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Since I was young, I wanted a career where I could help save the planet as well as improve the lives of people and animals. My family values self-sufficiency and respect for the environment, so I have taken on the same mission to help others find more sustainable and cost-conscious ways of living their lives.

 

In 2015, I created the “B*Simple Project” to share my unconventional worldview, and my simple—but practical—sustainable solutions to minimize the impact waste has on the environment. Throughout the hardships in my life, I have learned that we are all connected; we all should care for our community and our planet. If every person did something—no matter how small—the world would be a better place.

 

The B*Simple Project

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The B*Simple Project aimed to save the planet by providing simple yet useful ideas for people to practice in their daily lives. The mission to “save the planet one leaf at a time” enabled more people to participate and change their habits at their own pace. 
 

The goal was to provide people with simple and practical options to minimize waste and save the environment, and engage those willing and able to help and share their ideas. 

How did it work?

There were no rules, only a few guidelines:

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• Do not buy what you don’t need. Remember that want is different from need.

• Used and secondhand products are great ways to save money and minimize waste.

• Only buy an item after it has finished (or is almost finished). 
  For example, I set mine at two items per product. I have a daily body moisturizer, and a “special occasions” body moisturizer. Some people never use a cream, because they keep it hidden or stored for eternity. Once the person decides to finally use it, it smells bad. The same thing happens with food: some people keep an item stored for so long for a “special occasion” that when the day arrives the food has gone bad. If you limit the number of items that you have you will be forced to use your “special occasions” items more often, thus finishing them in an ideal time.

• Set a number of how many of each item you will allow yourself to have. 
   

How did I come up with this idea?

I decided to be more strict about my buying habits during a move in 2014. I was appalled when I realized that I had a full international travel size bag of cosmetics and personal products. After a quick investigation, I realized I was hoarding products, and buying more of the same products without letting the other ones finish first. 

Determined to change, I lined up all my shampoos, conditioners, frizz-free hair products, leave in hair conditioners, hair sprays, dry shampoos, deodorants, soaps, tubes of toothpaste, etc., and decided that I was not going to buy anything until I was halfway through the last one of each product. 
 

After my bathroom mission, I went to the kitchen and did the same with all the food I had in the pantry, fridge, and freezer. 

The amount of space I opened up in my drawers and shelves for the past four years is incredible! For all the people out there who believe they need bigger houses, I must tell you: NO, YOU DON’T! You just need less clutter! 

For a while, I wanted to open a business to organize people’s closets, pantries, basements, and even whole houses, but I realized that it would be hard to convince people to change or improve something that they couldn’t see. I decided to post about my project instead, so that I could inspire and show people how to improve their habits, and how their bad habits might be affecting the planet.
 

Once people learn and see an issue for themselves, things become much easier.  

Warnings

If you decide to follow any of the guidelines, please read these warnings carefully, and use your best judgment when dealing when any of the following scenarios:

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• When dealing with expired food, please use caution and common sense. Always smell the item first, try a little bit, and consume only if you are certain that it is safe. When in doubt, throw it out.

• When dealing with expired cosmetics and personal care products, always perform a patch check and wait for 24 hours to see if you get a reaction. When in doubt, throw it out.

 

End Result

 

During my two year project, I gained followers on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter almost every day. My mission to “save the planet one leaf at a time” enabled more people to participate because they could change their habits at their own pace. I deleted my first account in July 2017 due to some security concerns I experienced with cyberstalking, but I reformatted my brand to reach a larger audience.

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I included “B*Simple” in my portfolio as it showcases my experience with social media platforms and project management.

 

I am only a leaf in this tree called life, but if you and other people join me in this journey we will become a growing forest!