Something I would love to change about the way I live is my plastic consumption. I always see the same video circulating around on Facebook about the woman who could fit all the trash she produced for 5 years in a mason jar. While its important to note that she likely has other footprints that may be greater than mine I can’t help but feel challenged to do the same. By reducing my plastic consumption I could literally be saving animals lives. They are less likely to ingest plastic if it isn’t available in the first place. I would also be impacting oil production by reducing plastic consumption. Even trying to set this goal of reducing plastic consumption, if I am to fail, will teach me about being more thoughtful and even then I would hopefully stick to a few reduction techniques. Since I have yet to try this out I’ve thought deeply about exactly where most of my plastic usage comes from and what I would need to consume in order to make this work. Firstly, i’m a college student and I work part time so I don’t always have time to prepare food myself. I constantly find myself throwing away money on overpriced to-go meals. Almost all of these meals come in plastic containers, with plastic cutlery, and in a plastic bag.  By food prepping and planning ahead I could eliminate what I think is likely my largest plastic usage concern. Next, plastic water bottles. I own probably 10 reusable water bottles all scattered throughout my life and I still end up with plastic. For this I have the means to save on buying plastic water bottles I just need to change my consciousness towards bringing reusable everywhere I go. Another item I use its tampons. The plastic applicator I throw out at a minimum 3 times a day is another source of waste i’ve pin pointed. Today reusable pads and even cups are now available and even more encouraged for menstrual health. This would undoubtedly I think be the toughest change to make from a hygiene stand point. The other large consumption hurdle I would have to overcome is food packaging. I’m hoping I can reach out to the blog community to help me with this one. Besides shopping fresh produce, how do I consume boxed or canned goods without using as much plastic? The research I’ve done into it shows that in New York City there is a store in which everything comes unwrapped to eliminate waste. I absolutely love this idea but lets be honest we barely have a fair selection of reasonably priced grocery stores in the area. If anyone has an thoughts or tips please share with me! I’m excited to try and be more conscious.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDbb_9_l9VY