3 ways to help your mother š this Earth Day
Your plastic, fashion, and diet choices can have more of an impact than you think
Earth Day is April 22nd, so I want to share a few things Iām doing to at least feel like Iām helping mother earth.Ā
āBe the changeā ā¦ am I right?
Donāt worry, Iām not trying to project any personal tree-hugging beliefs on you, nor would I ever tell anyone what I think they āshouldā be doing.
But from my research and the influences of my travels, lifestyle, and network, Iāve learned how my choices can impact the environment; this is across everything I do, from what I buy, eat and drink, to what I wear.
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My general philosophy is one where the less of a footprint I have, the better.
The less I consume, the greater of an impact I can make.
My attitudes on conservation generally manifest among three key themes: what Iām using, what Iām wearing, and what Iām eating.
In short: itās about how I regard plastics, fashion, and food.
Here are ways I try to be more resourceful and environmentally conscious in daily life.
Avoid single-use plastics; cut down overall plastic exposure
Plastic waste is everywhere.
Itās slow-degrading and microplastic pollution has seeped into oceans we swim in, the intestines of beloved marine life, and even in our packaged foods.
No surprise itās also been detected in our blood, urine, and breast milk.
However, its use cases are many and in some cases unavoidable.
But I found out that plastic recycling is mostly a ruse and very few plastics, less than 10% in fact, can be totally recycled.Ā
Such pollution has only become omnipresent in the most recent decade, so it's hard to tell what long term effects teeny tiny plastics will have on our bodies in 20 or 30 yearsā time.Ā
But it canāt be good.
As plastics break down, what else are they releasing into our environment and ourselves?
In the meantime, I'm doing my best to avoid any single-use plastics in the form of reusable canvas or cloth shopping bags, metal utensils, glass and reusable bottles, and reusable makeup and travel containers.Ā
Avoid fast fashion; cut down textile waste
Earlier this year I wrote about how I'm not buying any new clothes in 2024, with a few exceptions, such as travel souvenirs or protective fitness or UPF clothing, or when I have to replace lost or damaged items.
Iām happy to say this experiment is going well so far.
Itās been freeing to not have the compulsion to buy new clothes, nor anxiety to āneedā anything when skipping by sale windows and promotional emails.Ā
Fast fashion is incredibly destructive and takes advantage of cities where the discards go to die.Ā
Remember, a lot of times you'll find that you already have what you need in your closet, and if you donāt, then a used or pre-loved version of it is probably available to borrow, or at a vintage or thrift store, or on Poshmark.
How and what you buy and eat can make a significant impact
Try this fun experiment: Go to your local grocery store and try to buy things that arenāt wrapped or packaged in plastic.
Youād be lucky to come out with even 5 items.Ā
Everything is touched by plastic and if not directly, then itās likely tagged or embellished with a cellophane wrap or plastic lid or wrap.Ā
Again, in some cases plastics are unavoidable but when possible, your food-buying choices can help with plastic reduction, for example:
Plastic bags: Try not to use plastic bags for your fruits and vegetables. Bring your own netted bags and reusable canvas or shopping bags.
Coffee: I've written about my coffee ritual, and how I prepare my daily pourover.
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Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserI grind my beans, boil my water with a metal gooseneck tea kettle, and use a ceramic Hario V60 coffee dripper with brown Hario paper filters; the filters are compostable.
When I feel like an espresso, I use an aluminum Bialetti Moka.
These methods help me reduce my overall plastic exposure to traditional home coffee machines, where drip filters and water chambers are plastic (not to mention, hard to clean, and over time I donāt want to think about whatās building up internally).
I also avoid single-serve Keurig or K-Cup machines. Not only are you preparing your coffee in a machine that's full of plastic, youāre also contributing to single-use plastic K-cup waste. Though they are working on a solution, I simply prefer the taste of a slower, freshly brewed pourover or espresso.Water: Remember what I mentioned above about microplastics? Well, in Miami, PFAs and microplastics have already made their way into the tap supply.
So, I purchased reusable BPA-free containers and then refill them at the Whole Foods water dispenser. The cost-per-fill is way more economical than buying expensive and wasteful plastic water bottles.
The Whole Foods water refill station is a literal lifesaver When Iām in Charlotte, I utilize my Samsung fridgeās water filter, which claims to filter out 99% of tap water contaminants.
You may also be interested in general about the rise of the plastic bottled water industry.ĀBuy what youāll cook, cook what youāll eat: When I lived in London, it was common to pass through the local village markets each night on your way home and pick up fresh produce or meats that you would prepare that night or the next.
In New York, it was as much as you could carry on your walk home, if you didnāt live close to a grocery store, and if you werenāt using Instacart.
In other parts of the U.S., however, weāre used to driving to the store for one or two massive grocery hauls per week.
This can result in overbuying and stocking, and in turn, a potential for lots of food waste. So be realistic when grocery shopping and buy what youāre actually going to cook and consume before things start expiring.Food choices: Your food choices and habits can help the environment. Yes. Check out what will happen to sushi in 50 years, and how eating just one or two meals per week with less or without meat can help make a difference.Ā
So, what Iām using, what Iām wearing, and what Iām eating are the three main conservation pillars that guide much of my consumer behavior.
Personally, itās all become habit and now I, I find it to live by anything else.
Try them for yourself and let me know how it goes!Ā
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Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok
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