Waste

I'm finding it easier to produce less trash here. Why? Living in a small space, there's no room for extra things. And when taking down the trash and recycling is a matter of descending and climbing 100 stairs, that kind of makes it a little more inconvenient. I don't want disposable items. Disposable pens, disposable dishes, disposable cutlery, disposable napkins. I give back plastic bags at stores because I don't want to have to put them somewhere. I don't even use paper towels. I don't want extra papers, maps, receipts. Take them away!

I'm also reusing a whole lot. My little glass yogurt jars are very useful for holding hairties and paperclips and makeup brushes and food. It's easier to keep rice in a jar that used to hold tomato sauce than to keep it in a bag I have to find a rubber band for.

And as I have only a little window, it's feels better to use environmentally-friendly/less harsh cleaning products because I'd rather not breathe in a whole lot of chemicals in my tiny space.

And when I hand wash some of my clothes, it's easier to dry them on a rack by the radiator because I don't have a dryer.

I use less water because my shower is so tiny that it feels like a few minutes of maneuvering about creatively (reach the shampoo, try to lean over to shave, reach the soap, bump into the wall, accidentally turn off the faucet by leaning on it, etc.) has actually been a good amount of time.

All in all, conservation in this situation becomes easier...the benefits of reduce-reuse-recycle are immediately perceptible. Less stress, less mess, less ickyness. So if disposable items try to convince you they're convenient and disappearing and elegant, you have no obligation to believe them. They are so definitely not!