I tell the story of when I was listening to show where the respected commentator asked a panel of sustainability experts repeatedly: “What are you doing to affect sustainability in your everyday life.” For a long time, the educated and interesting members of the speaker panel did not answer this simple question. It was evaded’ ignored. Finally a young gentleman said something of an answer: “I took a water bottle [given at this conference] the first day and have been refilling it with the tap water in my hotel room”.
Simple, beautiful, green.
Giving up on making a difference towards our stainability on this planet is NOT AN OPTION. Do not fall for the excuse that nothing will change or it’s too late… Stop that! Reframe. You can choose to make one or two little tweaks in your life, form a habit and make a difference.
Easy Peasy. Here are 10 Tips tips – Pick one or two! My gift to you:
- Water bottles, as mentioned above, bring your own water bottle(s). I carry two at times. A thermos for the remains of my morning tea, and another larger one with water. Or reuse a given bottle a few times before recycling it.
- STOP buying plastic water bottles. Buy an aluminum water bottle or two and use them daily. Graduates who have already done this, stop buying plastic, period. That is wildly more difficult. Find the grocery stores with bulk food.
- Recycle books. Everyone can use them. They were made from trees. They educate us. Most donation centers and libraries will take them.
- Take a tour of your local community waste management (recycle/trash) service. Ask questions.
- Don’t Litter. I thought we all had this one already.
- Designate a (sealed, hard plastic) bin somewhere in the household to collect expired (toxic!) batteries. Put it in a shared hallway if you live in a multi-unit space. Hardware stores will take your batteries. Your local municipal waste management firm may do as well.
- Stop shopping for a while. Only consumables (food, toilet paper) for a month or two makes an impact. Even a day or a week is important. No shopping Sunday’s. No shopping on the first of the month. you got this…
- Install a programmable thermostat.
- Take a trip to the donation place! Make it an annual household errand you run together and then have ice cream after. It’s easier to keep a fun habit.
And here’s your inspiration,
Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” …make that change!
Michael Jackson Tribute, also sad
The Poem, Excerpt of “Make That Change” by Michael Jackson