A Word About Being Green + Ways To Keep Clean

To the eco-friendly, On this earth day, and every day, may we all be a bit more green?

I can’t say I am the most eco-friendly person in the world nor am I the most educated on environmental issues, so please do not bash me because I get it. Instead, if I say something incorrect, I would appreciate it if you respectfully told me because this is a respectful place and I want to be as accurate and informed as I can. So if I say something, don’t be rude, but be kind in your correction. Thank you 😊 But anyway as a freshman in college, which was a year ago, I took an Humans and the Environment class that made me more aware of everything going on in the world environmentally. And it’s crazy because I took me this long in my education to learn about the ways in which we as people have been—-and are—-hurting this planet.

It’s been a while since that class, and we all know that once you take a class and you pass the test, the information flies out the window, so bare with me. But when I was in that class, it opened my eyes to how we have been burning so much fossil fuels for years and how it has been causing ozone depletion and has been raising the earth’s temperature, which has contributed to global climate change. Some people like to call it global warming because the earth is heating up and getting warm, but the earth getting warm is not only causing warming, but in other places it has been causing drastic climate changes based on that area. For example, in some areas where there used to not be a lot of moisture, it has been becoming dry. Or places with not a lot of wind, all of a sudden has a lot of win. So the climate is changing because we have been changing it.

Going along with the idea of global warming is the carbon footprint. Carbon is a big no no because it isn’t the healthiest gas for the environment.

First, it contributes to the greenhouse effect. So to understand this, a want to mention that a greenhouse gas come from fossil fuel emissions and are gases like CO2 and methane. The greenhouse effect is when greenhouse gases get trapped in the atmosphere and keeps the earth warm, acting like a greenhouse in this way. Because greenhouse gases are trapped in the atmosphere, it increases the temperature of the ocean and the land.

So for the ocean, it has been impacted in two distinctive ways: ocean acidification and a rise in sea level. Ocean acidification has been occurring because of a rise in sea level. Since the earth is warming, it has been making the ocean warmer, which makes it harder for the ocean to take in carbon dioxide as to process it through the Thermohaline Conveyor Belt or the Global Convert Belt. What this is is water near the poles are dense because it is salty and cold. Because it is more dense, the water sinks. This water flows to the Indian and Pacific ocean where the water warms up and rises because it becomes less dense, but then it becomes cold again and sinks. A cycle-like conveyer belt throughout the ocean. Through this process it buries carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but because there is so much carbon dioxide, it makes it harder for the ocean to bury the carbon. The ocean becomes acidic because it takes in a lot of carbon. When that carbon dissolves, it increases the amount of hydrogen in the ocean and it increases the acidity and lowers the PH. This in turn affects the natural life in the ocean.

So you know whenever you hear that there is a fish shortage because a lotto people are fishing? Yea, at one point it was because people were overfishing, but as of last year when I took this class, my Professor said that it wasn’t so much that we do not have enough fish now. It is because the ocean is so acidic that fish tend to pass away and that is why there are less fish, not because we are overrfishing them.

And there has been a rise in sea level because the ocean is warmer. If the ocean is warmer, it expands the water and it rises. And because the earth’s climate is generally increasing based on our human use, it has been causing sea level rising in different parts of the world, which is a real cause for concern. I know that some islands in the Pacific, mostly the Marshall Islands, is threatened to be under sea with the rate people are going in our use of fossil fuels and our carbon footprint. I will link an article below as to more on this issue.

Now really stop and think about that. A whole island with people who have families, who have a rich culture, and who are living their life have the possibility to lose their home because of our negative environmental impact. Think about that.

What have we come to with that?

Truly?

And not only has there been global climate change, rise in sea level, ocean acidification, but there have also been glacial melting.

As the name implies, glaciers have been melting. You know the things you see in the Ice Age movies or all those Animal Planet or Disney Planet shows—-the big blocks of ice where the polar bears live? Yea, those are melting! And why are they melting you ask? It’s because of global climate change, my friends. When glaciers melt, it also causes biospheres to change and this affects the natural life that lives in that area as well. And when those glaciers melt into the ocean, it also contributes to the rise in sea level because more water is entering the ocean.

There are more environmental issues going on in the world that I am not fully informed enough to talk in depth about, but I will mention some things here. I know that we have been creating too much waste that the world doesn’t know what to do with it. I never really thought about how much trash I create in a day, let alone a year, until I took this class. Because I mean, when we throw things away we don’t think anything better of it. We just think of it as a problem not seen, a problem to not care about type of thing; waste goes into garbage, garbage man takes it away, the waste leaves our mind and our life. But that waste sticks around for YYYYYYEAAAARSSSS in landfills, in ocean dumping zones, and other places around the world that it’s actually really disgusting when you think about it.

