One thing I’m super passionate about is the environment. I try my hardest to do what I can to create less waste and be as eco-friendly as I can. One thing I’m working on is using less disposable plastic products. So much of our plastic waste ends up in the ocean — which is really sad because I love the ocean. Who doesn’t love the beach, right?? It’s also harmful to our fish friends that live in the ocean. It’s super easy to use less plastic, so here’s a few easy swaps we all can make!
1 . Use a reusable water bottle!
If you’re still using plastic water bottles in 2017 what are you doing? Disposable plastic water bottles are expensive and create so much waste. Using a reusable one will save you money, and you can get a super cute one that’s fun to carry around. Most importantly, you won’t be throwing plastic ones away potentially several times a day. I understand that every once in awhile we all have to, but try to avoid it as much as possible.
2. Get a reusable K-Cup
Raise your hand if you love coffee. Me too. If you’re a Keurig user and a coffee addict, you know how many K-Cups you can go through over the course of a week or a month. One thing that I started doing after my dad suggested it (thanks dad) was to use a reusable one. All you have to do is fill it up with your fave coffee grounds and boom. Coffee. Again, this one is also a huge money saver because those Dunkin’ or Starbucks K-Cups are expensive.
3. Ditch Straws
This one is super easy but also super overlooked. Think about how many straw you use in a week, month, or year. Grabbing a straw for your drink at the dining hall is something we don’t really think about, but all that plastic adds up, so ditching the straws when you can could really make a difference over time.
4. Use reusable shopping bags at the grocery store
Whenever you hit the grocery store, try to bring some canvas or other types of reusable bags with you. Those plastic grocery bags either pile up or get thrown away and it can get super wasteful. It’s also a good idea to find uses for any plastic bags you already have or may end up acquiring (trash bags for example).
Basically, try your best to avoid single-use items and to reuse things whenever possible. You don’t have to start doing all of these things immediately, but any small change really helps. If everyone does something small, it adds up to something big. Also, a lot of these things will save you money in the long run and that’s always nice. We only get one planet, so we gotta take care of it.