Brand Interview with Reuse Revolution Founder, Christy Walters

By Jaclyn Tracy

All Images: Lori Baskin Photography — *All Images:* ***Lori Baskin Photography***

Reuse Revolution is a zero-waste store and website with sustainable kitchen, bathroom, on-the-go, home, kids and baby products in Columbus, Ohio.
Dublin, Ohio store opening in the North Market Bridge Park this Fall!
Since 2018, Reuse Revolution has been a source of community for Columbus and beyond.
We are a mission driven company that believes in progress over perfection, community over competition, and resilient hope.
We encourage transformation in thought and daily habit in order to reclaim the beauty in our declining environment. Reuse Revolution inspires environmental consciousness through sustainable products, information sharing and leading by example. I am so proud that we were able to become 1% for the Planet members this year, and also support One Tree Planted in their efforts to combat deforestation.

What drove you to launch Reuse Revolution?

Litter. The prevalence of litter in Columbus, Colorado Springs, the Dominican Republic, Puerta Vallarta, Carmel, Big Sur, Sarasota, Harbor Springs, Michigan, and everywhere else where I have lived or traveled over the past 25 years has led me to internalize the fact that humans over consume and discard at leisure. It pained me that we haven't been taking care of our planet, and I realized that the solution was clear: reuse what we have, reduce our consumption, and opt for more sustainable reusable products.
We don't have to live deprived lifestyles in order to treat the planet better. In fact, my life has gotten exponentially better once I started striving for low waste and zero waste tendencies.
As a company, I wanted to offer accessible and inclusive classes or workshops to schools and the general public. That has been a fun element of this journey for me. Educating kiddos on recycling and composting, picking up litter with Columbus girl scouts, touring SWACO's landfill in Columbus, and touring Rumpke's MRF were some of my favorite parts of the past two years. In creating this company, I wanted to normalize learning about trash and waste.

Image: Oval Straw Market Bag — *Image:* ***Oval Straw Market Bag***

What is the zero waste movement and why is it important?

To me, zero waste living is about refusing what we don't need first, before we choose to purchase sustainable products. Funny enough, I am an anomaly in the retail world, because I actually believe in shopping less. You don't have to be an extreme minimalist to live a low waste lifestyle. Zero waste living focuses on eco-friendly packaging, reusable and compostable products, non-toxic materials, clean beauty, fair wages and fair trade, sourcing and buying from small shops and local farmers whenever possible, avoiding exploited factory farmed animals, composting, recycling right, fast fashion vs. thrift shopping and slow fashion, supporting equality and inclusion when voting with your dollars, and much more.
The zero waste movement is not about perfection. If sustainability is going to be accessible and inclusive, it must also be practical and functional.
To me, zero waste is not zero. Because of the systems humans have created, we make trash. Whether that is "upstream" in the production process that we don't see as consumers, or whether we ourselves are throwing packaging away in our households, humans make waste. The zero waste movement is an awareness and a learning process around why and how we can create less waste. In the pursuit of living a lower waste lifestyle, I have learned that we live in a linear economy, where we take-make-waste. We should strive for a circular economy where we keep items out of our forever landfills. Two great resources for people who would like to dive deeper into environmentalism and manufacturing are: The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard, and William McDonough and Michael Braungart's 2002 book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.
In reducing our toxic plastic waste, we are learning about purpose and essentially our legacies.
Many people think the zero waste movement is a cute glass mason jar, or a stainless steel drinking straw. These reusable items are important and represent an ideal to strive for every day. But we must also live with intention. Slowing down and thinking about our purchases. We must make an effort, even if we feel like the problem is too large or too prevalent. Our planet needs us, and we have the power to live in harmony with our eco systems while promoting biodiversity and regenerative practices.

When did you begin on this journey towards sustainability?

Without knowing it, sustainable living has always been a part of my psyche, but I think the tipping point for me was when I became a mom. I was so beyond overwhelmed by the amount of stuff coming into our home. The clutter stressed me out, and I thought there must be a better way to live.
I didn't want to just throw things away, so I started researching more about effective ways to donate our belongings. I wanted our excessive Target purchases and barely used baby items to be valued, helpful and enjoyed instead of sitting around in a landfill. "Use up what you have" has become a mantra in our house. Now we judge our belongings and approve our purchases based on whether they bring us joy, or if they serve a purpose.

What are essential zero-waste items you'd recommend?

Because everyone's lives are so different, I recommend everyone look at their daily routines and daily products. What items are you using and throwing away frequently? Doing a trash audit will help you learn a lot about your consumer habits.
If you're a coffee person for example, try not to throw away a disposable coffee cup daily. Opt to support local coffee shops, especially ones who accept your reusable coffee cup (when properly washed, reusable items do not pose a substantial threat to spreading the coronavirus, especially if your hands are clean and employees are properly sanitizing their work spaces between customers!) It is important to remember, when restaurants offer "compostable" cups or food containers, they must also offer you a proper compost trash can, and have a compost service picking up those compostable cups. Otherwise, our mixed compost and trash is just going to an anaerobic landfill that is not conducive to composting items after they've been thrown away. For an item to compost, it must have air circulation to properly break down and go back into the Earth in a non-harmful way. As much as 70% of Columbus's landfill could have been recycled or composted. (1) Once we throw it away, it is taking up that landfill space forever.
Items like bamboo toothbrushes, compostable dental floss in refillable containers, reusable menstrual cups, shampoo bars, my stainless steel razor, unpaper towels (aka kitchen wipes), reusable grocery and produce bags have all helped me to massively reduce my trash output.

