The year is 2018 and plastic is finally going out of style. Due to media coverage of the horrible effects of plastic such as this video of a sea turtle with a straw stuck in its nostril or this whale with 20 pounds of plastic in its stomach. Businesses and consumers are becoming more aware of the waste they produce through the products they use.

But it is not enough.

Every day in the United States more than 500 million straws are used. Plastic straws are not recyclable and contribute to horrible circumstances such as this large mass of plastic in the Caribbean.

My purpose in this article is not to tell you to buy another Contigo water bottle or carry a bowl with you everytime you go out, but I want you to be more aware of your responsibility as a citizen of this Earth and understand the consequences that your everyday convenient use of plastics have on your home and on future generations.

Here are 5 steps you can take to become more sustainable.

1. Reusable and portable straws.

Hummingbird Glass Straws

There are a lot more options than the Krazy straws at the dollar store. They come in various colors and materials such as glass, stainless steel, silicone, and even bamboo. Some brands to check out are BUBBA, SimplyStraws, Sipwell, and Hummingbird.

2. Mesh reusable bags for groceries.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WLKDJTP/ref=strm_s_79_nad_2_1

The burden of plastics often falls on the consumer and businesses make it difficult to avoid plastics. This often happens in the grocery store when picking out fresh produce, multiple plastic bags are not necessary for your bundle of bananas! These mesh bags are cute, washable, and perfect to put in fruits and vegetables next time you go grocery shopping.

3. Shampoo bar

https://www.allure.com/story/viral-lush-shampoo-bars

One shampoo bar is the equivalent of three medium-sized shampoo bottles and could help replace the 552 shampoo bottles we throw out each year. After this ATTN: video launched on Facebook, Lush sold 12,000 shampoo bars in just 48 hours. Oh and did I mention each shampoo bar is formulated for your hair type?

4. Ecosia

https://info.ecosia.org/what

Ecosia is a search engine that uses its income to plant trees. You can download it for free onto your phone and use it alongside Google. As of now, 30,044,677 trees have already been planted by Ecosia users.

5. Olio

https://olioex.com/

Olio is a company that connects neighbors and local businesses with each other so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. This includes food near its sell-by date, spare home-grown vegetables, bread from your baker, or the groceries in your fridge when you go away. It's super easy to use, just open the application and add a photo, description, and when and where the item is available for pick-up. Olio is kickstarting the food sharing revolution and making it easy for businesses to limit their food waste.