Lauren Singer is an American

environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists advo ...

, entrepreneur, and blogger in the

zero waste Zero waste is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are reused. The goal of this movement is to avoid sending trash to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. Current ...

movement. She is known for collecting all of the waste she has created since 2012 in a 16oz

mason jar A Mason jar, also known as a canning jar or fruit jar, is a glass jar used in home canning to preserve food. It was named after American tinsmith John Landis Mason, who patented it in 1858. The jar's mouth has a screw thread on its outer perime ...

. Her blo
''Trash Is for Tossers''
documents her lifestyle. She is the founder of Package Free and The Simply Co.

Early life and education

Singer was raised in New York City. She is Jewish. She attended

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

and received a degree in environmental studies in 2013. She went on to work as a sustainability manager for the

New York City Department of Environmental Protection The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's water supply and works to reduce air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. Under a 1.3 billion do ...

, prior to founding The Simply Co and Package Free.

Career and activism

In 2012, Singer began collecting the waste she produced in a 16oz mason jar and detailing her zero waste life on her blog ''Trash Is for Tossers''. She simultaneously began making her own personal care products and changing her consumer behavior to divert waste from landfill and divest from industries that cause environmental pollution. Singer left her full-time job in 2014 and launched The Simply Co, an organic laundry detergent company. Her product was sold via Kickstarter’s website and at wholesale locations across the United States. In 2017, Singer opened Package Free as a three-month

pop-up shop Pop-up retail, also known as pop-up store (pop-up shop in the UK, Australia and Ireland) or flash retailing, is a trend of opening short-term sales spaces that last for days to weeks before closing down, often to catch onto a fad or scheduled e ...

in Williamsburg. Lauren Singer cited

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose influential book '' Silent Spring'' (1962) and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental ...

and Bea Johnson as the authors and activists who sparked her interest in environmental sustainability. Singer has been named a Business Insider "woman to watch", one of

InStyle ''InStyle'' was an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith. In February 2022, it was announced that InStyle would cease print publications and move to a digital-only f ...

’s "50 badass women changing the world", and a Well+Good "2020 changemaker".

References

External links

Trash is for Tossers
Singer's blog {{DEFAULTSORT:Singer, Lauren New York University alumni American bloggers Living people People from New York City 1991 births