Day 463 || eco friendly harm reduction

When you can't single-handedly save the planet, you CAN opt for harm reduction.

Get to know your recycling laws and start doing it. Encourage those around you to, too. Maybe start composting! Some companies even pick it up for ya. Start buying compostable trash bags 

Keep Tupperware containers in a bag in your car. Then ACTUALLY go out and get them when you’re about to take leftovers home. Styrofoam is a common restaurant takeout choice and it takes over 500 years to break down because they’re not recyclable.  Leave your reusable bags in the door of your car or your passenger seat or next to your keys so you’ll grab them when you go grocery shopping. If you leave them in the car, which we all do, bring your loose groceries out or go grab them - it’ll be enough of a pain in the ass to not reinforce the behavior, so ideally you’ll remember the next time.

If you have the space and the thumb for it - plant a small garden of your most purchased produce items. This will save money, plastic, and shipping costs. It also means you can get your produce locally + organically, which is real cool.  

Make your own sauces, beverages, and smoothies to reduce your purchases of single use containers. 

Buy less fast fashion, learn to sew and mend and up cycle, and donate to better organizations than those weird boxes on the side of the road. 

Doing dishes in the dishwasher is often less wasteful than running the water while you hand wash. Turning off water between lathers, shaves, etc. can also be a simple way to conserve. 

Of course, we already covered the importance of taking less flights, especially international, if you can. Walking more, biking more, and opting for carpools when the option is available. 

But in my honest opinion, these are all incredibly important ways to treat the symptoms to a bigger systemic issue. The way to address the system is through community effort. 

Plan a litter clean up event or a micro trash collection clean up. 

Organize a letter writing or a social media frenzy event where you and your community voice your concerns to your local officials about their stance and intentions with the climate crisis. 

We should also be contacting the major companies and businesses that we shop at requesting information or changes to their practices revolving around the environment. 

Invest in low emission technology like wind, solar, and electric vehicles.

Remember - you’re not responsible for saving the world, but we can all do our part to leave this place a lil better than we found it. 

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