Alternative Consumer: My take on what I do to help the planet
Hi fellow Steemians / Natural Medicine enthusiasts & now EcoTrain passengers!
My entry to the latest contest for the @naturalmedicine contest found at this Steempeak link is as follows!
In the modern, western culture of consumption and waste, it's difficult to find your way sometimes when we try to detach ourselves from that vicious cycle. It starts with small changes to your daily habits that can then compound and become stronger and you gain confidence to do more. Every little bit helps!
One of the most common places adults spend the majority of their lives is (unfortunately) at work. This can also be one of the worst places to produce waste since lots of work places are designed to just use materials and toss it in the trash when you're done and keep going. This is perhaps one of the worst offenders in America in my opinion, since there are so many office jobs. I've made several changes over the years that have improved my waste footprint and my health overall.
Coffee drinking: the caffeinated beverage has become so mainstream nowadays that everyone in the world perhaps knows of it and why people drink it. This beverage produces a lot of waste though! I see lots of people who walk around with a plastic (polyethylene) lined cup. Being plastic, there are a whole list of negative effects of those on both our health and the planet.
Personally, I've changed my beverage drinking habits. I never drank coffee up until about 2 years ago so it didn't really apply to me however I have since started enjoying a small cup every morning during the work week. A lot of people have moved over to using the Keurig quick brew coffee makers which I have done. I didn't like the K-cup waste that happened after you were done so I researched online and found that, as expected, companies make reusable K-cup's which I now use.
These are plastic lined and I will be changing them out for a nice mostly stainless steel one but only when these break down and are unusable. I have one left that's brand new so perhaps it will be a while before it too breaks, but since it's part of the consumption problem we have, I won't be just tossing it to upgrade it.
Since I use the reusable ones, I also have lots of compost that I then produce; I have a container on my desk that I collect all of the used coffee grounds and bring it home to sprinkle in various areas. Have to keep the reusable cycle going!
I've also changed the coffee mug I use at work. I always wanted to use a reusable mug so I don't have waste associated with my routine but I didn't realize I was using a potentially poisonous container! There are several reports about it such as this one but ceramic mugs are typically treated with lead containing paint, which when scratched can leak lead into your beverage. I promptly switched that out for a completely glass container which is better for me as well as the environment. I still have the ceramic mug as it's what I use to collect the coffee grounds before dumping them into a larger container. I will eventually figure out a way to properly dispose of the ceramic mug.
Water drinking: Staying hydrated is incredibly important but there is a lot of waste associated with it in our modern society of poisoned tap water and bottled clean water. Lots of people use the convenient plastic bottles because they come with a fun little straw or because they don't break if you drop them or for various other reasons. What the unfortunate reality with them is they wear out often and get thrown away, never mind the chemical leeching. Personally I use a nice silicone-wrapped glass bottle; it's durable and glass is a superior material to be constantly using for drinking and eating.
Food consumption: I work with a lot of people who just go to the cafeteria or to the store to buy food for their lunches during the day. This leads to massive amounts of waste and consumption; the cafeteria uses mainly styrofoam containers and we know how awful those are for the environment. The deliveries and stores also use disposable, often plastic or some other unfortunate material.
We, for several reasons, have been in the habit of preparing and bringing our own food to work. It's healthier for sure but also much better for the environment; we don't throw the container away each time we use it and we know what goes into our food and can control that better.
Along the same line, we've also recycled and gotten rid of 90% of our plastic containers in exchange for glass containers to store and consume our foods. The glass containers keep the food fresher we've found, which produces less waste when the food lasts longer in the fridge, and it tastes far better! If you've made the switch from plastic to glass, you may notice that there is subtle but distinct plastic taste to certain food that gets stored in plastic.
What are you doing?
This was my personal take on the latest challenge by @naturalmedicine highlighted above. I could have elaborated on more things we've done at home but I wanted to keep it concise to the workplace, where so many of us spend so much time in our lives, to show them that there are simple changes we can make to be better for both our health as well as the health of the planet.
Do you do something similar to what I do at work? Do you do something different? I would love to know in the comments!
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Dear @cmplxty
I found this topic very interesting and encouraging to think. Solid piece. Love it
I'm just wondering if changes within behavior of civilian population can really have impact on this planet?
It's definetly hard to estimate how badly our environment is being damaged by military across the globe. But my strong impression is that simple 'army maneuvers' can have worse impact than weeks (if not months) of activity of entire civilian population.
