生活。

So I focused on having only the things that were truly necessary, and that I really needed. Well this was really, really hard because I'm the kind of person who's really sentimental,

我只保留住那些必需品，或我真正需要的东西。这真的非常非常困难，因为我是那种非常感性的人──

and I can tell you as to why a toothpick needs to be in my life.

我可以很容易地找到理由说明为什么我生活中需要有牙签。

But after I really got through that process, and I completely downsized, I realized that I had so many fewer things in my life, my home was less cluttered, and everything with easier to clean.

但当我一一检视我的生活，我成功地简化了一切。我体悟到我拥有越少的东西，我的家就越不杂乱，也越容易打扫。

And when you have fewer things you realize that you take better care of them. Right?

而且当你拥有越少东西，你会比较小心呵护它们。

When you take better care of your things you don't have this mentality like:

当你认真对待你拥有的每样东西，你就不会有这样的想法：

"If I don't want this anymore I'll just throw it out and I get a new thing later."

「如果我不喜欢这东西了，我就把它丢了然后买新的。」

No, I only had a few things and so I took care of them, and wasn't sending anything to the landfill.

不，因为我只拥有这些东西，我会小心呵护它们，而不会随意将它们丢进垃圾桶。

All this must sound pretty difficult. Right?

不过这听起来十分困难，对吧？

I assure you, it's not that hard. I'm just an average, lazy person, and I wouldn't live this lifestyle if it was difficult.

我向你保证，这并不难。我只是个平凡，又懒惰的人，所以如果这很难，我是不会过这样的生活的。

In fact the benefits of living this lifestyle far outweigh any of the negatives that you can imagine.

事实上，这样的生活方式所带来的好处，远远超过你能想象到的任何缺点。

The first benefit is that I save money.

第一个好处是省钱。

So I save money when I buy my food, and the products, and when I make my own products, because I'm not paying for the embedded cost a packaging, so things are cheaper.

当我买食物、商品，甚至是自己动手做时，我省下了钱。因为我不再付内含的包装费用，所以能以比较便宜的价钱买到。

I'm also saving money by shopping completely second-hand, because second-hand clothing is usually less expensive than new clothing.

另外，只买二手商品也让我省下了钱。因为二手衣物通常都比新的便宜。

I'm also saving money because I've downsized.

另外，过着简约的生活也让我省下了钱。

I don't go shopping all the time now and you know just buy things on impulse.

我不再一天到晚逛街，然后冲动购物。

I only have what I really need. The second benefit is that I eat better.

我现在只买必需品。另一个好处是我开始吃得健康。

When I go shopping now I don't have the option to buy processed food products, package-free, and so now my diet consists of things like fresh fruit and vegetables, or bulk greens, and nuts that I buy with my jars and my bags.

现在当我上街购物时，我不买加工食品，只买无包装产品。因此饮食内容是新鲜的水果和蔬菜，或是自备容器、袋子去买的大量叶菜类或坚果。

And so when you eat better, you feel better.

当你吃得健康，你身体就越健康。

Over these past few years, I've noticed that my weight has stabilized, I have more energy, I need less sleep,

在过去这几年，我注意到我的体重不再上下起伏我变得更有活力、也不再睡那么久。

and when you're eating better, and you feel better, and you save money, you're happier.

当你吃得好、身体好，又省下钱，你就会更快乐。

But besides those things I'm happier, because for the first time in my life, I'm living in direct alignment with my values.

除此之外更让我开心的是，这是我有生之来第一次，活出了自我价值。

And why is this important? Right? Waste. Well, waste is a really big problem.

但废弃物为什么重要？是的，废弃物毫无疑问地是个大问题。

In fact the average American person produces approximately 4.4 pounds of trash per person per day.

事实上，平均一位美国公民每天制造出大约4.4磅的垃圾。

Over the course of a year, that's like taking 8.5 of your best friends, and throwing them in the trash.

一年下来，这重量大概是你8.5位好朋友的体重总合，并将他们全部丢进垃圾桶一样。

Don't do that, it's not nice.

千万别这么做，这很糟糕。

So, if you care about your friends, and you don't throw them away, and you think that it's possible for you to reduce how much trash you're producing, I have 3 simple steps for you.

所以如果你在意你的朋友们，而且不希望将他们丢进垃圾桶里，并且觉得减少目前的垃圾量对你来说是可行的话，我有三个简单的小步骤给你参考。

The first step is to actually look at your trash, and understand what it is.

第一步是好好检视你的垃圾，了解你都丢了些什么。

Because you can't solve a problem of having a lot of waste until you know what is it.

因为你不可能在完全不知道自己丢了什么之下，实施垃圾减量。

So when I did this exercise, I realized that I had 3 main sources of trash.

所以当我检视自己的垃圾时，我发现我的垃圾来源主要有3大类。

The first was food packaging, and so I learned how to shop in bulk or package-free.

第一类是食物的包装材料，所以我开始学会购买大包装或无包装产品。

The second was product packaging, and so I learned how to make all of my own products.

第二类是产品的包装材料，所以我学会如何自制产品。

And the third was organic food waste, and so I learned how to compost.

第三类是有机厨余，所以我学会如何堆肥。

And just by identifying those 3 sources of waste and eliminating them, I have reduced my trash by about 90%.

