Caroline Hoops lives a virtually waste-free life. The student from Oldenburg writes about her experiences in a blog. Practical tips for everyday life are particularly important to her.
She doesn’t eat any animal products, wears second-hand clothes and leads a largely plastic- and rubbish-free life: Caroline Hoops is a vegan and is actively involved in the ‘zero-waste’ movement. Some people are quick to jump to conclusions: eco-freak, high-maintenance, no fun, overzealous and a missionary. But the young blonde woman is a far cry from that. The 23-year-old simply wants to do “her own thing”, without imposing her ideas of a better, healthier life on anyone. “No, I do it for myself, because I realise it makes me feel better. But if conversations or situations arise, I’m happy to talk about the topic,” she explains. Just like recently at the “Street Food Festival” in Bremen. The environmental sciences student, who is currently writing her bachelor’s thesis and will be starting a master’s degree in Sustainability Economics and Management in the winter semester, was out and about with her friends. To satisfy a little hunger between meals, they ordered chips: whilst her friends were given the usual paper trays – the sort that tend to end up strewn across the streets at such events, smeared with ketchup and mayonnaise – Caro – as her friends call her – rummaged through her rucksack for a stainless-steel tin, cutlery and a cloth napkin from her rucksack and had her chips served into it. “Great idea, Caro,” her friends said, and a conversation soon got underway.
Alternatives to sticky tape and all-purpose cleaner
“It’s not at all about leading a perfectly eco-conscious life,” says Hoops. Rather, it’s the little things that make a big difference – and everyone can get involved: when shopping, for example, it’s often enough to reach one shelf further to the left or right in the fridge section: milk in a returnable bottle instead of a Tetra Pak, yoghurt or cream in a glass jar instead of a plastic pot. Or simply having your bread roll handed to you at the bakery – without a paper bag. Caroline Hoops is already many steps ahead in this regard: she writes about her experiences, adventures and insights from her zero-waste daily life at irregular intervals on her blog “einbisschengruener.com”: For example, how she enjoys a festival plastic-free, which zero-waste hotspots she can recommend, and what alternatives there are to Sellotape and all-purpose cleaner in plastic bottles. The idea for the blog had been floating around in her head for quite some time: she’s passionate about photography and design, so a project of her own fits the picture perfectly. One evening, whilst chatting with her boyfriend, they both realised they fancied starting their own blog. “He eventually set up his music blog, ‘reissnadel.com’, and began a career as a music journalist, and I launched ‘einbisschengrüner’ in 2015,” she explains.
“That’s when the spark finally ignited.”
As a blogger, she wants to share her ideas with others, make the ‘switch’ to a zero-waste lifestyle easier for them and raise awareness of the issue. “Above all, though, the blog is a constant source of motivation for me,” says Hoops with a smile.
For just under three years, the student has been living by the zero-waste motto ‘original, unpackaged’. Even though the range of options in Oldenburg is still limited, Hoops knows where and how best to buy certain foods, laundry and hygiene products in bulk: For example, she stores potatoes, carrots and apples in homemade cloth bags, and has broken chocolate and washing-up liquid filled into jars. And the Stade native enjoys making her own toothpaste, facial toner and washing powder. But that’s not all: together with two female students, Caroline Hoops recently launched the ‘Lass was machen’ initiative at the university: ‘In workshops, we make sustainable everyday products such as washing powder or deodorant,’ explains Hoops. An initial meeting has already taken place and was very well received: Participants made beeswax wraps by hand as an alternative to cling film. “The meetings are also a sort of swap meet for plastic-free items such as soaps, creams and stainless-steel tins – basically things you don’t like or no longer need,” adds Hoops.
“NachDenkstatt” at the university
The young woman wasn’t always vegan or living a plastic- and waste-free lifestyle: after completing the Abitur in 2012, she worked on a ranch in the USA. “There was mainly beef there, which I didn’t like anyway. And I could easily do without spare ribs and bacon bagels,” she explains. A local friend got the vegetarian ball rolling. The first step had been taken: “And it felt good!” says the student. She only stumbled upon a plastic-free lifestyle after a few detours: “I read a story about Lauren Singer from the zero-waste movement,” says Hoops. That piqued her curiosity, but without any immediate consequences. Shortly afterwards, she was browsing the internet looking for alternative hair care products and came across a zero-waste blog. “That’s when the spark finally ignited – that was a good three years ago now,” she recalls.
It’s now all part of her everyday life; she’s been vegan for 18 months – for her, another logical step towards a sustainable future. Anyone wishing to approach the topic cautiously at first will have the chance to do so at the “NachDenkstatt” at the University of Oldenburg from 17 to 19 November: Caroline Hoops is organising a workshop there on plastic reduction, zero waste and recycling. “A great way to get started,” says the student.
