Christina Sullivan

Using the packaging the items come in as their carrying case, rather than taking food out of one bag and putting into another. Also, I've been seeing reusable produce and snack bags that are silicone, and may get a few of those. 

I once had an assignment to trace a personal item I enjoyed all the way back to its source, all the steps it took to make the item, where the materials all came from, and how it may effect the earth and economics, to the best of our ability of course. That was an eye-opener, to say the least. I also carry with me a conversation from a high school science class in which we talked about the idea that the energy and resources it took to produce a bag of potato chips was infinitely larger than the amount of energy actually stored in the food in the bag for convenient consumption and easy-disposal. The amount of wasted energy and resources to make something we enjoy but that is unnecessary for survival, was also an eye-opener to just how many things in our life are like that, and the culture we have of "needing" to buy and have so many unnecessary things. There is this gnawing feeling I often get when I think about the fact that every product we have, every single item in our possession, was constructed somewhere, probably in a giant factory, with a multitude of materials that came from the earth which have been manipulated in some fashion to make those things. Not even mentioning my computer, with all its components and intricacies, I look around me and am instantly overwhelmed, and that is just within my small bubble. Multiply that by the millions and billions of people on the planet, and its hard to not see this world as one that has been warped beyond recognition. In my mind, its amazing we still have any wild places left at all. My worry is, that even as someone who tries to be conscious, attempting to change my habits - I'm still a major part of the problem - and how does that compare to those that just don't care, don't believe, or don't have the means to try and make those changes? A large-scale cultural-behavioral shift is necessary to have any kind of impact, and I know one individual can make a difference, I'm just worried that this way of life is so ingrained in so many of us, that it will be too little, too late. However, that should not discourage us from at least trying. Progress for the sake of progress is not always progress, and I try to use this mantra when thinking about my life choices and things around me to hopefully make some kind of difference. 

Definitely! Several restaurants have pledged to get rid of straws or have them upon request. Red Lobster is one of them, and more recently we ate at BJs and they had a sign right up front telling people about the negative effects of straws and how they are available upon request. 

Unfortunately, a lot of people I talk to are in the mindset of "what's in it for me" and the best place to hit some more practical folks is in their wallet. One of the biggest reasons I was able to convince my family to use reusable dishes, etc. is cost. Its expensive to use throw-away items, and obviously creates more waste. When it comes from an economic standpoint, paying once or not at all for dishware, etc. saves so much money in the long run than buying disposable. Its a sad way to look at it, but when it effects the pocketbook, people pay more attention. 

It makes me realize how much one person can impact what is around them. We had new neighbors move in recently, and literally within the first two days, they left an assortment of garbage outside their cars in our parking lots. Its amazing how some people think they are not effecting the world by their actions, and yet within just a few weeks, those new folks alone have contributed so much in a negative way.