Meeting room A, located in the corner of Cozby Library and Community Commons, which can comfortably accommodate about 25 people, is half-filled with a woman in a purple shirt and pigtails eagerly talking to a Coppell resident. 

Within 10 minutes, meeting room A is no longer in the corner, it is front and center, catching the eyes of those walking into the library. Now, that woman speaks to around 50 Coppell residents, united with one purpose: reducing waste.

The event, hosted by pigtail-wearing and city of Garland environmental sustainability manager Tiana Lightfoot Svendsen and City of Garland environmental outreach coordinator Amber Knott, focused on the zero-waste lifestyle centered around limiting waste in forms such as plastic, food and packaging waste and more. 

“My goal was to inspire participants to make small changes in their day to day lives to reduce their environmental impact,” Svendsen said. “To varying degrees, I feel like I have achieved that goal. 

Despite the high volume of attendees, Svendsen encouraged a personal introduction of each member, including their name, length of residency in Coppell and reason for attending.

The talk featured a diverse audience, ranging from those with little to no experience to self-acclaimed pros. 

“My parents were children of The [Great] Depression and they were always very conscious of consuming and not spending unnecessarily,” Coppell resident Philip LaBerge said. “[Limited waste] was ingrained into me, it was something that I learned as a young child.” 

The talk focused around the 12 R’s of z zero-waste or limited waste lifestyle: remember, respect, refuse, reduce, reuse, return, refill, rot, restore, repurpose, repair and recycle.

Punctuated with questions and input from the audience, the talk touched upon tips such as meal prepping, or making meals for the week in advance, and compostable dog waste bags. 

“[I liked Svendsen’s] passion for spreading the word,” Coppell resident Bobbie Baumgarten said. “[Her speaking] gets you excited to do more and be better.” 

The event also highlighted multiple pros of a zero-waste lifestyle such as decreased expenditure on energy and produce, healthier sources of food and buying locally. 

“I liked the idea about repairing things,” Coppell resident Allison Muller said. “Just taking better care and pride of the things you own. It changed my mindset.” 

Towards the end of the two hour talk initially scheduled for one hour, the talk transformed into a community forum filled with members asking questions and receiving from across the room. 

“[A limited waste lifestyle] has helped me to find ways to make an impact by reusing materials,” LaBerge said. “It helps me to try and be a role model for other people.” 

For more information about a zero or limited waste lifestyle, click here.

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