To be quite honest there has been a little voice in my head for awhile, nagging me about this very topic. Every time I would go to the grocery store I'd feel guilty as I stood in the checkout aisle and look over what I have purchased. Juice, granola, fruit, vegetables, bagels, etc. all held in a plastic container of some sort. So in order to make myself feel not so bad I ask the bagger for paper instead of plastic, but the damage has already been done. Aside from groceries though, I try to minimize my consumption of all products not just plastics. In the picture below are wrappers from a couple of granola bars, my contacts, a water bottle, plastic grocery bag, some more granola, and a plastic drinking cup. This was my accumulation of disposable plastics from two days and I would say that it is about the average amount I use for such a period of time.
When buying more granola I used a paper coffee bag and filled that instead of buying it in a plastic bag. As far as groceries are concerned I tend to reuse the paper bags from the store, but I have a reusable grocery bag that is at my home downstate that I will be bringing back with me after break.
Having done this project, the voice in my head has gotten louder and I am paying more attention to it. I am starting to realize that the choices I make now really do have an effect on the future. Studying to be an Environmental Engineer, I have to start living what I preach. The first step to achieving that is being aware of what I am doing and what are the consequences for those actions.
I am also studying environmental engineering, and I feel the same way. The whole goal of our degree is help preserve and protect our environment, but the more I look into some of my plastic use habits the more I am seeing their negative impact on the very environment that I am trying to preserve. I am definitely going to try to start making more conscious decisions about my plastic use in the future.
ReplyDelete--Scott Hall