Talking Trash, Creating Change
Talking trash might be one of my favorite topics of 2025.
Not metaphorically - literally. Plastic trash. Fashion waste. Electronic waste. Chemicals. All the things we throw away without much thought about where they actually end up.
While nature doesn’t know waste, we have built systems of overproduction and overconsumption that accumulate litter around us, poisoning rivers, mountains, cities, and villages, forests and oceans.
There’s no gentle way to say it: we are trashing the planet.
But this isn’t a story about being good or bad, right or wrong.
Human complexity is inherent - and so are the systems and stories we have created. This is a story about asking why, and does it really have to be this way?
Life Lately
Life lately is a lot of work. At the beginning of the winter season (December 2024), I took on a new role as Head of Reception and Sustainability Manager at the hotel where I work.
The second role feels somehow like a natural extension of the journey I have been on with Threeminds Travel, as I now get to practice what sustainability efforts look like in the daily rhythms of a 4* hotel in the Swiss Alps.
While it is a newly created position, the hotel already holds strong sustainable values and has built a solid foundation. Therefore, I am currently reviewing our operations - diving into emissions, waste systems, sourcing, and communication to understand what is already working and what still needs attention or improvement.
Both positions bring challenges and opportunities, and I am excited to learn the lessons.
A day in March
Last month, I attended the IBEX Fairstay Training and Connection Day in Zug, a gathering of hospitality professionals promoting Sustainable Tourism, with this year's focus on circular systems.
I obviously was especially excited for a talk on Regenerative Tourism. Unfortunately, it was rather disappointing.
The presentation was too much textbook, disconnected from the heart of what regeneration is really about: interconnectedness, relationships, participation, collaboration - life. There was no mention of the key principles of regeneration or its roots in Indigenous or ancestral wisdom.
BUT somehow, this only reminded me just how much work there is still to do, and a new energy and motivation filled my body.
A Line to Think About
One speaker who stood out was Roger Volkart, owner of Werec AG, a Swiss company providing comprehensive and customized waste management solutions.
He opened his talk with a punchline.
“The best waste is the one you don’t create."
From there, he offered actionable insights, especially around how purchasing decisions for your business can make a difference, including talking with suppliers about the disposal of used products.
One statistic that stayed with me raised an interesting question about responsibility: 75% of tourism-related emissions come from transport, while only 25% from hospitality.
If most of the impact happens before guests even arrive, what, then, is our role as hosts? Can a hotel influence how people travel, not just where they stay?
I do believe so.
In fact, hotels and small hospitality businesses hold the power to shape the pace, values, and experience of travel. It means we are positioned to influence not just what people do when they arrive, but how and why they travel in the first place.
Behind the Scenes at the Hotel
Sustainability in hospitality and travel isn’t an end game - it is a commitment to ongoing, conscious choice-making. Listening to the talk, I realized our hotel already has many intentional, sustainable actions in place.
- Glass refillable water bottles instead of plastic
- Guest amenities are only available upon request (vanity kits, etc.).
- thoughtful food portioning to avoid waste
- Recyclable coffee capsules
- The hotel runs with 100% solar power in summer
- ongoing efforts to reduce plastic across all operations
Next time, you are staying in a holiday accommodation, why not pay attention to the little details? Some of these practices seem small, but they make a difference in how much waste is produced in the end. Yet commitment also means there is always room to improve and evolve.
Little Things I’ve Been Trying at Home
After several tries in the past, I finally found soap and shampoo bars that work for my thick, curly hair and my sensitive skin. My recommendation: NoPlanetB from DM. It’s a little thing, but seeing fewer plastic bottles in my bathroom and kitchen makes me happy.
I have also been experimenting with Kernseife, a traditional curd soap used for dishes, hand soap, and even making your own disinfectant spray.
For me, it is not about doing it all strict or perfectly, it’s about living in closer alignment with my values, and finding joy in the process of creation.
When It’s Not That Simple
When I moved to the mountains, I imagined daily lived sustainability would come naturally.
After all I am living closer to nature now. However, it is not that simple.
