Sustainability She-roes: The zero waste heroine on social media

Rachel Tan’s 3,000 Instagram followers are regularly treated to her light-hearted and quirky posts on her daily struggle trying to be a zero-waste heroine. On her gram (@nocarrierpls), she also has tips and sustainable item giveaways.

This eco-Insta-warrior feels that most people have a narrow notion that living waste-free is hard, but she says that small steps are all that are needed.

“You don’t have to go fully waste-free. It’s a journey that is nothing but feeling good about what you do. You can just start by skipping a plastic bag – don’t ever feel like you’re not doing enough, because your individual effort has a huge ripple effect,” she encourages.

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“I discovered the Bring Your Own (BYO) movement and decided to bring it to Singapore,” adds the 21-year-old. She now brings her own tumbler to buy bubble tea, and drinks from her own reusable bamboo straw (you can buy one from @bamboostrawgirl).

Sceptics gave her weird looks in the past; some even refused to serve her a drink in her reusable cup. But Rachel says there have been small victories: Other customers have told her they’ve realised they could bring their own cup or utensils, and refuse a straw.

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A post shared by dont nd a carrier 4 the koi tq (@nocarrierpls) on Jun 13, 2018 at 10:54am PDT

In the process of sharing and educating, Rachel says she’s grateful for all the feedback and ideas coming from others as well. “My followers have taught me so many things I often don’t consider. I think one of the biggest takeaways is to show you’re not alone on this journey, and that making conscious and sustainable choices is actually a pretty attractive thing to live by – something that doesn’t always come at a cost but also with a benefit.”

ALSO READ: SUSTAINABILITY SHE-ROES: THE WOMAN WHO'S MAKING ZERO WASTE APPROACHABLE FOR ALL