I never really thought about how much my takeout habits affected the environment. I've recently started cooking more than eating takeout, but even with my lowered consumption the impact is enormous. I guess that's just even more incentive to cook more often.

Creative solutions is the only way to fix out current plastic pollution problem. The easiest or most obvious solutions to this problem will almost certainly involve drastic changes to our current life styles or have other effects that hurt the environment in different ways. Another way creative Solutions helps is that the plastic industry lobbies the US government to not change anything and to keep using single use plastics. This is not something that will likely go away anytime soon, so we need to find creative ways to fix this problem without going through congress. 

I spent about 30 minutes talking with my sister about ideas to reduce waste in their new home. They are very very excited to own there first home but also concerned that they will live a less sustainable/environmentally friendly life in their new home. My sister is planning a composting area, a garden covering a lot of the yard and taking her own cotton bags to the store. 

I bought a shirt today and instead of buying the slightly cheaper polyester blend, I bought the 100% cotton. 

I have to think some of the additional produce packaging is due to so many items no longer being local. The producer & retailer may be the real beneficiary in the packaging perhaps limiting damage during storage and shipping.  Buying local at farmer's markets and such circumvents both of these problems and the produce is fresher and tastier.

I think the photos of ocean pollution and the solutions like plastic bank speak volumes.

The little things add up.  Whether the plastic straw, excess packaging, or not recycling each negative action has a magnified impact but so does each positive one.  Many companies seem to have the environment on their radar and seem more open to ideas that are planet friendly than they may have been in the past.

I learned that much of the waste created in my household is in fast food cups, straws, and food waste.