Almost 8 billion people around the world and we all create mountains of trash a day. Multiply that by 365 days for the amount of people on this earth, that’s INSANE. When you look at ocean dumping sites for waste, it really puts this idea in perspective that we aren’t even aware of the way we impact the world. I would insert a picture here, but I don’t want to get copyrighted, but if you Google ocean waste, you will see some horrendously shocking images. It made me overwhelmed when I saw that because I know that I am part of the 7 billion people on this earth that has contributed to that amount of waste.

Seeing that also made me question, where does our trash go? It doesn’t magically disappear. And according to Newton: An object is never destroyed, but transformed. So waste can’t be completely destroyed (unless ,I guess, you burn it, but then it changes form and then fire also contributes to harming the environment). It makes the situation that much complex.

Then there’s the whole water scarcity. What I learned from my class is that less than 1% of the water on Earth is the water we can pump and drink. But because there are a lot of people on earth, we have been pumping a lot more water than the aquifers (underground rock unit that stores a lot of water and allows water to flow into it easily) have been replenished. If we keep this pumping excessively without giving time for the water to replenish, there is a risk of water being scarce.

Water is tied to a lot of other environmental issues.

One being, how with urbanization, it has decreased the pathways that water can infiltrate to get to the aquifers to be pumped. Today we have a lot of houses, buildings, roads, and infrastructures that are taking up more land. That makes it harder for water to seep into the ground and into the aquifers to one day be pumped to drink. If water does not seep into the ground, it becomes run off and that water goes into rivers and oceans. And sometimes river water isn’t the cleanest and when run off mixes with ocean water, it becomes salty and undrinkable. So it begs the question of how much more are we going to build when we need to provide access for water to infiltrate the ground?

The other idea tied to water is using it for agriculture and other resources. Agriculture takes up a lot of water. A person has to water the fruits and vegetables to grow and a person has to feed and provide water to the animals to live. A lot of water goes into the food we eat, that sometimes we don’t even think about all the hands and things that goes into the meals we sit at the table with. So let’s take a moment to thank all the hands and animals (if you are a meat-eater) that worked and lived to prepare and create the food you eat. Because agriculture takes up a lot of water, people have said it’s not the best for the environment when it could be used for other things, which I do think there is a lot of reason to that. I also think that it is such a complicated topic because water is needed to nourish food. Some people have chosen to become plant-based or vegetarians because they want to limit their environmental impact based on how much water goes into agriculture, which I think is fine and very helpful. But I also know a lot of people do not or maybe can’t live with this type of lifestyle, but again it’s a very controversial subject.

Something else that I should mention is energy. We use energy everyday with our TVs, computers, car, fans, air conditioning, to even the lights in your house. Energy is everywhere. But the main source of energy? It’s the sun. The sun gives us our energy to power a majority of things we have the privilege to have today. So let’s also thank the beautiful, bold sun for all it does. Going back to the idea of fossil fuels, society has been trying to find ways to limit the use of it, but still have enough energy to power things.

For cars, a solution has been electric cars, but that has it’s negatives and positives. For energy in general, we have been trying to use solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass. All of these solutions have their pros and cons, but I think what we need is to transition into using a mix of these alternatives and find what works best. Again, not an expert, so don’t bash me, but I know that it would take a ton of land and solar panels to fully power every home, so maybe mix of alternatives would help with that. But again, I don’t know. I also have heard that people are trying to create a reflective satellite to launch into space so it reflects off the sun or something so that it can power things of earth. I’m not sure about the details of that idea, but it sounded pretty smart to me. If I find an article about it, I’ll also link it below.

Suffice to say, we have been harming the earth for far too long than it is necessary. And change needs to come now more than ever because if we keep going the way we are now, land will sink under water; more animals will pass away; climate will drastically change with drier places, wetter places; there will be no glaciers; the earth will be too darn hot; there might not be enough water for our growing population; the amount of waste we create will start to overpower us; and then we will all look back and think, “Wow, we should have done something sooner.”

We should never, NEVER get to that point. And it makes me so anxious each day to watch as our earth gets harmed or neglected by us because we do not think about caring for it. But think about how beautiful and amazing earth is. How it provides a home for us to live. We need to take care of our earth and it needs to start now.

