We have a woman here in Victoria, Tammy Logan of Gippsland Unwrapped, who discusses the very same topic. I think you'd enjoy her work, @phoenixwren. Zero waste, even going plastic free, isn't about throwing out all your old plastic. It's a gradual process of only replacing what you need with better, longer lasting choices.

"Zero waste isn't generally glamorous or Instagrammable. It's more often a pile of mismatched containers in your cupboard, a compost collection on your kitchen counter that's maybe gotten a little stinky because you forgot to empty it outside, and clothes that you have patched up and cloth bags that are stained because you've had them since 1998"

I'm wary of this observation, because while it is true, it's also not true. It doesn't necessarily have to be this way to have a low inpact lifestyle. This is why it has become Instagrammable and many are looking at ways that it can also be a bit more glamorous or chic. You see, an awful lot of people aren't going to get on board if they think they have to look like a tramp or have their house looking like a hovel. Like it or not, keeping up with the Joneses is still important to the majority of people. It's in our nature to worry about how people are judging us, particularly with younger generations.

Something I've tried to do in this regard is to try and show people that they can make these changes and it doesn't have to be hard work or mean they can't have nice things. Often when it's talked about that those with the lowest carbon footprints are in third world countries, people think we're trying to say that they have to live like that here in order to save the planet and it just meets resistance.

There's an impression that living this lifestyle is dirty and smelly, which it doesn't have to be. A great example is my eldest daughter who is going to uni and has friends and a boyfriend from wealthy families. High on her priorities is making a certain impression, so she can't wear the same clothes too often, she now wants brand names and if an item of clothing gets even a small stain on which won't come out she throws it into the charity shop pile. Any repairs I make to clothes have to reach her high standards and currently she's rejecting any suggestions I've made to cover a stain on a top which won't come out, but it's barely noticeable. I'm formulating a plan to embroider it with something she might like.

I try my hardest to work with what we have, not least because I can't afford her new spending habits, but her go-to is to just throw it and buy new, which is likely what she'll do once she's got her own income. This is what a lot of people are like who have the option to spend how they like. So if they can made the choice to buy something that has less environmental impact, then could it and should it be glamourised to encourage them? A trend where people can buy chic looking things made from reclaimed materials is surely something we want to glamourise.

That's not to say I don't agree with all you're saying, I absolutely do. However, I also see a need to draw in the wealthier market and get them on board.
Glad this post could get highlighted again.