Sustainability Alumna Echoes own "Zero Waste" Life with Career

Displaying one of her few articles of clothing

(Photo Courtesy: Paris-To-Go)

After a couple of trips to Paris, France, 26-year-old Baldwin Wallace sustainability graduate Ariana Schwarz fell in love-- not only with her husband, but also with Paris. After tying the knot, she made a permanent move to the City of Light and began applying her BW major, her passions and hobbies into a self-made career as a sustainability consultant and lifestyle blogger.

Schwarz began blogging, just as a way "to show [her] friends and family what Paris is like," according to a recent feature article in The Plain Dealer, but her blog, Paris-To-Go has evolved into a lifestyle blog with enough traffic to generate a profit. Schwarz said, "I never expected blogging to go anywhere, though, so I was really surprised at how people could relate to it and support it--I'm really grateful."

Schwarz's zero-waste lifestyle extends to every aspect including the bathroom.
(Photo Courtesy: Paris-To-Go)

On her blog, Schwarz explains how to live sustainably in every aspect of life, including her own examples of ways she produces zero-waste. She touches on subjects such as: A Paris Survival Guide, Zero Waste Guide, Simplifying one's Beauty Routine, and Living Gluten-Free in Paris. Schwarz also incorporated her love for fashion into her blog, where she displays her simple, 10-item wardrobe.

Schwarz also works for companies and individuals as a sustainability consultant. In The Plain Dealer article, she said, "I do audits and go through a house and figure out how they can eliminate plastic from their life and how they can use less water and electricity. I help them be more environmentally friendly."

(Photo Courtesy of: Paris To Go Instagram)

Everything Schwarz does aligns with sustainability. "My BW education helped me apply sustainability to my life in a practical way.... Now I have a job I love in Paris, working with clients like Airbnb, Le Parisien, Hilton Paris Opera, and World Wildlife Fund Europe on sustainability-related initiatives."

Schwarz encourages other sustainability majors to travel and see how other countries approach sustainability. She said, "I feel like my professors at BW encouraged me to get out and see the world and I learned so much that way."

She added, "This is my dream job! Having the freedom to choose clients who truly align with my values, to travel, and make my own schedule was really important to me."