Obviously I do admire your efforts and you should be an example to follow. Yet I still would like to know, if anyone out there could answer my previous questions? Just curious.
ps. If you dont mind, I will share this post with some other people I know and engage with. I found it really worth reading :)
Upvoted already
Yours
Piotr
I am not sure if the military contribute much more to the generation of waste than civilians. The truth is that civilians are the majority. And before governments and lax and democulations in environmental pollution, private companies can assume as a policy of social responsibility, the promotion in the reduction in the use of non-recyclable materials in offices and the implementation of reverse logistics processes in industrial production.
Very intiresante the post, I really think that if it affects quite the behavior of the population with the planet. Some may be concerned about the planet and want or do within their means to care for a future, as there may be others who simply do not care about the planet, as long as they are well the rest does not matter, but if these people are given mind that the damage done to the planet those simple action of throwing a plastic container to the street, I think they would take action. If this way, like other ways of learning to take care of our planet, it would be that with the laws of each country, penalize people with expensive fines or even jail, if it sounds rude, but if you do not learn by good you will have to do it the evil ones. It is not fair that people who want to conserve the planet for the future come certain individuals to damage the planet where we all live together. That action that the corduroy takes, is very good, and they should all be implemented in their jobs, but the question would be the price of that product. It is not economical but it is of great help and lasts longer than plastic.
I used Google Translator
Thanks for the invite
Always @sarez :)
All the best and enjoy upcoming weekend,
Piotr
Thanks for checking it out!
Since the civilian population far outnumbers the military population, we can certainly have the positive effect we need. I also think of it like this:
The current older generation that's in the military doesn't probably do much recycling or environmentally positive things/habits. The younger generation that's doing that much more routinely is starting to get older and as they gain ranks and gain influence, I think this cycle will change so that they will do more to recycle and be conscious of what they are using and wasting. That being said, I know that is certainly not the only factor involved; but is a topic that can be a thesis paper in itself.
The changes we make in the civilian world eventually impact the much slower to move aspects such as the military and government. Private sector always moves first and fastest, with government most often entirely last. Personal habits, changes and influences on our peers to improve theirs even slightly, have a compounding effect we can all appreciate!
You can find some answers there:
http://earththeoperatorsmanual.com/main-video/how-to-talk-to-an-ostrich
The garbage/environmental damage caused by military activities is very serious.
WELL - MY FAMILY CONCERN IS MAINLY THE CO2(g) ACCUMULATED IN THE AIR AND POLLUTING OUR AIR .
MY FATHER IS A FARMER AND HE KNOWS WELL THAT IF YOU PLANT ONE TREE AND TAKING CARE OF IT, THEN YOU WILL CONTRIBUTE IN REMOVING MORE CO2 FROM THE AIR AND REPLACING IT WITH O2.
WE AS A FAMILY LIKE TREES AND WE PLANT YEARLY IN BANGLADISH IN MY FATHER FARM MORE THA 50 NEW TREES, MANGO OR BANANA OR EVEN ORANGES.
WE DO NOT USE FANCY CARS NOR MOTORS.... ( OUR HOUSE IS BEING SERVED BY ALL MARKETS MEANS NEAR TO OUR HOUSE AND WE GO BY WALKING)
WE WOULD RATHER TO USE BICYCLES OR OUR LEGS TO MOVE ON LAND ND MY DAD IS USING HIS OWN SMALL BOAT IN THE RIVER WITH HIS BARE HANDES
THAT IS ALL
RESTEEMED AND THAN YOU
A couple years ago I noticed I was spending a lot of money buying male hair products like pommade at CVS. The containers were small, and I'd spend about $20 on one that lasted me less than a month. Not only was this expensive, it was also wasteful with the amount of plastic I was throwing away. I ended up buying small Mason jars and making my own pommade out of bees wax and coconut oil. I make it once every 6 months, and save a lot of money. (Picture attached)
We ended up selling our Keurig and buying a normal coffee pot again to conserve plastic waste. At work I use my 24 ounce yeti mug with my own 'mug' on it. Picture attached.
Ditched the gas guzzling cars I loved so much and bought myself a 4 cylinder manual shift Kia Soul to commute to work.
My family doesn't really order out or go out to eat. All our food is planned for the week and mostly from scratch. It can be more expensive at times but it's healthier and there is less waste.
Not really sure what else we do. Didn't realize it was so hard thinking about it.
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What I am doing?
We hardly buy anything, clothes, etc included.
No fridge, no dishwasser, no airco, less lamps inside, no watching TV, no microwave, no dryer, not ironing clothes, drive as less as possible.
We use what we have repair, ask around and buy second hand.
