You might be wondering how you can start living your life with the Earth in mind. It’s most likely overwhelming. Refusing plastics, eating more sustainably, solar power, carbon footprints, emissions, global warming... where do you start? How do you get to a place where you are creating a lower impact on our planet? 1. It’s going to take time, and you won’t be perfect.work If living low-impact was easy and quick, we’d probably all have made the switch by now. But it’s not. It will take time for you to switch out your habits and thoughts. If you chose to start replacing every single use plastic in your bathroom right now, you will be wasting the product that those plastics had in them. Wait for things to run out before you replace. Mistakes will happen, and you won't be perfect. You might forget to ask the waiter for no straw, and your drink comes out with a straw in it. No one is perfect, and mistakes are completely understandable. As long as you keep with it, understand that you’re not going to be perfect, and keep a conscious effort, you will do just fine. 2. Start by recognizing how much waste you produceokay Go a couple of days noticing how you live your life. Notice how much single-use plastic you use. How much meat do you eat? Notice how much Styrofoam you use. Do you leave the lights on when you leave a room? Do you put plastic in the nearest bin, or do you hold on to it until you can find a recycling bin? Start by noticing your habits, so that you know which ones to fix, and which ones to keep improving upon. You might be surprised at how much you are doing already, or you could be surprised at how far you have to go. 3. Cut out single-use plastics and Styrofoam. Straws, grocery bags, water bottles, soda bottles, cups, and utensils are a great place to start. All of those things have glass, silicone, or reusable plastic replacements that will be thousands of times better for the Earth. If you go somewhere and forget your replacement, you have a choice to make.... 4. You might have to skip out on some things. Living low impact, and using less single use/plastic items means that as you go, you’re going to have to be okay with missing out on things. Want to go to Starbucks but forgot your reusable cup? You might just have to wait until tomorrow to get your coffee. Going to an event and they have dessert in Styrofoam bowls? Skip the dessert for now. There will be small sacrifices and there will be large ones. 5. your health is important. Prescription bottles, over the counter medicines, inhalers, etc. When your health and safety is on the line, choose your health and safety. A couple weeks ago, I felt like I had the flu. It was bad. I needed some Sprite, but the only thing around was plastic. So, I bought one plastic bottle from the vending machine. I didn’t have the strength to walk to my car, drive to get cans, then drive back. 6. Eat Less Meat. No, I'm not telling you to go Vegetarian or Vegan. But as Americans, we eat a lot of meat. A lot. Eating less meat (30% less or more I believe) does create a helping affect on the environment. For more in depth information, you can go to Why Eat Less Meat, which is a website focused on the affects of eating less meat, with citations and facts, as opposed to arguing. 7. Eat local when you can Local eggs, potatoes, honey, etc. Whenever you can, eat local foods, and eat foods in season. Take a trip to your local farmer's market and see what they have. It's both great for the environment, and you are supporting small "businesses" and farms. 8. Research is key. Constant research about what is hurting the Earth, and what you can do to make a lower impact is essential. There are tons of people, sites, Instagrammers, and YouTube videos from people who live low-impact or zero-waste. They are great for inspiration, for DIYs, and for understanding what is good for the Earth and what isn't. If you feel overwhelmed, just realize you don't have to do everything all at once. Small changes from week to week will still make a difference. If you don't feel overwhelmed, then great! Big changes are going to be a challenge, but it is definitely easier than you think once you get started. Don't give up because the environment is counting on us!
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December 2018
Ally
Just looking out for the Earth and everyone who lives on it. |