Small Changes Can Make A Big Difference
I have done really well giving up fast food with my live healthy goals; however, I recently noticed another area in my life that I would like to improve.
Last April, my daughter Karyn and son-in-law Brian made changes in their consumption habits to try and live a low waste lifestyle. They have inspired me. Here are just a few of the easier switches they have made.
They started simply by making a few easy changes: refusing straws at restaurants, refusing plastic bags when shopping, bringing reusable grocery bags to the store, and always keeping tupperware in Karyn’s purse for leftovers at restaurants.
They also order shampoo and conditioner from a company called Plaine Products who use stainless steel canisters that you send back to be refilled and reused when you are done. They also switched to Dropps dishwasher and laundry pods that come free of plastic packaging. Just think of the impact that could be made if we all did the same!
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I just finished reading Anita Vandyke’s book A Zero Waste Life in Thirty Days. She states, “The single-use water bottle we buy at the convenience store, the plastic straw we use to drink our green smoothie, the disposable cup we use for our daily coffee – every one of these items, all used for less than fifteen minutes, will sit in our landfills for hundreds of years. The math just doesn’t add up” (12). Just being more conscious of the items we purchase and how they are packaged can really make a difference in reducing waste. It is so easy – for convenience sake – to use the individually packaged items available without thinking about where all of that unnecessary packaging goes.
“Quite simply, zero waste living is about leaving a gentler footprint on the planet. That’s it.”
~Anita Vandyke
Last summer, Karyn and Brian purchased a compost bin which brought back memories of my childhood. My dad taught me how to garden, and I enjoyed the time we spent preparing, planting, and picking vegetables. We eventually made a compost pile so that we would have a natural fertilizer for our plants. Karyn and Brian use their compost bin to keep their food waste out of the landfill.
Easy Tips to Start
- Refuse plastic straws. Bring your own reusable straw or just drink out of the cup. Karyn and Brian keep all of their reusable mugs and straws in a bag in their car.
- Refuse plastic bags when shopping. If buying only a few items, you can really refuse a bag. In all other cases, use your reusable bags. Keep them all in your car, and you will never be without them.
- Keep a reusable container or two in your handbag for leftovers at restaurants.
- Make a compost pile, and keep food waste out of the landfill.
- Try out minimalism. This is a goal of mine, and I have started paring down my possessions.
These are just five of the easiest ways to start. There are so many more ways to reduce your waste. Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rehome, replant, rot.
“We all need to be caretakers of the planet we live on.”
~Anita Vandyke
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5 Responses
You are a Keeper of the Earth! Keep up the good work inspiring others!
Thank you Gina!
Thank you Coach!
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing and caring! 💗💗💗 Anna
Thank you Anna!