I honestly take full shame in not knowing all these issues until literally a year ago. And I think it’s part of the problem in how most of us are unaware as to what is going on because the news doesn’t talk about it. the news doesn’t care. The government doesn’t care. Because if the environment isn’t making the government money, heck, no one cares. And not to compare it with everything going on right now, but it’s so weird to think how the government all of a sudden cares for the well-being of its people as to provide them the healthcare they need, when it’s the people who make the government. It is everyday people who work and feed into the economy and the society we live in and because people are being affected with what is going on in the world—-the economy hurting—the government cares because they aren’t making money. The environment doesn’t make money so, heck, they don’t care. And it’s like what do we have to do to make EVERYONE understand that we need to take care of mother freaking earth? I know I need to be better about it an more educated, but at least I’m self-aware and I’m trying and I think if we are all aware and try that is better than us sitting on our butts doing nothing. It starts with us and we need to be that change the world needs.

Because we will look back and regret not having done anything sooner. And right now I feel like this hits home a lot. We need to be aware and we need to be kind to the earth.

I feel like far too often as people we don’t take action until we realize it is kind of too late and this has been an ongoing issue for years. Let’s not make it too late. It will take years, undoubtedly, so heal the world. But if we start now, that is putting ourselves in a better position. We need to listen to the environmentalists, the activists, who yell at us to be environmentally conscious because they know what is up.

So let’s do mother earth a kindness and care about her.

Let’s take those steps today, tomorrow, and each day to thank her and then allow her to heal because things aren’t going to get better if we aren’t better. In high school there was a quote that hung like a huge cliché on the wall, but it said: “We are the problem, but also the solution.” In a high school setting, I felt that that was very shady to call us the problem, but it is so true. We are the problem. We burned so much fossil fuels as to cause this domino effect. But we don’t have to stay the problem. We can be the solution too.

Let’s be the solution.

So on this Earth day, I call all of you to be more educated, Google it, watch videos. DO something proactive to inform yourself. And then take action. Speak up about being sustainable or environmentally friendly. Take care of this world because you are the one who is growing up in it and you want a healthy world for yourself, your kids, your grandkids, or your grand grand kids, you need to do something now to ensure that.

I beg of you.

Take care of planet earth.

I know that some of the things I am going to list below are such minimal things you can do to positively change to heal the world, but there are bigger things you can do to. So no, do I think buying a metal straw as I am going to put on my list going to stop global climate change, but it does help reduce the amount of waste we create and harm we do to animals.

So without further ado, here are some of my little-big and big impacts that you can do to heal the world:

Little Big Things You Can Do

Reusable Metal Straws

You’ve probably heard this thousands of times, but it really does help if you think about it. I am the type of person who goes to a restaurant and doesn’t like to sip directly from the glass. Not to freak you out or anything, but for me, something doesn’t sit well knowing how many other lips have touched that same glass my lips will touch, so I use a straw. Before, I will admit, I used a ton of plastic straws because I was completely unaware to how wasteful it was. But then I realized that if I (hypothetically) go to a restaurant, let’s say, twice every weekend, then that’s four times multiplied by the fifty-two weeks in a years. That adds up.

And straws have the potential to harm innocent turtles and other marine life as you probably hear all the VSCO girls say. But it’s true.

So if you can reduce the amount of plastic straws you use, it might not be the biggest thing you can do, but it does add up to such a big change. Buy your reusable metal straws. Make it a habit to put it in your purse when you’re going out. I know it can be hard to remember to grab them, I know it was for me. But what I like to do is separate them into each purse or put it in a basket near the door, so if I know I am going out to eat, I bring them. And if you happen to forget it, that’s okay because we are human and we make mistakes, but really put in the effort to remember. Mother Earth and all the marine life will thank you 💙

And if you’re a restaurant owner, here’s my million dollar idea. I know cleaning all those reusable straws can be a hassle, but I think restaurants should have reusable straws instead of offering plastic straws so freely. I cringe when people at restaurants already put a plastic straw in my cup without asking me because it is so wasteful. So if restaurants are going to have straws, I believe it would save them money to invest in reusable straws so they don’t have to keep buying the plastic ones. And if that’s tedious and expensive, then I recommend restaurants to not offer straws unless someone asks. And if you’re asking for a straw, you best be clicking the link below 😉

Silicone Collapsible Containers

So this one might take a bit more work in using because even I am not the best at it. But hear me out because I think it’s a great idea. Not too toot my own horn or anything.

But most of us eat out. Most of us don’t eat all the food on our plates. So naturally we ask for take-out boxes, which for the most part are styrofoam takeout boxes. Now when you take that box home, then eat your leftovers, chances are you just throw that styrofoam box away. Not the most eco-friendly. Don’t worry, I’m not judging because I’m not the best at it too.

