My sustainability journey started in my second semester of college in a persuasive communications course where the main objective was to persuade my classmates on a topic of my choice. Before this project, I knew very little of the importance of being environmentally sustainable, but I decided to dive deeper into the facts. Frankly, by doing this project I convinced myself to become environmentally sustainable.
Before I did this project, I participated in the typical reduce, reuse and recycle, but I never knew about the impact these three acts have on our Earth.
When I was doing my research, I discovered many stats that surprised me.
“There will be more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2050.”
Gatehouse, Jonathon
The quote above caught me by surprise because I was not aware of this information before, which led me to start digging deeper. Oceana, an ocean advocacy organization, mentions that every minute, two garbage trucks full of plastic are going into the oceans. This let me put in perspective how much litter is going into our ocean. It may seem like 2050 is far away, but it will come around the corner sooner than we know it.
In less than 26 years, our Earth will be covered with litter if we do not start to advocate for change now.
Understanding The Impact
After giving the speech for my persuasive communication class, I knew I needed to advocate for our Earth and share the word with others more often.
My sister started her journey before me, but I did not know anything else other than it is good to recycle when you can and compost your eggshells.
During the research process for my project, I found out more information about how much waste there is on our Earth. This is what opened my eyes to change what I throw away and buy; there is so much textile waste, plastic waste and litter that is covering our Earth!
Convincing Myself to Change
After my research, my findings convinced me to change my daily routines and what I consume. I wanted to join the zero waste mission on my own, and to do this I began to advocate for buying less. For example, there is no need to have a big wardrobe; it will just end up in a landfill eventually unless it is donated and reused. I also advocate for doing small sustainable switches that anyone can participate in.
ending My use of Plastic Toothbrushes
I always used to use the plastic toothbrushes the dentist gave me every time I visited. Then after my research process, I found that a plastic toothbrush that you use for only three months will be on the Earth longer than you — around 400 years. However, a bamboo toothbrush can decompose in four to eight months in a compost bin. I would much rather have my toothbrush decompose quickly rather than stay on the Earth after I am no longer here.
Starting the Use of Reusable Bags
I love using reusable bags. They are cheap (usually around one dollar), and I typically get my reusable bags from farmers’ markets or fairs where they give the bags out for free.
Now that you have the reusable bags, what do you do with them?
Taking a trip to the grocery store will be so much easier. Now you only need to bring a few reusable bags instead of using a ton of plastic bags. Participating in the use of reusable bags helps divert single-use plastics. Yes, you could reuse the plastic bags as a trash bag, but that is about it. Using reusable bags is easier, more convenient and creates less waste.
Ditching Paper Towels
In the past year, I noticed how many paper towels my parents used every day. It would be for simple things, such as wiping their hands off after washing them or cleaning up a small spill. A sustainable switch is to use dishcloths or, even better, Swedish dishcloths. This type of dishcloth is a reusable paper towel that cleans up spills just like a paper towel but can be used up to 200 times. This switch will help you save so much money and decrease the amount of waste you create.
switching to A Reusable Water Bottle
I think switching to a reusable water bottle is one of the simplest eco-friendly switches and saves a lot of money in the long run.
You may think that doing the small things will not do anything, but if 7 billion people changed one thing then that means 7 billion plastic bottles were not used, 7 billion plastic bottles were not littered and 7 billion bottles were saved or, even better, recycled and used again.
Why I Care
Not everyone understands why I care so much about the Earth and changing to more sustainable options. Personally, I think it is unfair to the innocent ocean animals who mistake plastic for food every day. I think it is unfair for low-income people to suffer physically and mentally due to air pollution. I think it is unfair for future generations to deal with what older generations failed to confront.
It is time for a change.
The Earth is in our hands, literally.