Hey there,
I am so glad you are here.
Let's get to know each other.
You know, I didn't always live a zero waste life...
I used to be a maximalist
Yes, that's right, in my early twenties I was a stiletto shoe wearing, designer bag chasing maximalist! I thought more was more. I lived a life of excess, thinking that material goods would lead to happiness.
I wasn't born with a hippie mother or a passion for the environment, I was just a person trying to find happiness in all the usual places - shoes, handbags and clothing. Despite my best efforts, I soon realised, nothing that I bought could fill the insatiable emotional void inside me.
It was time for a change
After years of climbing the corporate ladder, I realised that I needed a change. I was wasting away my life. My life had deviated so far from my core values that I no longer recognised myself. That's when I found two movements that have changed my life - minimalism and zero waste living.
Where I am now
Minimalism and zero waste living transformed my life. After a couple of years of soul searching and stripping away the layers of excess, I have finally found work that is in alignment with my true self.
I quit my corporate job and started an Instagram account (@rocket_science). My Instagram account documented my minimalist and zero waste journey and was a creative outlet to find solutions to plastic waste. It grew and grew - which lead to the formation of this website.
I don't have all the answers to living a 100% zero waste life, but 'zero' is just a number. It's a goal, nothing more. I believe we can all be every day activists and do little steps to reduce our waste. These small steps make a big cumulative difference.
Professional Bio
Anita Vandyke is a qualified rocket scientist (graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering – Aeronautical Space), Medical Doctor (Doctor of Medicine) and runs a successful Instagram account (@rocket_science) about zero waste living.
She was born in Guangzhou China, raised in Australia and currently lives in Sydney, Australia. She regularly blogs about her passions of zero waste switches, minimalism and all things green living.
Anita's first best-selling book A Zero Waste Life: a thirty day guide is published by Penguin Random House, Australia is available at all good book stores. Her second book is A Zero Waste Family is available now.
Website photography by Joi Ong. Blog photography by Anita Vandyke. Website illustrations by Melissa Stefanovski.