But, here comes the silicone collapsible containers. You put it in a reusable bag or your purse and then when you’re at a restaurant and you can’t finish your plate. You don’t hound down the water to bring you a styrofoam container. No siree. You take out your collapsible silicone container, you pop it up, you put your left overs in it. Put your container in your reusable bag you brought with you. Then when you go home, you put that silicone container int he fridge. Then you put your food on a plate or something, heat up those leftovers, put that container in the wash, and LOOK, you are not wasting styrofoam my friend!

See, how genius that is 🤯

I know, hold your applause 😂

I’m joking, I have a big sense of humor.

Anyway, I’m not joking about bringing a silicone collapsible container with you when you eat out because if you actually practice this and use it as I said, then you will be reducing the amount of styrofoam containers and your waste in general. And that’s amazing.

The only downside I completely understand is that no one wants to lug a reusable bag with collapsible containers to a restaurant because that looks weird. But honestly, I would much rather see people out here bringing their own containers from home to restaurants then asking for a take-out container. Because that to me shows consciousness. And consciousness is attractive. So don’t be afraid to get the stares from people if you pop out a container because who the heck cares what other people think. Maybe they’ll look at you and think what a great idea it is. Or maybe they’ll judge you, but when they judge you, I want you to think about how you are making an impact and if you want to say, “I am reducing my waste,” to those people who give you the look, they won’t have anything to say to that because, I mean, what can you say to that?

I also know it’s hard to remember to take the containers, but you can split it between purses. Or what I like to do is put the containers in a small lunchbox, reusable bag thing and then bring it with me to a restaurant. But you can’t make it obvious it’s a lunchbox, it has to be a stylish lunchbox because then they’ll think something’s up. But keep that set-up ready to go in your car or near the door, so you know to take it. Everything helps.

Hydrate in Style: Insulated Bottles

So we all know about the insulated water bottles, or more popularly known as the hydro flask. Such an ingenious invention or idea if you ask me. It keeps your liquids warm or cold for extended periods of time. I can’t believe that we lived in a period where we never had hydro flasks at some point because what the heck was I doing with my water? I probably used those plastic cup things that had no insulation whatsoever. And you know how when you put ice in those bottles, they start to condensate on the outside. Not a fan.

But having an insulated water bottle is a game changer if you do not have one. You don’t even need to put water in it, but if you don’t drink enough water, it’s a good way to hold yourself accountable to drink the whole bottle and fill it up again. Using an insulated water bottle helps because it means you should not be using plastic water bottles as much.

Hydro Flasks, tend to be pricey, but I think that it is such a worthwhile investment in the long run. Because if you use it everyday for years, you get your money’s worth out of it. If you have it for years, make sure to clean it every so often because they can get smelly on the inside depending what you put inside. I also recommend not using your flask anymore if inside starts to rust because that’s not healthy.

Since hydro flasks have become such a popular commodity, there have been cheaper alternatives. Some can be found on Amazon, which I have linked to one of the brands I like below. I also know TJ Maxx, Ross’s, and Marshalls’s sells hydro flasks of other brands that are just as functional and cute. A lot of my hydro flasks are from there as well. Target has hydro flasks, but they tend to be bit more pricey than TJ Maxx, Ross’s, and Marshalls’s, but not as pricey as the actual hydro flask brand.

Now the off brands of hydro flasks aren’t bad if you ask me. They all do their job. What I recommend when you get a hydro flask, is to get a cleaning brush to scrub the inside. I also recommend to get a silicone bottom cover because if you drop your hydro flask, the most impact happens at either the bottom or the top. So having a silicone bottom, protects the bottom from denting. If you don’t want the top to dent, I think you have to get the full-body silicone wrap for the hydro flask. You can search those on Amazon or Google. I would link them, but I don’t know what sized bottle you might purchase or what type of non-dents you might want.

But definitely look into getting an insulated bottle.

Any reusable bottle

Kind of going of the reusable bottles, I wanted to mention you could use any reusable bottle. Much like with the straws and the containers, when you go out to Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Dunkin’ you can (I think) as them to use your bottle instead of putting it in a plastic cup. Doing this also reduces the amount of plastic waste you use.

Reusable Bags In All Forms

I don’t know about where you live, but where I live, we have to bring our own reusable bags to the grocery store. Such a great shift if you ask me. It’s easier to take a reusable bag to the grocery store because for the most part, they don’t have bags for us, but it’s much harder to remember to bring a reusable bag to the mall. So try to find pocket sized, reusable bags that you can put in your purse/bag or to carry around with you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a reusable bag in your hands when you’re out shopping. It means you’re trying to do good.

