Roommates
As of August I moved into my first apartment and am living with three other young women. I have been able to encourage them to recycle by providing a bin for them to put recyclables that are not accepted by our apartment, but there are still areas that I would like to educate them on eco-friendly alternatives. So ultimately my goal is to educate them and help them to reduce the amount of waste and recyclables that they produce. I have already purchased produce bags for them to use at the grocery store. The difficult part of achieving this goal is by educating them on the importance of making these changes in a helpful, peaceful and not aggressive way.
Sustain
If you follow my Instagram account @whenishouldbestudying awhile ago I posted the spread I use to keep track of the hours I dedicate to the sustainability club that I am a member of at my university. My goal for 2019 is to continue to work to push for sustainable changes on the university's campus.
Making a Difference
One goal that I made along with other members of Sustain was to call our government representatives every month in an effort to inform them of the what other states and governments are doing related to the environment and climate change. For example, I called my local representatives and stated that I was in support of the IPCC climate report and as a voter I expect them to read the report and act on it.
Bathroom
One area of my life where I still produce quite a bit of plastic and waste is in the bathroom. I have already taken steps to reduce the amount of waste I produce by purchasing the OrganiCup Menstrual Cup. Also with the money I get for Christmas I am going to purchase plastic free products from Lush. The plastic free products are called the Naked Products. I plan to purchase the deodorant, lotion and shampoo bar. Due to the prescriptions that I have to take due to health issues I am unable to completely reduce my use of plastic, but I am able to recycle the pill bottles and other plastic produces that I am required to use.
Getting Involved Locally
Getting out and being with likeminded environmentalist is another sustainable goal that I have for 2019. I am going to do my best to attend sustainable events on campus and in the local area. For example I would love to purchase from the local farmers market.
Education
I don't know if I have mentioned it yet on the blog, but during my third semester in college (Fall 2018) I added an environmental education minor. For the Spring 2019 semester I was offered the opportunity to be a Girl Scouts leader for a low-income elementary school. I would love to be able to teach the girls scouts about the environment and sustainability and help them to get a patch related to the topic. If this plan is achieved I plan to make a blog posted dedicated to the lesson plan, activities and how it went.
Composting
When I first moved into my apartment I planned to purchase a composting bin. Due to the other expenses of moving into my apartment I was unable to do so. Before I purchase the composting bin I need to make sure that there is a location or company that will accept my compost. This is another way in which I can encourage my roommates to practice sustainability or zero waste practices.
Food and Groceries
Also related to food, there are a couple of products that I am going to stop purchasing due to the plastic packaging. I will stop purchasing cherry tomatoes and will buy Roma tomatoes. When I buy rice I will buy it in the bulk section. I also recently found a great resource for finding zero waste grocery stores. To find a store near you check out LitterLess Where To Shop. Every week I buy a big plastic container of spinach and carrots in a plastic bag. To stop using this type of plastic I am going to contact one of the stores on the list for my area and see if I can buy spinach and carrots by putting it in a produce bag. I am also going to ask the same store if they sell laundry determent in bulk. One more grocery item I will be purchasing is loose tea from Full Leaf Tea Company. Update: I purchased the tea. I also plan to make or purchased cleaning solutions in bulk.
Say NO to Shopping
Compared to past years I did a fairly good job of only purchasing clothing items that I really needed or that were thrifted. In 2018 I also sent a lot of clothes to ThredUp or donated them. In 2019 I plan to do an even better job. When it comes to items that I do need I will look on ThredUp first and go to thrift stores before buying them from somewhere else. For more information on ThredUP check out my blog post Honest ThredUp Review. I plan to go through my clothes again and reduce the amount of clothes I have.
Correct Disposal
Something that I only learned of a few months ago was the different ways in which some products need to be disposed of or recycled. In an effort to make sure I am going this in an environmentally conscious way I will send my empty beauty related products to Pacifica Preserve Recycling Program. I will also be properly disposing of my old nail polished by taking them to a local household hazardous waste facility.
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