Adapting sustainable practices seems so intimidating to many of us because they differ so far from the norms we have adapted to throughout our entire life. When you go to the store, they bag your groceries in disposable bags. When you get a fountain drink, you get a plastic straw. When you need to travel somewhere, you hop in your car. The list of normalized unsustainable behaviors that go unseen could go on and on; the idea is that unsustainability is deep-rooted in society and our everyday lives. This is typically deemed to be because of “convenience’s sake”.
Some of these things just don’t make our lives easier! Disposable bags rip and cause us to multiply our trips up the steps. Plastic straws crack and we must take off the lid every time for a sip. And as collegiate women, most of us will never pass up a drive to class even when it’s nice outside. The normalized unsustainable practices we have been instilled with has somewhat blocked our ability to even recognize eco-friendly alternatives as more convenient!
But where do I start? It’s simple!
When you checkout at your local grocery store, grab the 25-cent reusable grocery bag instead of accumulating an overwhelming number of plastic bags that leave you stranded halfway up a flight of stairs. When you hit the supermarket, checkout the dishware aisle. Here you will find a lot of appliances and tools, such as dishwasher-safe straws & food storage, that will help you save time and money while also practicing sustainability. Try cutting down on driving and eliminating those rides to class (running late is an exception of course). This sustainable practice may be a little “out-of-the-way” in comparison to the others I mentioned, but the outside is beautiful and nothing to take for granted!
This leads me to the overall message of the deep-rooted need for these practices: there is no “planet B”. We have a beautiful land that we need not let go of, especially when we have the preventative measures in our favor! It is simply the need for exposure to these differing ways of life from what we have been used to. Sustainability does not require a struggle.