i am what you read

This is a biggie!

Yes, we all need to do our parts and not leave it up to another person to do it for you. I honestly believe that if everyone did at least one thing all the time then it would help make an impact. Meaning…using reusable bags for your shopping. Yes, it’s a hassle to remember to grab them when you get out of the car. But after a while it becomes second nature. Plus, eventually (knock on wood), stores will stop using those ridiculous plastic bags that end up in landfills, gutters, water drainage systems, lakes, trees, rivers, oceans…you get the picture.

I wrote our city official once about stopping the use on the island, since so many were just flying around the island in the wind and found in trees/bushes and on the beach. Their response to me was…we can’t do that. So many major cities charge for use of plastic bags and a lot offer the choice of brown paper bags, so why do we even have the option of plastic when it has been proven time and time again to be bad for our environment.

We have reusable bags purchased from Amazon and reusable cold/hot food bags from Walmart. They didn’t cost much and have come in very handy. We even bought these click things that you can “click” bags into the hooks and place them on your shoulders for easier carrying. We also, thanks to living on the second floor, purchased one of those shopping carts with wheels that allow us to pull it up the stairs after we put our groceries in it. Now that has proven a wonderful purchase!

We need to replace our fresh food bags. We haven’t found them since moving up here. I don’t like using the plastic ones at all. Yet, sadly, I have to use them all the time since I’m a personal shopper at a grocery store. I love it when I get the random order that requests no bag. If only more people would do this.

Seriously…if everyone would buys reusable bags that you can wash with your laundry, and use them, then the plastic bags will no longer be needed. That alone would make a tremendous impact on the environment. Same with straws. I love paper straws. They work very well and if made correctly don’t go to mush if you take a while to finish your drink.

So many things you can do to help the environment though, besides these items mentioned above. Here are a few ideas:

You can turn off lights and use night lights. That way you can still see but not use so much electricity. We have them throughout the apartment and can walk around all night without running into anything, nor needing to flip a switch.

Turn off the air conditioner and open up the windows for some fresh air. My gradcats love it! They get to smell all kinds of things they don’t when the windows are closed. They hear more of nature as well. It’s a lovely thing to enjoy fresh air and sunshine. Open those blinds and let the light shine too. We put drapes on the lower half of the windows and keep the top portion open. It keeps people from being able to see in (since we live upstairs), but it also allows natural light to shine in…both the sun and moon beams. The moon light is so relaxing after a whole day in the sun.

Don’t buy so many things in packaging that takes a long time to break down. Some companies have stopped using so many plastics. Now’s the time to embrace them and support them.

So many people get complacent in their purchases and don’t notice other brands or types of foods that are available. I know this was us. Since I started working at the store I’ve noticed a lot of other foods and we make sure to try something different each time we do our shopping. Never know what you may like unless you try it.

We can each make a difference in the world. It’s all about the choices we make each and every day. We try to avoid using single use plastics. We use reusable water bottles and take our lunch each day. We reuse the food containers until they break/crack. We take our own utensils as well instead of using plastic ones. Our choices are conscious decisions. The more we make the better the planet.

SAVE THE EARTH…one change at a time!