Produce Bags

Part of reusable bags is reusable produce bags.

We all buy fresh produce and when we do, we often have to look for those rolls by the produce with the plastic bags. Yea, not anymore you don’t.

Because that is not only wasteful, but it uses a lot more plastic that you don’t need to be using. Because chances are when you use that bag, you take your produce out of it and then throw that bag away. Good on you, if you reuse those bags, but no shame if you don’t. But I think we can all be better by saying no to those plastic produce bags and making the effort to have reusable produce bags. It serves as the same concept as bringing your own reusable bags to the grocery store.

So why not go all out and bring the full army of reusable bags, am I right?

Below, I linked two types of reusable produce bags that I recombined. The first link is a traditional white mesh reusable bags and then other one is a more aesthetic, girl-walking-through-the-locla-grocery-store kind of vibe. It has a more netted feel to it. Both are cute. So look into buying one. You won’t regret it!

Zip bloc bags

I bet we all use zip bloc bags too. Don’t you lie to me. Or yourself.

You probably have a drawer full of zip blocs from the gallon sized, the snack sized, the freezer size, etc. When you’re done with those zip blocs, where do they go? I bet they go into the black trash bin. Or you reuse them, which is good.

But if you constantly throw away your zip bloc bags, that’s plastic that is sitting in the landfill with all the other zip bloc bags people threw away. And pretty soon there will be a party of zip bloc bags. And no one wants that. Or, well, I hope you don’t.

So really take the time to buy reusable zip bloc bags. If you buy them, buy two sets if you need to. But don’t keep buying plastic zip bloc bags that you will throw away. Don’t you throw away these reusable zip bloc bags either because that’s not any better. And people come and say, well, replacing plastic with even more plastic isn’t eco-friendly and I hear you, but having reusable zip bloc bags with a silicone feel to it, makes it easier to wash and reuse and hopefully people will keep them around for a long time to wash and reuse them. So in that way I hope it creates less waste with the overall plastic use. But I get it.

So help out, buy some reusable zip bloc bags. It’s just one click.

Bees Wax Paper

Going off of plastic, saran wrap is highly used when it comes to wrapping food. But I have an alternative you can use instead. It is reusable, it’s eco-friendly, and it leaves no plastic waste.

Try purchase bees wax paper. It tends to be expensive, but you will reuse its, so it’s worth your money if you ask me.

Degradable Trash Bags

If you are throwing away trash, do it right.

Instead of using the heavy duty black trash bags, make the environmental effort to purchase compostable or degradable trash bags because that works so much better than constantly using a lot of plastic bags. I am not too sure as to how the trash bag degrades, but I hope that it does as the name intends.

Also, if you have a pet, you should invest in the right type of poop bags too! The one I linked is expensive, but it has a lot of bags that will last you a long time, so again, a good investment.

Is Your Faucet Running? You Better Go Turn It Off

One of my biggest pet peeves (and no shade if you do this) is when people run their water when they are washing their hands, brushing their teeth, washing the dishes, or just leaving the gosh darn faucet going.

That’s a lot of wasted water people are literally putting down the drain. Water that is so valuable as I mentioned before. That water is being wasted and put back into whatever place that unclean water goes, for nothing besides the fact that a person just wanted to run the water.

TURN THAT FAUCET OFF!

You do not need to have that faucet running when you are lathering your hands with soap. You don’t need it on when you’re toothbrush is in your mouth. NO. NO. NO.

You turn the faucet off, give your hands a quick rinse, then you close that sucker. You pump the soap, lather your hands, and THEN you turn the faucet back on. You don’t need to keep it running.

There are so many people in the world who do not even have access to clean water, so please be kind as to not waste your access. It’s something we don’t think about and we take for granted. We think that water just magically comes into our pipes all the time.

No, sir.

People had to clean that water before it reached the faucet it flows from. It had to go through all those pipes underneath you. And that doesn’t come easy. And water doesn’t come freely. So don’t waste it.

And do not be wasteful in the shower too or bath too.

Take a shower, of course, but don’t leave the water on when you soap up your hair and body because that’s also being a bit wasteful. And try to also be better on not taking too long of a shower either. I also understand that we all need to pamper ourselves every once and a while——we need those Lush-bath-bomb-soak-in-the-tub kind of day. I get it. But don’t do it every single day. Filling up your tub to sit in a mass amount of water 365 days a year isn’t the most environmentally friendly. Take your bath, but do it in moderation.

But you may ask, isn’t a shower equivalent or even worse than a bath? Yea, I guess it might be. So whatever you do, just be conscious of how much water you use. And always be grateful for it.

