I have always been super conscious about my environmental footprint, even when I was a kid.
When I was younger I used to pack old grocery store bags in my purse to go shopping so if I got a toy I wouldn’t get a new bag, I would constantly be turning the lights off at home (even if people were using the room and I just didn’t notice) and I would double check my parents were putting the correct things in the recycle bin.
As I got older and the conversations about the environment got stronger and I could find out about the world’s biggest polluters, landfills and zero waste living I began to shift some of my habits in small ways.
But obviously there has been a switch since the pandemic started. As the wave of hysteria rose across the world around COVID the conversations about living in a more eco friendly life really started to simmer down.
What’s being done about mask and glove pollution? https://t.co/Si4k3L0oCT pic.twitter.com/9fF4YYfdfe
— swissbusiness (@swissbusiness) October 10, 2020
Before the pandemic many people were becoming more conscious of how much waste they were producing are now creating more waste in routines that there never was before. People are now wearing single use gloves and masks to the grocery store and making sure they are only buying pre-packaged things, which obviously creates a ton more waste.
This is not me trying to say that you should not take your own precautions to protect yourself from COVID-19, this virus is easily contagious and if wearing single use gloves to the grocery store makes you more comfortable than by all means do it.
The message I’m trying to make is that there is still room to have conversations about the environment and ways to create less waste during a pandemic.
So for this list I have compiled some ways that you can create less waste, in areas of your life where it is safe to do so in a pandemic. A lot of these are just simple changes that can make big impacts. So let’s dive on in
Get Educated and Demand Better: Some of the world’s biggest polluters are fossil fuels, product manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, agriculture and the fashion industry.
So in retrospect me telling you to use that reusable water bottle is not gonna stop these giant industries from crashing down. Corporations are the ones making the biggest messes of our planet and they will continue unless the public demands better. So by watching documentaries, reading articles, and calling out companies that are not making changes or (even worse) greenwashing are ways we can demand better.
Is that ‘green’ product actually environmentally friendly? Here’s the scoop on greenwashing and how you can spot it — with @MrAlexAlba pic.twitter.com/7yQACT86tt
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 24, 2021
You may think this sounds naive, but we have seen it happen before. Think of veganism, 10 years ago finding vegan options at grocery stores was either atrociously expensive or nonexistent but now it’s not only encouraged but expected in grocery stores to carry meat and dairy alternatives.
This is by far the biggest way we can all collectively make a difference and it can be done so by simply choosing to support companies that share your values, sharing information on social media about companies draining the earth or calling these companies out.
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The rest of this article is more about the small ways you can make changes in your life.
Make Your Coffee at Home: A lot of coffee shops, local or chain, have stopped allowing you to bring in your own coffee mugs and instead give out their single use coffee cups, which during the pandemic is completely understandable! But grabbing a cup of coffee on your way to work everyday still adds up to a bunch of waste heading to landfills.
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A simple fix (and a more socially distanced fix) is to make more coffee at home. If this just makes you sad that you don’t get your warm, perfectly sweetened vanilla latte everyday, well you don’t have to stop getting those fancy drinks cold turkey. Even if you start with making your own coffee at home twice a week that will create an impact on landfills and your wallet.
https://twitter.com/cy_corral/status/1351783829950717955
If you are a stickler about supporting local businesses (I’m with you!) there are other ways to support them instead of getting your to-go coffee everyday. One option is to buy your coffee grounds from these cafes as a lot of them sell their own blends in stores. Another option (if you are comfortable to do so) is to dine in at these cafes in your spare time, when real mugs are used and you can enjoy a cozy coffee shop atmosphere.
Look at Your Shower/ Bathroom Routine: Living in a big household where I do not dictate the decisions of my family members and can’t force anyone to go zero waste, I
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turned to ways where I could personally change some habits. The easiest way for me was by looking at my personal hygiene.
As a side note, I completely recommend this to anyone who is still living at home and does not want to pick a fight every time their mom uses a paper towel instead of a dish cloth, it doesn’t always pay off.
Most zero waste bathroom options can be ordered online and for most places you go they do choose recyclable packing, so it makes it easy to stay home and zero waste.
My favourite idea to share with people is using shampoo and conditioner bars and I’m always surprised by people’s bewilderment that they work. They are just like a soap bar, they lather really well and last about 80 washes. They are a great swap out to regular shampoo that come in plastic bottles (where you are paying for the packaging as well).
Other bathroom swaps are easy such as, using wash clothes and reusable cotton pads to clean your face, using products that have little or recyclable packaging and for women specifically, try a menstrual cup.
To wrap things up I wanted to say that this does not mean you have to live zero waste and change the way you live, but if more people made small changes to their day to day the Earth could be a lot healthier.