Step 2: Adopt a Green Mindset

Hello again! Thank you for joining me in continuing our Green Shift journey to reduce our impact on the environment! In last week’s post, we started the process with accepting the problem. Now that we have realized the true impacts of waste and pollution on the world, we can start working to make a difference! The simplest, and perhaps most important step in the Green Shift is changing our previous mindset of consumption and waste to a mindset of conservation.

Fig.1. Randy Olson National Geographic- Planet or Plastic?

It is not easy to consider the long-term consequences of our everyday actions, but these seemingly small actions contribute to the worldwide problems we face. To adopt a green mindset, we have to make a conscious effort to think of the environmental impact of our daily actions. When we start thinking about our habits, it becomes clear that there are many ways we can make improvements. One of the easiest ways to make a change in our daily actions is to avoid plastic products. Strawlessocean is a great source of information on plastic pollution, specifically its impact on marine life. It

Fig.2. Zak Noyle National Geographic- Planet or Plastic?

provides startling statistics such as the fact that America uses over 500 million plastic straws every day! Additionally, at the current rate of plastic consumption, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Our new actions can be as simple as choosing to carry a couple items out of the grocery store instead of using a disposable plastic bag. New habits will become second nature, like bringing a reusable water bottle on the go to avoid plastic cups and straws at restaurants. Over time, these small actions will add up to make a measurable difference. There are so many wonderful products to help more people become eco-friendly in their daily lives, such as this set of reusable straws, or these stylish reusable grocery bags. Other than saying no to plastic, there are many other easy ways to be eco-friendly every day. Some habits include saving water by turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth or saving electricity by turning off the lights when you leave a room. Don’t worry, we will go more in depth on saving electricity and water in later posts. Right now, our goal is to start getting into the habit of consciously thinking of being green in our daily lives and being aware of our actions. Thank you for joining me today, I’ll be back with more eco-friendly tips next week!

 

One thought on “Step 2: Adopt a Green Mindset

  1. I have to admit I am reading this while drinking out of a disposable plastic bottle. I unfortunately lost my 32oz reusable bottle and have not bought another one. This post gave my more motivation to go to McClanahan’s today and buy a new one! I think at Off the Ground in Redifer they will fill your reusable cup instead of giving you a plastic one if you request. I should make this a new habit in order to reduce waste! It’s easy to forget the little things add up overtime.

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