- there are SO many ways to avoid single-use plastics. Saying no to plastic bags and cutlery and juice bottles etc.
- packing your own reusable cutlery & food container & cloth shopping bags & water bottles in your daily bag whenever you go out in case you want to buy something you see or take away food
- not accepting plastic straws. bringing your own metal or glass straws! every plastic straw discarded means potentially another olive ridley sea turtle or sea bird choking and dying from it.
- when grocery shopping, putting fruits & veg straight into carts or into shopping bags rather than into those plastic bags from the rolls provided near the fruit section. the 'dirt' in the carts shouldn't matter too much bc we thoroughly wash our fruits & veg before cooking/eating them at home anyway!
- for groceries: buying food in bulk from the bulk section if your local grocery shop has one (Save-Ons!) bc they often have almost all the dry food items we need for much cheaper AND we can control the portion we're buying AND we can avoid buying foods packaged in plastic. yes this normally requires using the plastic bags that the section provides to collect the food in but it's v little effort to bring them home, transfer these foods into your own jars, wash those plastic bags and bring them back to the bulk section again on your next grocery trip! This way they're so much more useful and no longer single-use!
- for groceries: refilling products (esp liquid products) such as milk, sauces, shampoos & detergent at shops that sell refills with the use of your own reusable containers, if such shops exist near you.
- buying fruit & veg from local farmers' or produce markets rather than from large chain businesses in order to support the local farmers and and their families instead of larger - normally less ethical - businesses. Local food preserves genetic diversity of plants and is fresher compared to imported ones that sit for a long time on airplanes and in warehouses. 13% of U.S greenhouse gas emissions are also directly related to food production, transportation and disposal.
- a more plant-based diet (see other list for more explanation) ; it's not as hard as it seems! just a year ago I told friends 'I don't think I could ever live without meat' but oh how things have changed!! Nothing is impossible
- if you find yourself with a plastic item that really can't seem to be reused OR recycled, as a last resort see if there's a recycling depot near you. Unlike household recycling systems, such depots recycle these items like soft plastic bags. what I find most convenient is collecting these unreusable or generally unrecyclable plastics for one or two weeks, and then bringing them all at once to the nearest recycling depot. (e.g Green Depot)
- try making your own snacks! baking/cooking your own snacks such as granola bars or cookies (super easy) instead of buying processed, packaged ones (candy, chocolate, etc) reduces use of single-use plastic wrappers/packaging, saves money, often provides better taste, is healthier, satisfies yourself with your own creation and lets you realize how resourceful/self-sufficient you can be by providing for yourself without the help of large manufacturers!
- support thrift shops and their secondhand items/clothing if there are some near you! Buy used products and give them a second chance. This is something I'm still struggling with: avoiding fast-fashion companies (Forever21..) as much as possible, just because of how the clothes are not sustainable as well as they wear out quickly and so get discarded quickly. Also, production of denim is sadly v detrimental to the environment, with many heavy metal chemicals used and then discarded as waste into rivers.
- slowly you might find yourself becoming less materialistic, or at least more supportive of only brands/businesses which you know are ethical and sustainable. Our society has been trained to always buy and consume more and more when there are really a lot of things we don't need. Consuming less = less waste, and consumers collectively have a lot of power to influence business behaviors, so every spending decision we make counts!
- you can help influence policy change. Joining communities or organizations that share the goal of reducing waste or carbon emissions and raising awareness about it provides a chance to act collectively and even let your voice for change be heard by authorities. Attending townhalls too if your city has those.
- immersing yourself more in nature really helps you feel a deeper connection with and a stronger love for it, and so a greater desire to care for it. This was what happened to me; during my years growing up in a bustling and very metropolitan Southeast Asian city I found it hard to be concerned or do much for nature as I do now.
- once you start becoming aware of plastic, you tend to notice it everywhere. it can be frustrating and people feel their efforts are futile sometimes but every individual's actions have the potential to make positive change and every drop in the ocean counts! Super important to spread optimism about this and focus on the positive aspects and the little achievements you make every time you make a conscious everyday decision to reduce your environmental impact :)
aug 19 2018 ∞
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aug 24 2018 +