7/15/20- The Most Unsustainable Things I used to Do
I have seen this trend going around on YouTube and I thought it could make a cool blog. I gave it some thought, and I’m sure there are some things I am forgetting. However these are simple things that we can make a difference abou by being more intentional.
Going shopping at fast fashion stores. I remember one store in particular where I would go shopping and buy very unethical unsustainable clothing. I didn’t know or understand that I was purchasing fast fashion, infact at the time I didn’t even know what fast fashion was. This low quality clothing would last me a season and then it would sit in my closet for months until I got rid of it. Now, I try to wear timeless clothing that is either second hand or from sustainable companies. When I wear fast fashion, it is clothing that I had previously owned and should be worn rather than end up in a landfill. I wear it and treat it well because I know the quality of fast fashion is not good.
Speaking of shopping, I didn’t consistently use reusable bags until more recently. We have definitely owned reusable bags, but we continuously didn’t make an effort to remember to bring them in from the car. Infact, after decluttering our house we have found probably hundreds of reusable bags. Another simple thing that we can all do. And just a tip: look through your house before buying a new reusable bag (or buy them second hand because lot’s of people have more than they need).
This next one might be confusing but: recycling. Yes, I still recycle and you should too. However, don’t do it carelessly. I remember at my elementary school, we had a bin for all of the paper our school recycled. Above the bin was a sign that said, “we have saved _____ trees!” And that is true. Recycling saves trees, energy, and other nonrenuable resources. But I believe that sign motivated me in the wrong direction. I remember countless times recycling paper that still had space for writing. I now try to only recycle when a paper is completely used and is actually recyclable.
Drank bottled water. This one is simple for anyone to make a change. I know I drank countless bottles of water from single use plastic. Whether it was for sports or school, I wouldn’t bother using one of the reusable water bottles I already owned. And literally anyone can do this. There are countless water bottles on the market. From small to huge, glass to stainless steel. It is healthier for not only the Earth but also for our bodies to not drink out of plastic bottles. To me, I now view plastic bottles as a way to throw away money as we can get water simply from our own houses nearly for free.
I ate a lot of heavily packaged, processed foods. I am very grateful I have let go of a lot of the foods that create packaging waste. (Also the processed food were likely made with food dye which isn’t great either - read #6.) I used to eat a lot of things in single serving bags or boxes whereas now I get multiple servings out of what I buy. (Applesauce, go gurt, pretzels.
Dyed my hair. I only did this a few times with permanent ink, but dying your hair is awful for both your hair and the Earth. It’s simple: chemicals are (typically) bad. I wish I had been informed of this before dying my hair. It was a nice experience, but I will not be doing it again. I can also remember using temporary hair dyes for certain costumes or activities and I now realize how unsustainablethey are. For example, hair dye can end up in our waterways when we wash our hair and then we could potentially consume them without the intention to do so. This can also harm aquatic life. Lastly, on a slightly unrelated note, I am not pleased that I used to tie-dye my clothes before I knew there are more eco-friendly ways to do so with plant based dyes.
I took baths. Now… no hate on people who take baths, I get it. In fact I do still take baths in moderation. However, I used to take baths weekly which uses A LOT of water. I have since switched to short showers that don't require burning hot water. I only take baths when I have lot’s of free time, am sore from exercise, and/or need to relax.
I used plastic ziploc bags. This one was definitely something I have changed in my lifestyle. I noticed myself not getting up to throw things away this past school year during lunch. (At least back when we had school.) I have been able to switch to reusable tupperware that I had already owned. It was a very simple switch that has reduced an incredible amount of plastic that will tae centuries to break down. This was also simple once I switched from prepackaged foods.
I used way too many tissues when sick. Although tissues aren’t the worst thing in the world for our Earth, they aren’t great. I have been sick once and managed to only go through about a box of tissues and have maybe used 6 tissues since then. I stopped keeping a tissue box in my room and have been just fine. I am planning on finding some handkerchiefs for the future, but this is one area I can still grow. But, I have gone down significantly as I used to use probably 6 boxes each time I was sick! Similarly, I used to use a lot of paper towels and napkins when eating and have since switched to usables.
The last one is shopping at the dollar store. This one is similar to buying fast fashion. Buying cheap things is not at all environmentally friendly. Because they aren’t expensive or valuable, these items are not cared for well. This means they are bought (because they are so cheap) and soon thrown out. This isn’t something I did often but definitely something I did more than a few times per year. One time in particular is my annual birthday party goodie bags. I used to buy multiple items from the dollar store and give them out as goodie bags for my birthdays because it meant each person got more things and I always thought the more the better. Although some items were useful, such as a school planner, others were completely useless and left untouched. Also, I have no clue where those items came from and how they are so cheap. I assume most of them are just made out of low quality materials. I bet they also just buy in bulk. But not the good kind of bulk. They don’t really save on packaging. They do however probably save on shipping so at least they got that. But, I would not be surprised if they get a lot of items cheaply, unethically made in foreign countries. In the end, this is yet again a learning experience and something I will likely not continue moving forward.
I hope you all enjoyed my top 10 lifestyle changes and habits that I will not continue to help myself live more sustainably. You can make these simple changes too. I thought this blog would be good to show no one starts off perfect and we all have room to grow. I hope it helps inform you and know what it is possible to stop doing with a little intention.
Check Out The Video Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5DKYG1hE9o
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