What excites you about the future of Reuse Revolution?

So many things excite me about the future of Reuse Revolution. I love that the Bridge Park community and North Market Bridge Park are excited about sustainability. I love that we have built relationships and friendships with our repeat customers. Everyone is growing in their low-waste lifestyle goals, and we celebrate our milestones together.
I am excited and encouraged by people I have crossed paths with who also care about the importance of individual action. I am excited about people wanting to learn more, and deep dive into topics like corporate transparency and governmental responsibility. Not only do we care about our planet as individuals, but it is cool to see more consumers emailing their local city council reps about our plastic litter epidemic. It is cool to see people sharing topics on social media about what is hurting or helping our planet. It is cool to care, and that is something I am really excited about for the future of Reuse Revolution. We are a movement of individuals, who care about our reusable coffee cups, and we also care about picking up litter. We are multi-faceted individuals, all coming together for a common purpose.
Even though we may not be able to gather in large groups right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am excited for a time when we can physically be together again. Lunch and learns, DIY workshops, and guest speaker events will be happening in our North Market Bridge Park store when it is safe to do so again.
Another thing I am excited about: RR becoming Carbon Neutral, or even carbon negative! We are selecting which company we would like to partner with to achieve this goal.

Image: Plastic-Free Body Soap — *Image:* ***Plastic-Free Body Soap***

What's one sustainability tip you think everyone should know?

Thinking like our ancestors is one of the best sustainability hacks we can practice. We live in such a technologically advanced world, that we forget to go back to the basics sometimes. We are used to instant gratification, so we forget the value in slowing down.
Sounds funny, but here are some examples:
When I walk or bike somewhere instead of driving, I am thinking like my great grandparents.
When I air dry some of my laundry on our bamboo folding rack, I am thinking like my Nana.
When I make my own cleaning supplies with vinegar and baking soda, I am thinking like my Nana.
When I meal plan and efficiently grocery shop in order to avoid food waste, I am thinking like my Nana.
When I unplug small appliances or turn off the lights when I leave a room, I am thinking like my Nana.
When I grow my own bell peppers in a container garden or a raised garden bed, I am thinking like my elders who had Victory Gardens, and their elders who grew their own food for generations.
When I keep a spork in my purse, I am thinking like my Nana. By bringing my own utensil with me, I am able to refuse single use plastic cutlery while I'm out and about eating food on the go.
When I save energy by not using as much electricity, I am helping the planet and saving money on my bills. Many things that help the planet, also save us money - which is awesome and sustainable!

What is your favorite sustainable item you sell?

It is so hard to pick favorites because I love them all so much! Some of my favorite sustainable items are products I use everyday: our Kooshoo hair ties, Baggu tote I take everywhere, my bamboo toothbrush, David's toothpaste, my reusable spray bottle that has all my DIY cleaning recipes marked right on the outside of the bottle for easy reference, Stasher reusable silicone ziplock baggies, my stretch lids that I put on bowls or cups when storing food in the fridge, beeswax wrap which replaces saran wrap in our kitchen, my wooden dish brushes which are not plastic, so when we scrub microplastic isn't going into our water streams, my FinalStraw foldable straw that I keep on my car key chain so I never forget it, our bamboo bandaids because I know that they don't hurt the planet in their production or in their "afterlife" , of course my water bottle ... and so many more great functional products :)

I think the most important thing to remember and practice daily is to be kind to others and ourselves. We are not perfect, everyone has different capabilities, and comparison is the thief of joy. Some people may have financial constraints, and may not be able to buy organic. Some people may have a physical disability preventing them from drinking without a straw, or carrying heavy bags. In pursuing lower waste lifestyles, we can also practice empathy and forgiveness. It is disheartening to hear about a CEO who chooses to take a private jet twice daily, or a person who litters on purpose, but I know that focusing on my actions will inspire others to do the same. Let's all support and encourage each other. Let's celebrate our daily wins. Consistent actions become the foundation for change. I'm cheering for you! My inbox is always open if you need help or would like to discuss anything.

Explore Reuse Revolution

Website: ReuseRevolution.com

Instagram: @reuserevolution614

Reuse Revolution ships nationwide.

(1) SWACO

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jaclyn Tracy's goal with SISTAIN is to make a greater difference by educating, activating and making sustainable consumerism not only easier, but aspirational. She believes success is in the collective impact, getting a whole group of people to change their behavior by committing to choosing sustainable brands, less waste and imperfect progress. Jaclyn is also the co-founder of Brand Effect, a holistic digital marketing agency.