而我只是找出这三种垃圾来源，并且消灭它们，我就成功减少了将近九成的垃圾量。

The second thing that I'd like to suggest is picking at the low-hanging fruit.

第二件事我会建议你从生活小事改变起。

So doing little things, one-time changes in your everyday life that have a large-scale, and long-term positive impact.

当你着手改变生活中的小细节，它会带来大规模且长远的正面影响。

This includes things like using a reusable bag instead of a plastic or paper bag.

像是使用环保袋来取代塑料或纸袋，

Or using a stainless steel, or glass water bottle, instead of buying plastic water bottles.

或是使用不锈钢、玻璃水瓶来取代塑料瓶装水的购买。

Over the course of however long, you realize that these little changes actually add up, and make a big difference.

在经过一段时间后，你会开始发现到这些细微的改变所带来的影响累积起来，能造成很大的不同。

The third thing that I'd like to suggest is the DIY or actually learning how to make your products yourself.

第三件事我会建议你开始DIY，或者说是学着如何自制自足。

Now I absolutely love doing this because when you go to a store, and you have to buy products you kind of have to settle, and accept them as they are. Right?

现在，我非常喜欢自己动手做。因为当你进到一个店面，准备挑选产品时，你有时必须妥协、接受产品的现状，对吧？

If you don't like the way they smell, too bad. If you don't like the way they feel, sorry.

如果你不喜欢那产品的气味，那可真不凑巧。如果你不喜欢那产品的触感，那就抱歉啰。

If you don't like what they're packaged in, you don't have a choice.

如果你不喜欢那产品的包装，你别无选择。

But for me, since I make all my own products, If I don't like the way they smell, I change the scent.

但对我而言，因为我都自己动手做，所以当我不喜欢它的气味，我就改变它。

If I don't like the ingredients in them, I change it. If I don't like the packaging, it's my choice.

当我不喜欢它的成分，我就改变它。当我不喜欢它的包装，我有选择的权利。

And so by making my own products I have complete control over what I'm putting in my body.

所以当我开始自制自足，我能完全掌控我吃进了什么东西、用了什么。

Now I started living this lifestyle while I was still in college. And when I graduated, I had a real job,

我在大学时开始这样的生活方式，而当我毕业后，我有了一份正式的工作，

a real-person job in sustainability, which is exactly what you'd think I'd want to be doing. Right?

一份真实为了永续发展奋斗的工作。你们会觉得这就是我想要做的，对吧？

Well, at the same time I was still running my blog: "Trash is for tossers"

事实上，在那段时间我同时经营着部落格：《无用之人才制造垃圾》

and I noticed that I was getting a recurring question, and it went something like this:

因此，我注意到，我时常被问到这样的问题，问题的内容大概像是这样：

"Dear Lauren, I absolutely love the products that you're making, and I too want truly natural products.

「亲爱的 Lauren，我非常喜欢你做的DIY产品，而且我也想要用纯天然制品。

But because of life, family, friends, blah, blah, blah, blah, I just don't have time to make them myself.

但因为生活呀、家人、朋友等等等，我就是无法找出时间自己动手做。

Do you have any product that I can buy that are equivalent? Thanks for your help. Lots of love. Person XYZ."

你知道哪里可以买到类似的商品吗？非常感谢你的帮忙。祝一切安好。某人上」

So I went to stores, and I started looking at products, and while I found that they were beauty products

所以我开始逛商店，开始一一检视商品，然而我发现在美妆产品上，

that were reminiscent of the ones that I was making myself, I didn't notice the same trend for cleaning products.

能找到和我DIY概念类似的产品，但在清洁用品类别内却一无所获。

When I looked at the ingredients of cleaning products, even the "natural" cleaning products contained ingredient that were really harmful.

当我细看那些清洁用品的内含物，即使是那些强调「天然」的清洁用品，都含有一些非常有害的物质，

Things that were carcinogenic, and endocrine-disruptive. You know, when I looked into it further, I learned that cleaning product manufacturers aren't even legally required to disclose the ingredients of their products on the product packaging,

像是致癌物、内分泌干扰物质。而且你知道吗，当我更深入了解，我发现那些清洁用品制造商，并没有被法律要求要将商品的成分全部写在商品的外包装上。

and so when we go and buy a product, we're at the complete mercy of the company, hoping that they have our best interest in mind.

所以当我们去购买商品时，我们只能任厂商摆布，期待他们能将我们的福祉放在心上。

I feel that we, as consumers, have a right to products that are transparent

我认为我们，作为消费者，有权利知道商品的一切信息，

and that aren't bad for us, and so I started thinking about my own products, the ones that I've been making for years.

了解它是否会对我们产生危害。所以我开始思考我自己做的产品，那些我已经做了好几年的产品。

That are safe, and effective, and have ingredients that I use to do things like brush my teeth, or make salad dressing.

我的产品很安全、有效，而且所含成分都是我经常使用的。像是我会用来刷牙、做色拉酱。

And I realized that I had an opportunity, and so I quit my job, and started a company.

我发现这是个机会，所以我辞掉了工作，出来创业。

Because I feel like we, as human beings, have a right to products that are safe for our homes, and our bodies, and the environment.