Masters Thesis

"No straw, please": examining zero-waste through autoethnography, performance, and intersectionality

Activists striving to create significant change whether social, political, or environmental must often navigate spaces and places using unconventional strategies and tactics. Activism asks us to put our bodies and identities on the line, often with discomfort, while performing in a multitude of ways. For the duration of one year, I performed "zerowaste" as a form of eco-activism in efforts to help our planet that is quickly becoming overrun by pollution, trash, and overconsumption: I negotiated zero-waste practices with people in public spaces, with friends and family in my personal life, and through employing tactics in my home. The following work represents my lived experiences and performances of one year in the "zero-waste" community through autoethnography and reflection. In this thesis I critique the lack of intersectionality and representation currently within the movement while identifying privileges one must have to access and participate in the movement. Through autoethnography, I explore the complexities of how zerowaste activism is complicated by intersectional identities and relationships. I also consider how my activism is influenced by factors that are fluid, contextual, spaciotemporal, and geopolitical.

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