Thank you.

Not Using it, Turn it Off

A rule of thumb to save electricity.

And money.

If you are genuinely not using something—–the lights, the fan, the TV, the AC, etc—–please do mother earth and yourself a favor and turn it off.

Invest in Energy Alternatives

This kind of relates to the last one with being about energy.

Solar Panels and Photovoltaic are hot 😉

If you have the money to afford it, maybe you should look into solar panels or photovoltaic panels for your house.

What is the difference?

Solar panels only takes the heat from the sun to heat your water.

Photovoltaic panels (PV) panels are more expensive because they actually captures the sun’s UV rays and converts in into electricity. These only work during the day when the sun is out, but it works on cloudy days, but not as well. I am not too clear if my memory is correct, but I think my Professor talked about PV panels and said that because your house is creating it’s own energy, that you don’t have to pay that much with electricity bills. But you can correct me if I’m wrong. But I thought that was interesting because it serves as a good investment in the long run.

So if you are interested in a green, switch, I recommend looking into one of these options.

Keep it low, low-flow toilets that is

Now if you can afford it, low-flow toilets is the way to go. I mean, it can save water when you constantly have to go. So it’s worth your while for the environment.

Zoom Zoom Zoom with those Electric Cars

This one is definitely more pricey, so you should really think about whether or not you choose to invest in this. It does help with cutting back with the carbon emissions, but it also has its cons.

Some people i heard who have bought electric cars have said that it’s kind of a hassle to charge the car all the time. Especially if you like to go on long road trips, you always have to make sure your car is charged and that you have enough energy to travel to and from your destination. Some people say that they have to stay long at charging stations, waiting until their car is full. I have never owned an electric car, so I don’t know too much about its maintenance, so you should probably do your research before hand or ask a dealership person about it. However, I heard that most cars have backup gas or mileage, so you won’t get completely stuck. But still be cautious of that.

If you do purchase an electric car that’s great because every bit helps, but if you can’t because it’s not for you or it’s expensive, there are other ways.

Hop on that natural energy mobile

That means to bust out the bikes, the trikes, the scooters, the Ripsticks, or the roller blades. Anything that doesn’t require electricity or fossil fuels. Cutting back on the amount of time you drive helps and you can do that by traveling to places in a cool way—-a natural way. If you live five minutes from the library, instead of driving there, take a scooter. If you live ten minutes from your grocery store, ride a bike with a basket there. If you live an hour away from work, I don’t recommend taking a bike because that requires a lot of energy and exertion, but heck if you want to, do so. But be very mindful of how you can travel to places and what can save you gas, money, and ultimately save the earth in a little big way.

Oh, the places you’ll go. . . when you walk

But, you know, before there were cars, there were feet. Everyone got to places by walking. So go walk to the grocery store. Walk to your friends house. Of course, do it safely, but walking is good for exercise and you can reconnect with the environment you are trying to save.

Eat Wholesome Food

Now I’m not saying go be a vegetarian or a vegan because that lifestyle or food choice isn’t for everyone. But be aware of what you eat and be thankful. As I mentioned earlier with this post, sometimes we don’t think about all the hands or work that went into the food we eat before we eat it. So really take the time to be grateful because food doesn’t appear out of thin air for your beck and call.

What I also mean by eat wholesome food is eat local produce and clean food that isn’t harmful to the environment like GMOs or things like that. People will always try to scare others and say GMOs are unhealthy or wrong and in some ways it is, but if you think about it, a lot of foods today are GMO. The only way it it’s wrong if people use a harmful chemical or unethical practices to do so, but there are GMO potatoes, strawberries, bananas, and other things that we eat that we don’t know is GMO because there is no label. But if you are conscious of what you eat, try to eat wholesome food that is clean and authentic.

Be Aware of Fast Fashion

So fast fashion. We’ve all been there, sopped that without even knowing.

But we live in a world where people are on the race to produce all kinds of trends in a snap. I mean, stores switch out there clothes every week or every season. Do you ever think what happens to all the clothes that don’t get sold? What happens to unwanted clothes that are donated?

Sometimes the clothes that don’t get sold, get put on sale so they do get sold. But those not, can either go to large department stores to try to get sold again. Or they go to big companies where they are either burned or discarded. When unwanted donated clothes don’t get purchased, they go to these factories too. And the same things happen.

But you see, there are a lot of things wrong with this. First, burning clothes releases harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. And you know those fabrics you think are very “soft,” and “luxurious?” Yea, those are called polyester, modal, rayon, and all those fabrics that are not safe. And you know when you read on the tag, keep away from fire? Yea, it’s because those fabrics are highly flammable in comparison with fabrics such as wool or cotton.

