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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MDC chapter.

 

            Balancing a major green thumb and being a college student with a part-time job can make going plastic and waste-free a challenge. Daily supermarket and whole sale brand name commercials are displayed on our TV screens on the daily with customers doing their “happy” shopping with plastic or paper bags in hand and walking out of the automatic sliding doors without a care in the world. It’s a harmless picture to the audience correct? The answer is no. For the last few years global warming has brought major attention to the public eye and is a “hot topic” for current news and political discussions. According to Nasa, Earth Observatory, “Since the year 2000, land temperature changes are 50 percent greater in the United States than ocean temperature changes”. Fifty-percent is a grand number and should not be overlooked as a simple crumb on your t-shirt as President Donald Trump continues to do when brought up the topic of rising earth temperatures. Political figures dismissing concrete facts and proof of global warming such as “The May 2018 combined average temperature over the global land and ocean surfaces was 0.80°C (1.44°F) above the 20th century average of 14.8°C (58.6°F). The years 2014–2018 rank among the five warmest Mays on record, with 2016 the warmest May at +0.88°C (+1.58°F).” stated by the NOAA, surely proves the lack of help and attention global warming has been given. With that being said, Swell bottles, sustainable clothing, and luxurious eco-friendly brands and equipment are the right way to go but may hurt your wallet while trying to make a living. But you do not have to worry about choosing whether to spend or not to spend when you realize that there are many other ways to help the earth and have alternatives like the following:

 

  1. Bottle brands like Mira and Ello
  1. Reusable Bags

Waste-free doesn’t mean boring, live it up with hip reusable bags to express yourself. There are an endless amount of colors and stenciled bags to choose from

  1. Bringing you own coffee cup to café’s

   Brand: Bell and Wistles. Some coffe shops also give you a discount when you bring your own cup in. Bonus!

  1. Reusable wrapping for fruits and vegetables

You can find these on Amazon or local shops like Target and Ross

  1. Using your own straws

If you are not one for steel straws then you can always use glass ones instead. Found on Amazon or Target

 

By using these alternatives, awareness is brought to others on how important it is that we take care of the world as we would ourselves or loved ones because this world is our home and we should treat it as the roof we live under each day.  

 

A free spirit who was born and raised in sunny Miami, Fl, Valerie currently studies at Miami-Dade College and is working toward a degree in journalism in hopes of making a difference in the world by unraveling her inner activist through her writing and actions. Everyday making progress little by little.