To the uninitiated, saving the environment might be considered a tedious exercise. Not so in the hands of Jasmine Tuan, a zero waste advocate who managed to make her movement appealing – sexy, even – to one and all.
A glamour girl at heart, Tuan, 40, has ditched heavy makeup and gone minimalist. Now, her everyday look comprises only blusher and a dab of lipstick.
“Once I finish all my products such as bottled shampoo, I will think of a solution. I will not do a sudden 360-degree change as it will be really stressful.
“There are certain things for me to easily switch but it is hard in terms of personal care products. I have tons of perfume, shampoo and conditioner and I just try to finish them, one at a time,” explained the Singapore-born lass.
There are a few alternatives that she discovered like Beetroot as a lip stain, body scrub from used ground coffee, hibiscus leaf as a conditioner and soap from used cooking oil. As for skincare, she uses a mix of jojoba and lavender oil for daytime. “I actually found the beetroot when I visited an orang asli village.”
For someone who owns a retail business and works in the creative industry, she used to wear a different look every day and ended up with too much stuff.
“Back in Singapore, I have a walk-in wardrobe and every single time I walk through them, I always feel I have nothing to wear and end up wearing the same clothes all over again. That’s when I knew something was wrong.”
So, she took to flea markets to sell her items but still couldn’t get rid of all her possessions.
When she received a job offer in Malaysia, she decided to downsize immediately as it was impossible to bring her entire wardrobe to Kuala Lumpur. She was proud when she managed to cut it down to one rack. But things didn’t go as easily as she planned.
During the first year in Malaysia, she couldn’t resist the temptation to visit shopping malls and her wardrobe kept expanding.
“Early this year, I decided to wear only what I have. So I removed clothes from my cupboard that I haven’t worn for three to six months. I either pass the clothes to people who need it or sell them on mobile apps. I do struggle with it because I have a sentimental attachment to each item. But to combat that, we have to ask ourselves questions, such as do the clothes serve us for our lifestyle?”
In terms of her goal, Tuan is targeting to downsize her wardrobe into a 7kg duffle bag. She says there are many advantages when you can literally cart your life around the world. “As for now, I only bring one suitcase with limited clothes. I actually realise that I have so many things to wear and I can mix and match using my own creativity and still look chic.”
“My only advice is to wear your confidence. People can sense that and to me, that’s fashion,” she said.
Going digital
Digital is the future and all you need is a laptop and an internet connection to ease the work process. For Tuan, her vintage MacBook Pro is what she needs while notes and reminders are stored in her smartphone. It is easier to look for information that way rather than go through a physical notebook. The phone’s search bar, according to Tuan, is a very helpful feature.
If Tuan does need to write a short note, her one and only choice is a used receipt. As for documents, she will ask for them in digital format. If she receives letters, she will give them to schoolchildren who will be able to use the blank sides to draw.
As a freelancer, a calling card is very important. For Tuan, she uses an application called CamCard that saves all the business cards on her phone.
“I always take a picture of the business card and return it to the owner. Right after that, I upload the visual of the card. I don’t have a business card and I always direct them to my social media account or exchange mobile numbers. I really recommend people to use the app as it’s cost-efficient.”
Travel essentials
Besides being a zero-waste advocate, Tuan is an avid traveller. Since March, she has been clearing trash from beaches and there have been many unforgettable experiences. Once she found a lion fish stuck inside a shampoo bottle and released the fish out to the sea.
Wherever she goes especially when traveling, she will bring along a pair of chopsticks, two spoons (small and big), a stainless steel straw and a brush (to clean the straw). “I do not bring any fork and knife because based on my experiences, the customs might confiscate them.”
Added Tuan: “Don’t forget to bring your own flask and ask for hot water. I did it in Vietnam and Thailand, and they were more than happy to refill my flask for me,” she explained.
Trouble into material
Fitting trash into a mason jar is one of the ways to keep track of what you have produced. For Tuan, Ecobricks is the way to turn trouble into a material.
“Eco-bricks are basically a plastic bottle packed to a set density with used, clean and dry plastic to achieve a building block that can be used over and over again.
Before I put anything inside it, I will wash and clean them and once the bottle is full, I will pass it to the Ecobricks organisation.”
Tuan is on her fourth bottle of Ecobricks and is always aware about not wasting any materials.
“I have been recycling since young, and I have been mindful about not wasting materials. As an art student, I always keep the material and use it to create a collage.”
To help her on this journey, she holds onto 10 principles that start with basic waste prevention techniques such as Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle, Respect, Rot (composting) and Responsible.
“We have to know that it’s important to respect and take care of our one and only home, Earth. So, it is time to take baby steps and start by bringing your own water bottle. You can also ask yourself, what I can refuse as part of saving the environment?
“Personally, as a zero-waste advocate I find that we sometimes use things that we don’t really need and throw them away almost immediately. But it’s not like we cannot do shopping at all. We can but we just need to be good consumers and be conscious of what we buy.
“If I can enjoy life without harming the animals and planet, I always say that everyone else can do the same,” concluded Tuan.