Second, fabrics today are inauthentic and not biodegradable, so when they are tossed away in land fills, they don’t degrade.

So we have to be aware of fast fashion and the harms of it. Because clothes are literally made to just over our bodies and there is no reason to push out new clothes every week because that’s not sustainable. Sometimes clothes that are fast fashion don’t even last past a month or so and when that gets put in the trash, it’s just another thing that won’t degrade.

So what is good fashion?

Use Degradable Fabrics

Cotton is one degradable fabric because it comes from natural fibers. But cotton takes a lot of water to grow, so that’s a harm that comes with using solely cotton. So yes, cotton is a good alternative fabric to use because it is natural, but maybe not the best.

Wool is a better option. Wool comes from sheep and I am not saying we should shave all the sheep in the world because that is RIDICULOUS. But we should switch to not mass producing so much in a year and really create staple pieces that will last us a long time. We can do that with wool because wool is a sturdy, strong fabric.

It won’t stink no matter how long you wear it, it is not itchy, it is soft, and it is sustainable. It will degrade, which is a great bonus. Wool used to be used a lot back then with wool suits and coats, but we have weaned off of wool over years on the notion that it is itchy or so we could produce things at a faster rate.

But we really don’t need to create as much as we do today.

So let’s shift to wool and shift to stop mass producing.

Another type of fabric that I was told is becoming popular and is sustainable is hemp. No it will not make you high, but hemp can be used to make backpacks, pants, and all kind of clothes and it is eco-friendly. I heard that Levi’s has a hemp pant line, but I’m not too sure.

All I know is that if this is a fabric that is eco-friendly then we should really be utilizing it.

Thrift It!

Thrifting is another way to be fast fashion conscious. Majority of people love to shop, so if we do shop, let’s make an effort to go thrift shopping. It goes with the whole reduce, reuse, recycle idea. And thrifting is such a fun hobby and you can find pretty neat finds for cheap. Where I live we don’t have many thrift stores, but I would love to thrift shop because I know some places have REALLY good finds. And you don’t even need to thrift clothes, you can buy jewelry, purses, shoes, house decor, or furniture. You can DIY those things—-make it your own. But what’s fun with thrifting is that you never know what you will find and it’s like a scavenger hunt, trying to pick up pieces along the way until you find that one treasure or find that suits you best.

So be thrifty!

Upcycle It!

Upcycling is taking thrifted clothes or scraps of fabrics and turning it into new clothes. It’s can be such a fun skill you can pick up. You can learn how to sew, mend clothes, and create something uniquely you. And when someone asks you where you got your clothes, you can tell, them it is literally one of a kind.

Ethical Practices

This is something else to be conscious of when you purchase clothes—–or things in general. Sometimes (like food) we don’t think about where the clothes/product we buy came from. To be better about that, really look at the tag and see where the clothes are made from. Or you can look into a store’s company policies and practices to see if they are being ethical with their production and sustainability.

There is an app I was told about recently called Good On You where it rates stores and their production, sustainability, and ethical practices. It’s more of an informational app rather than an app where you can buy things, but it would be “good on you,” to be good about learning how your clothes/product came to be.

Ship It Your Way

Another part of the carbon footprint that most of us don’t think about is how we ship things. Shipping things require the use of planes, which use a ton of fossil fuels.

In most cases, you can’t control how you ship thing or how you get things, but I was recently told you can change how you get things shipped to you on Amazon. And I bet you use Amazon 😉

So what you do is:

1. Open your Amazon account

2. Go to help/customer service

3. Go to contact us. Use their chat option.

4. On the chat, request to make all future orders plastic-free with minimal packaging and if they need to, request degradable packaging materials like paper. This information will be saved to your account for future orders.

So not, really about the package being shipped to you, because it has to come somehow and use some sort of energy, but cutting back on all the plastic that comes with the product you’re getting does make a difference even if it doesn’t feel like it. I know I get those Amazon orders with excessive plastic coating the bottom, the big bubble wrap puffer plastic things to cover the top, and yet all I got was a book. So cutting back on plastic in this way would be helpful too.

Big Things You Can Do

Speak Up, Be Proud

This is the most important big thing you can do to help the environment. If you stay quiet, nothing will change because no one knows what you are thinking unless you speak up for yourself. If you see someone running that faucet, politely tell them to turn it off. If you see someone wasting a bunch of plastic or using is excessively, talk with them openly about reducing their use. If your school uses a lot of plastic or isn’t being eco-friendly, talk to someone at your school so things can change.

You make the difference.

