|
We have just about gone through the first month of 2021 and wow was it yet another wild month! I think as we go through a prolonged hardship such as this pandemic there is no wrong way to move your sustainability journey forward! I have been taking small and manageable steps so that I am not overwhelmed or feel as if I have failed the “save the world” task.
For example, I have recently switched to toothpaste tabs from my homemade toothpaste. This is my first time trying them. The first few days it was a weird adjustment to the texture and concept of biting down on something that feels equivalent to a breath mint. I do enjoy the simplicity of just popping them in my mouth -- and the foaming feels like proper toothpaste. I bought the toothpaste tabs from the company Bite. I had heard of them for a long time so I tried them first. I am a fan and will continue to use them. I might try other companies in the future just to compare. When I received the package from Bite it came in an appropriately-sized cardboard box with minimal extra papers for protection and explanations. As someone who cares a lot about reducing packaging and unnecessary plastic, I appreciate the time and effort they put towards how they ship their products. From a visual standpoint, their design was cute, fun and made the experience that much more pleasurable. In more momentous news about shifts, the Trump era has now shifted to the Biden era. Already we have seen immediate changes. I by no means think Biden will be the total solution or hero to the climate crisis; I just want to mention the stark difference, starting with that he believes it is real and needs to be addressed. For starters he has signed an order to rejoin the Paris Agreement. This gives me some hope for the future of our planet and country as we need to make drastic changes immediately. We can already see the effects of our impact and in order to have a future we need to leave the use of oil, plastics, and over consumption something of the past. Of course this is an incredible shift that needs to be made. We can all do our part to create the future that we want to see by voting, making the changes that you can as an individual, and supporting companies who are making being green and ethical a priority. One thing that we can do without spending any more is to sign petitions that we believe in and to spread the knowledge that we do know. You can find petitions to sign on Change.org If you ever feel like you do not have any power, January just proved you wrong between the storming of the capitol by domestic terrorists to what happened with the GameStop stocks. There is power in community, there is power numbers, we the people can create change together. Of course positive change and impact are the goals. Something I want to highlight during this financially difficult time are “buy nothing” pages on Facebook. If you search your location with the words “buy nothing” you can (most likely) find a page where people who are local to you are giving away items that they no longer need but are still valuable. If you can’t find one for your area you can create one! I love this idea because so many usable items head to the landfill when others could be using them. Another similar page on Instagram (unfortunately only NY specific) is @stoopingnyc where they post mostly furniture that people have left out on the curb for free. I have found perfectly good furniture on the side of the road before, including an excellent shelf that I found and use in my closet. These communal pages help keep things out of the landfill while we help those in our community. What’s not to love? No matter where you are on your journey or how small you next step is, we create a chain reaction and make an impact. Everyone who voted for Biden made an impact. Every swap or plastic free item you buy makes an impact by telling companies that there is less of a demand for plastic. Every item that is rehomed keeps it out of the landfill. Our small steps make for a great impact, so keep doing what you can because it matters.
1 Comment
We finally made it to the first day of 2021! I can hardly believe it, it just feels like a timeless dream. Last year was chock full of hardships for both the individuals of our planet as well as for the planet itself. We started off with the devastating bush fires in Australia, where they lost 46 million acres. California also had its worst fire season to date. San Francisco glowed red due to how much smoke filled the skies. On the opposite side of the dryness, we had 30 named storms, which also is an all-time record, and 13 hurricanes. Puerto Rico was hit with several large earthquakes. There was also major flooding in Vietnam and Cambodia as well as super Typhoons in the Philippines and Vietnam. Not to mention, most of these disasters occured while we were going through the COVID-19 global pandemic.
I want to take a moment to appreciate the privilege that I have to be able to have survived 2020. Thanks to all of the healthcare and frontline workers who have helped the rest of us get through the year, and to continue to fight the pandemic. On this blog I talk about how I make moves towards my sustainability journey, but today I want to remind both myself and you that being perfect is not more important than doing what is best for your health and well being. I didn’t make as many strides towards lowering my impact on the planet during 2020 but I did my best to keep myself and my family safe from the virus. I am happy for the few things that I was able to do because it isn’t about making all the changes at once but making changes that last. Happy New Year and stay safe! |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed