Jupiter Courier

Dec 6, 2018

DUO HELPS COMMUNITY START LIVING A ZERO WASTE LIFE

The journey for two Jupiter folks began in the lower Himalayas and the vast cities of India. The first stop was to meet up with a local volunteer group, International Volunteer  Headquarters.                                                                                                                         

Living off the land

They quickly discovered that living off the land meant sifting through piles of trash! They learned that families relied on the collection of trash to make money and feed themselves. Recyclable trash was everywhere.

Piles of trash became mounds, and mounds became hills among the green and beautiful, natural landscape of the ancient Himalayas. By and large, trash was collecting on the streets, sometimes being partially burned out in the open haphazardly, but mostly just blowing in the brisk breeze, from high in the mountains to the valleys below; from the small country roads and towns, into the bustling cities. 

Connections to people of India

Elana and Stephen Smith, of Jupiter, discovered how a limited number of migrant families sifted through piles of waste in the hot sun and prepared it by segregating it into sections to ready it for recycling. These men, women and yes….children were from communities hit hard by generational poverty and stigmatism. But Elana and Stephen were surprised to find a lot of love and longing for acceptance among these industrious people. As they found connections to the people of India and the places that surrounded them, they also began to feel connected to and responsible for trying to limit the waste that polluted their world, their home. 

Back home in Jupiter

When they returned home to Jupiter, their experiences in India weighed heavily on their minds and hearts. They felt more connected than ever to the wonderful people around them in their community and to the place that they called home. They realized their mission: to work towards decreasing the creation of trash on this planet and to help others to do the same.

They realized everything that goes into the ground and doesn’t become rich soil, is poison to the earth. They saw more clearly what was damaging their own environment: Pollutants in plastics that float for hundreds of years in the ocean and linger in landfills long after we die. They discovered that plastic also leeches poison into the ground and harms our drinking water. That poison is freely polluting the food we grow and the water we and wildlife depend on to survive.

Renewed Vision

With a renewed vision, Elana and Stephen noticed a need for more community spaces in the Jupiter area made for people who want a better and healthier life for themselves now and for the generations to come. That’s when they were inspired to create such a space.

Together they created OneWorld-ZeroWaste: a space to shop, learn, and transform your life. A space to take real action in addressing the things that we put into our world and into our bodies and to help the community start living a zero waste life. 

As their vision started to become reality, they collected recycled wooden palettes & repurposed old furniture to create their new space. With Elana's background as a professional chef and studies of Ayurvedic medicine, she is educated about the bulk foods they will carry, understanding how to use them to help keep you healthy & happy. Stephen’s background as a yoga instructor brings the knowledge of body & movement to aid in health as well. This has been their lifestyle for years, and they are now bringing it to the public.

Nutritious food that is organic

First they tackled what we put in our bodies. They assembled food that is organic and sold using a “weigh and pay” method. That is...you bring your own package (like bags or jars that you have saved along the way), fill your bag/jar and simply purchase the food by weight. Simple, easy, clean, and more cost effective than purchasing food filled with preservatives and wrapped in a one time use plastic packaging. 

They also stocked the space with a variety of handmade, charming, and reusable products to limit the amount of single use plastics consumed in our daily lives. From on the go with metal or bamboo straws, bamboo cutlery with carrying cases, to face-rounds that replace cotton makeup remover pads and all natural, healthy organic shampoo bars. One World-Zero Waste offers a variety of products to make the switch to waste-free products easy. 

Elana and Stephen are true Jupiter locals who came together because of the love they share for connection; Connection to each other, connection to themselves, and connection to everything that surrounds them. They hope to share ideas and offer love and support to the people in their community who share the same passion: A healthy life for ourselves and for our Mother Earth.

BYOB: Bring Your Own Bottles or use their bottles or cotton food bags to fill with great organic dry foods!

FYI

 OneWorld-ZeroWaste will be hosting educational workshops aimed at bettering ourselves and our community along with offering benefit programs for those who actively participate in helping to clean our community and make it a more peaceful and pure place to live.

You can find Elana and Stephen at OneWorld-ZeroWaste in Tequesta at 354 Cypress Drive Tequesta, Fl. 33469 on Tuesday-Friday 9-6:00, Saturday 10-4:00 and at the Palm Beach Gardens Green Market every Sunday from 8am-1pm selling their  zero-waste items along with a wide range of dry, “weigh & pay” bulk food. They also ship all over through their online store.