Shampoo bars? Not available locally - I actually rely on visiting family and friends to bring them. Clothes? Unless it’s hiking pants, I need to travel or order online.
Groceries? Even organic apples and broccoli are wrapped in plastic at the Coop supermarket.
And then there is Swiss recycling.
It took me over a year to fully understand this system. It is advanced but it also requires effort and participation. For example, there is no bin for organic waste in town, likely because most people compost in their gardens. But we don’t have one ourselves and the nearest plastic container is a 10-minute walk away. So I make the walk through town, carrying a transparent bag in hand, plastic sins on full display - becoming that woman who picks up plastic trash along the way.
In Switzerland, waste collection is paid through official trash bags. What irritated me at first might actually be clever: the more trash you make, the more you pay.
A Gentle Reminder
All of this trash talk has made me think.
We say we care about the planet. We say we love the rainforest, the sea, the mountains.
But how do we practice that love?
We are surrounded by systems that make convenience easier than care.
Even when we know better, knowledge is often not enough for us to act.
But this isn’t about blame. It’s about being honest to ourselves. And about love.
As bell hooks quotes in all about love: “Love is an intention and an action.”
So, if I say I love the Earth, how do I show it?
Again - not perfectly. But gently. Daily. In small, thoughtful actions.
A Story I loved Hearing
Brigitte Trauffer is a woman with a presence. When she walks into a room, you notice her. Despite her success, she stayed grounded, humorous, and lighthearted. At the Ibex event, this - full of heart - was also how she told the story of how she and her husband accidentally opened a hotel, an experience world, a social hub for tourists and locals alike. The Bretterhotel in Brienz wasn't part of the plan. It just happened.
Her words spoke directly to my doubts:
You don’t need to have it all figured out to begin. Just take the first step. Let life surprise you.
Latest on the Blog
My latest post explores the powerful role small hospitality businesses play in building a regenerative future and why they are essential to keeping places alive.
Where Regeneration Begins: The Power of Small Hospitality Businesses
"One sanded the wood, someone else followed behind, brushing it with oil. The freshly cut shelves stood drying in the Berlin summer sun, waiting to transform into the new bar shelf. For two months, instead of serving guests and clearing tables, we painted bathroom walls in charcoal grey, dining room walls in terracotta and beige, and sealed the floors in a dark, earthy brown."
Read the full story here.
Recommended
BOOKS / MUSIC / PODCASTS / FILMS / ARTWORK
I traded Instagram for WaterBear. Now, instead of scrolling during my 30-minute break at work, I watch 3- or 10-minute documentaries on this amazing free platform. WaterBear combines inspiration with action through award-winning films and documentaries on topics of food, climate, people, nature, and lifestyle; available anytime on any device. You can also take part in missions with specific actions to take, such as signing a petition, reading an article, downloading an app that helps you to eat for the climate (Fork Ranger), and much more.
One of the short films I loved on WaterBear (I even watched it twice!) was an intimate documentary about a rewilding project in the Iberian Highlands of Spain. It followed the incredible journey of 10 Przewalski’s horses, translocated from France as part of the Rewilding Europe initiative – an organisation with the beautiful mission of making Europe a wilder place. These rare and endangered horses are now living freely in the wild for the first time in Western Europe. Stories like this keep me hopeful and give me reason to keep my optimism about the future of our planet.
Did you know that by replacing beef with chicken, you can reduce your food-related emissions by 21%? I didn’t either - even though I’ve already stopped eating beef. As mentioned before, I found this app through the WaterBear network. It makes climate-friendly eating feel simple and eye-opening. So for everyone who likes practical apps and delicious recipes (including a shopping list feature), this one is definitely worth checking out :)
Want to Share Something Too?
Thank you for reading this letter today. I know your time is precious, and I hope you found something valuable in these words. If something resonated with you, maybe share it with someone who might enjoy it, too.
We’re all walking our own journeys, in our own time. I’m curious - what’s been moving, shifting, or circling in your mind lately?
If you feel like sharing, I’d love to hear from you.
With love, Zaza
