Helloo earthlings! How’s your existence going? What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you think about reducing your carbon footprint? Recycle? Don’t use plastic bags? Grow your own food? Use reusable straws? These are all the things I think of and scrolling through Facebook and seeing images of sea animals being choked out by plastic… it makes me wanna reduce my footprint all the more. At the end of the day our waste is affecting us more than we know.
Today I lived my average Jae day … which consist of homework and food mainly. Over the course of the day I decided to keep notice of when I would throw something away and those would be the areas I need to work on first and foremost. For me I wanted to start with the waste I was directly producing because it was easier to track and implement future changes. Here are the things I noticed:
Many of the problem areas came when I was having an adventure outside of my home.
- Makeup: I use it almost everyday and I am constantly purchasing new products which have a lot of packaging.
- Paper products: the coffee shop I went into gave me a paper cup with the little cardboard “caution hot” protector.
- Paper towel: I used it to dry my hands multiple times.
- A water bottle someone gave me.
- Plastic bag: went to a store and was given a plastic bag to put all the goodies in.
- Pizza box: your girl got hungry
- Tissues: my allergies are really bad so all I do is blow my nose… and finally…
- Water: an excess use of water through out the day (laundry, showers, dishes)
My problem areas lie mainly when I set outside of my home there are so many materials I waste on a daily basis so I decided this would be the place to start. Food packaging and consumption was the ultimate reduction challenge, it’s hard to find package free alternative to certain foods I like to indulge in. Such as granola, strawberries, milk, ice cream, etc. So taking baby steps I begun this process by ordering some mesh produce bags, stainless steel straws, and reusable sandwich bags from Amazon, which you can also probably find on other website or in local stores.
I also have been planting my own herbs and next year I hope to have a mini garden and compost started. I am still doing research on this area because I do not have a green thumb by no means, but I’m eager to learn what it takes!
Stainless steel straws
Reusable sandwich bags
If your interested in reducing your carbon foot print there are many resources online, Facebook groups, such as the zero waste group of ABQ ( which I recently joined), and putting your self out there and talking to people about what you hope to accomplish will work wonders! If you have any tips or things you are currently implementing please share! This is only the beginning of my journey and it’s not a walk in the park I will admit. Sometimes I use to many paper towels to wipe my hands or leave my straws at home. You may not think your small impact will make a difference but why not try, your efforts will be noticed and inspire the people around you. Create a community that welcomes change and hope for a brighter future. I would love to hear from all of you, whether it’s dreams, goals, advice, or just to say hello. Have a beautiful day ☀️
#stayirie
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