These days, the environment is a heated topic. Are you interested in the environment? If so, you may be interested in the “Zevee” market, which practices zero-waste and veganism. Let us turn our attention to the story of Heo Ji-hyeon, who started running Zevee.

● About Zevee

“I was raising a cat while running a stationery shop. At the same time, I became interested in animal rights and also in the environment. I became more aware of such things as animal rights, the environment, fair trade, etc. I realize many things in our life are connected. As I studied these things, I wanted to share them with other people,” Heo said. These are the reasons she opened Zevee. Zevee is an eco-market, and its name is a compound word for zerowaste and vegan. It also means “swallow” in Korean. The swallow is a spring bird that lives in a clean place. In the past, they ate grass or fish in rice fields but pesticides have made it challenging to see these swallows recently. The use of pesticides had devastating effects on swallows, making it difficult for them to survive. The name Zevee incorporates that situation. Most people think that protecting the environment is a special and difficult task. It’s not, however, and it’s something that anyone can do. Even visiting Heo’s market, Zevee, is a good place to start.

Introduced by Heo, Zevee is a very enjoyable place. It is located near popular tourist spots, art factories, and an old Jeonju neighborhood. There are many tourists due to the craft stores, as well as many locals, so various people gather. Some customers visit Zevee while passing by after searching for this type of store. Zevee also has regulars, and they said, “it’s a nice market, and I hope to see Heo for a long time.” Heo was very grateful to hear that.

● Keywords in Zevee; Zero-waste and Veganism

The reason why Heo chose her market to focus on zero-waste and veganism is that a lot of waste is generated in our daily life. “If we use zero-waste products as our daily necessities, there will be less trash, so I think it is beneficial to practice a zero-waste lifestyle,” Heo said. When it comes to Heo’s views on veganism, she views animal by-products as related to a chicken that lays eggs stuck in a cage smaller than A4 paper, while meat itself creates large amounts of greenhouse gasses. As Heo sees it, veganism is directly related to animal rights and the environment. She is proud to proclaim “I am vegan.” She always mentions it to others because she wants to give people the chance to think about the environment for themselves.

She has standards for choosing which zero-waste items and vegan foods to stock her store with. She chooses items that are essential to our daily lives. Simultaneously, she wants her products to inform others about the value of fair trade or the issue of labor exploitation. She has also prepared various price ranges, because she wants many people to participate in protecting the environment without a financial strain. She wishes that she could sell only ecofriendly products, but it would limit what her customers could buy. Therefore, she prepares a variety of options for her customers to access.

● Spreading What She Learned

Heo also educates people about the environment. As she learned about the environment, she realized that change cannot occur if we do it alone. Thus, she decided to spread what she learned about protecting the environment to others. One person cannot do all things, but they can do what they can and share it with others.

The theme of Heo’s environmental education is the climate crisis. She expounds upon why people must care about and protect the environment. Her classes are taught using a mixture of education and experiences. Recently, she conducted a class about surfactants, which are surface-active agents that are typically used in cleaning products. Do you know the right way to use dishwasher detergent? To properly use it, you only need to squirt two milliliters of detergent per liter of water. However, people overuse detergent to make bubbles when doing the dishes. “If we use dishwasher detergent in the right way, it is good for the environment and for people,” she stated. Heo also considers the age of her lecture’s attendees. When her lectures are full of young people, she explains that most young people tend to buy clothes according to fashion and do not wear them again after the trend period. Considering this point, she explains the social issue of fast fashion and recommends attendees to use the secondhand marketplace to recycle their clothes.

Heo is unofficially progressing environmental education through her market, Zevee. In addition, she is working as an instructor through other institutions. If you want to take one of her lectures, send a direct message to Zevee’s Instagram account. Lectures which have a link to other institutions are not affiliated with her market.

● Circulate Resources with Zevee

If we throw something away, it becomes trash, but it is actually a resource that can be used again. People used lots of disposable products during the COVID-19 pandemic. When people threw them away, other people had to burn and bury them. However, there is a limit to how much we can burn and bury items. People can prevent the disposal of resources by reusing them. This can prevent carbon dioxide emissions which are produced when making or transporting the products. This is why Heo reuses and circulates resources.

She introduced Bea Johnson, a zero-waste lifestyle activist, and her 5Rs for environmental protection. These include Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot. You can refuse a straw that you do not need to use. Reducing trash or power use is one way to practice the Reduce. Using tumblers or shopping baskets consistently is a way of Reuse. For Recycle, you can separate your waste and use up-cycled products. Lastly, how can we practice Rot? Use products that can go back to nature like bamboo toothbrushes.

What then can be recycled through the Zevee market? Chargers, cables, ice packs, printer ink or toner, etc. can be recycled here. Heo also collects used Brita water filters that purify water. Brita has a collection system in Korea. The problem is that when people mail the water filters individually, other resources such as energy for transportation and boxes for packaging are used. For the sake of the environment, she chooses to mail the water filters all at once.

Heo tries to circulate resources to the community in as small of a radius as possible. Her market sends ice packs to Nambu Market where ice packs are needed. “I send the resources as close to my market as possible. That way, the energy can be consumed less than when moving far away.” Using paper bags is also a way of circulating resources close to oneself. She offers her paper bags to customers when needed but she recommends them to use their paper bags repeatedly. In addition, if customers donate disused containers, she uses them again after disinfecting them in her market.

Lastly, Heo emphasized that reducing waste is better than separating waste. “To reduce waste, bring a reusable shopping bag and think of only what you need when you go to the supermarket. Using local food markets can also help to reduce carbon dioxide.” Heo’s market also has a refill station. People can refill detergents and other cleaning agents when they bring the containers. Through this refill station, people can stop consuming unnecessary containers.

Heo hopes environmentally-friendly practices will continue to increase. People cannot make a great change alone, but together people can make a big impact. She emphasized, “I think consistency is more important than perfection.” Why don’t you start little by little and do it consistently?

ㅣ Jo Soo-jin Reporter, Park Hye-rin Cub-Reporter