Recently, I have been more interested in the environment and being more conscious of my footprint. I had already optimized my diet, made my house as eco friendly as possible, and am not in the position to give up my car, so the next logical thing was to make my daily routine a little more green.
I had always thought I was doing my best to recycle and avoid creating more waste than necessary. I was wrong, very wrong. Once I focused on being conscious of my choices, I was overwhelmed by the changes I needed to make. Instead of being discouraged, I remembered that little changes can result in big results.
With that idea in mind I did some research and started in my journey.
Everything around you is one use
I wanted to go to one of my regular places, Starbucks, and see how I could avoid one use plastic there. I had heard of people bringing their own cup, but I had never done it myself. Not only did they fill up my cup from home, but they give a discount for bringing your own cup.
While one use usually brings to mind plastic, i often treated food waste like it was "one use." Instead of throwing away peels, rinds, stocks, and stems, I decided to create a compost. Not only does this positively impact my trash, but also benefit my garden, which I will later add it to.
Eating out wasn’t as appealing
by Jacob Newberry
I don't often eat out, because I love to cook. When I do, it's often fast food. One of my favorite stops is a to go salad place. While I did have my utensils and straw, the salad is still given to me in a plastic bowl and lid. I opted for no drink, and instead drank my water I had with me.
Of course, I forgot that there is no way to avoid plastic at such a place, but I felt kind of guilty. Consequently, fast food wasn't as appealing or convenient to me in the following days.
Shopping 2nd hand and thrift saved me money
In order to avoid all the waste that comes from the textile industry, I did something I have never really done before. Something about thrifting never appealed to me before. Whether it's the thought of used clothes or just my ignorance, I don't know. I went to a few of my local thrift shops, and found things I would have never found before. Some of the things were older, and others, I just would not have paid full price.
It’s the little changes that matter
It's easy to go about life without thinking about the consequences of such small actions. It's even easier to dismiss small changes, as ineffective and not worth doing. But small changes are those that are feasible, and if a good portion of the population made those changes, the impact would be more than worth it. What's the worst that could happen? A few less landfills?
I can say that my trash throughout the week has been less. And the majority of things that were thrown away were recycled, which was not the case before.
I encourage everyone to make a difference with just one or more change. If you would like to learn more, visit goingzerowaste.com for some tips on how to get started!