For me, it’s hard to speak up to others when I see them doing little things that aren’t the healthiest for the environment. I don’t want to offend them of be pushy, but at the same time I always remind myself that we all need to be better and no one’s going to if no one says anything. So I try. My family gets mad at me when I give them the look to turn the faucet off or if I say, “Don’t use a straw,” or “Let’s buy reusable plastic bags,” or something. But I’d rather they get mad at me, knowing I said my peace rather than just being quiet.

So speak up.

Use your voice.

You are the future.

The world needs you.

Influence Others

This kind of relates to speaking up. If you speak up, it hopefully will make other people conscious of their actions to be better. My dad used to run his faucet whenever he would brush his teeth and I told him to close it. Now he does. It became natural.

Tell others to buy reusable straws, insulated bottles, collapsible containers, reduce fast fashion consumption, or other ways to be eco-friendly or sustainable. Because, again, maybe they aren’t aware of what is going on in the world and they need to be reminded that there are things bigger than them.

Be a positive influence for change. People change people and people can change the world for worse of for better.

Let’s make it the latter.

Get Educated

When they say education is key or education is power, they are not lying. Because when you have the knowledge about something, it makes you empowered to use it. It’s what got me more aware as to my harm on the environment. So if you don’t know about the environmental issues that are going on, I highly suggest taking a class about it. There are online classes, there might be classes at your university, or for my younger ones not in college, you can search online different environmental topics to be informed. Read environmental magazines, books, or follow environmental activists online to be informed. Maybe environmental activists might not always be the most unbiased or credible source, but it is a starting point to be educated.

One of the biggest things I was scared of with writing this blog post was that I was not educated enough to write it. My intention isn’t to make anyone feel bad if they haven’t been the most sustainable or to provide false information. I just wanted to share what I learned through my class and how it changed my whole outlook of what it means to live. When you are aware of things going on in the world, no matter how hard you want to forget it—–to live in obliviousness—-you can’t. You can either push those thoughts away, or you can use what you know to act on them.

I try my best to act on what I know each day.

Sometimes I am good at it and sometimes I am not. But we have to be aware of what is going on because it is not a minsscule issue. It is affecting the entire world in subtle ways that we as a society don’t deem important because the media or the governments hides it from us or glosses it over like nothing. When it’s a big thing. If we keep going on the path we are with everything, the world will NOT look so pretty and it will not be livable. And who’s fault will it be?

We have to start now.

Change is toady.

Change is the present.

Because we can’t keep pushing this to the side, acting like everything is fine when Mother Earth is crying in glaciers, burning in anger, bitter with acidic oceans, or dying with coral bleaching. She’s pleading with us to be better. We ignore it because we want to keep living this “prime” life, but who says we can’t be environmentally friendly and also live a good life.

Point being, get educated about what’s going on in the world. If you know, then you’ll understand why it’s so important to do everything you can to help.

Community Days

This can mean beach clean-ups, pick up the trash at the park, or getting outside with others to preserve wildlife and floral and fauna. It’s all about being with others who share the same drive as you to want to protect the world. So go to those community days no matter how hot it is, no matter how early you have to get up in the morning. Because trust me, it’s worth it when you do something goo.

Get Involved

Going off of community days, getting involved means going to the protests, speaking up on social media your beliefs, or organizing things to make people aware. If you take the time to get involved with the environmental issues, you are doing so much.

Do Your Part

Really do your part. Because no matter how much you tell people to do their part, you can’t actually change people unless they want to change. Sounds counter productive to what I said earlier about influencing others. It is. I am not saying don’t try to influence others because it’s not going to work, Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn’t. But if you do your part in trying, that’s the best you can do.

Someone has to want to change.

And if they can’t, you keep doing you.

You be proactive in the little big ways or the monumental changes.

No matter what, all it takes is one person to make a difference. When others see that, they being to follow and that creates a line of people making a difference. It takes you. Be the person who leads and influences others to be like you one day.

Thank you for reading or skimming this post all the way to the end. It really does mean a lot. Sorry if this also came across as a tangent or imposing, but I just wanted to share my knowledge, which I know isn’t that much or might be invalid, but I tried my best to use my notes and research. But again, I’m no expert.

If you have any eco-friendly or sustainable ways or tips that I didn’t mention, feel free to comment them below. And please be kind to each other in the comments.

I hope you took away something useful or positive from this and if you did, make sure to share it with others.

Let’s change the world together one person at a time.

Have a beautiful and wonderful day, whenever and wherever you might be reading this! And don’t forget to do something that would make Mother Earth proud today and everyday 💕

And as always, with love,