We use a special beker for on the road.
We never buy prepared food, sandwiches, etc.
We re-use paper we get to make notes.
No computer. During winter we heat the house at the minimum.
No make up, hairdresser.
Less waste over here.
☘💕
Posted using Partiko Android
Sorry I thought I replied but boy! You folks are doing a hell of a lot, it’s good to see at least some people going to that extent. Not sure if I could unless forced to but it’s not out of the realm of possibility at least.
Well done!
We take one step at the other. You start with something, try it out and if it is no problem you stick to it. In the end its a habit so you don't miss it any longer.
☘💕
Posted using Partiko Android
Ooooohhh, office work! How terrible. Thank you for mentioning it. Fortunately I haven't worked in one those destructive environments for quite a while, but I know people for whom it is still bitter reality. The worst part may be not even the horrible practices, but the mind-detached way of explaining them...
"Oh, we don't compost (so can't either!), but we do put the coffee capsules in the recycling container, so as you can see, we're doing our part."
"You can't bring in any reusable food containers from home, as that is against our hygenic regulations. That's why the cafeteria only uses Styrofoam plates and single-use plastic cutlery.
"No, you can't turn the air conditioner off (let alone open a window). It has been set to provide the optimal temperature and humidity for a productive work environment."
The list goes on...!
Thanks for stopping by! Thankfully I am able to be pretty flexible with spending time in one as well as outside.
My office isn't the typical high rise building but I don't want to get into too much detail of my personal space for privacy reasons.
That office environment you mention sounds awful, do you know people who have to bear with that? I do know that most buildings don't let you open the windows for various reasons but those others sound quite controlling. I would hate to have that type of thing go on! Ugh.
Oh yes, unfortunately I see these kinda things on a regular basis, and what I mentioned here is just the tip of the iceberg. Fortunately I only have to spend 1-2 hours at a time in these settings, so I get to experience it from the outside only. But seeing people submit to this kind of insanity day by day... I mean it's somewhere on par with prison, prostitution, or being a "patient" in a mental hospital. (Ha, the three Ps!) Yeah, I think the last example comes closest, because of the brain-washing you have to undergo.
Nice article... yes in our own small ways we can somehow alleviate the worsening environmental woes.
Thanks for stopping by! The more people change these small habits, the better off we get when it comes to trash production and less consumerism.
I really liked your post friend, I agree with you a lot, we must be a little more aware of what we do for us and our planet. Today much more than before in Venezuela, as the friend @jadams2k18 says, we have learned, albeit badly, to give value to things that we thought were unnecessary, today I believe that everyone brings food to work and reuses all possible materials.
It is not like before, because only for school activities, I was one that did a lot, bought full sheets of bond paper, cold paints, tempera and markers. Nowadays it is no longer the case, because we reuse the leaves that are discarded in companies or banking institutions, the paintings are already very well saved to be reused and in this way we save money and help the planet with the least waste production possible.
The plastic pots have been turned into ornaments, in pots or any other things for which someone has made a profit.
Thanks friend @crypto.piotr for the link.
Thanks for stopping by!
We certainly have lots of waste in many aspects of our modern lives. The consumerism market is dependent on us being wasteful in our habits. With little changes each person makes, we can compound that together and improve lots of our lives and our trash footprint.
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A great way to walk the talk. Food Wastage and the use of plastic both issues need to be tackled before they pose serious threats for our children.
Liked Voted And Resteemed
Thanks for stopping by! Food waste, plastic waste and all waste has increased so much recently but I think we can end that cycle bit by bit, one little change to our daily habits at a time.
More than a decade ago, Venezuelans were like that, we wasted food, coffee, resources. But the situation, in which we live now, has made us value resources more. Already most (not to say everyone) bring their own food to work and their own water. Due to prices, there is less consumption of junk food. There is more reuse of packaging (although I think it has always been this way), I mean the packaging of butter, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, and so on. The consumption of oil for frying has decreased, due to the scarcity and price of it. And of course, the amount of garbage has decreased. And many other things, which from one point is good for the environment and for our health.
Of course, it's an obligatory way to do it, it's not for our own pleasure. However, sometimes I think it's good to see that there's something positive in this catastrophic situation.
Thanks for stopping by! I find it sad that dire economic situations are what prompt many to do this; this wasteful society we practice doesn't need to be so. Many fall victim to the constant barrage of advertisements on various media to buy, consume and throw away. Shame what we are doing!
There is also the effect of the programmed obsolescence with which many products have been designed. That's a problem that generates a lot of waste.
Yes, programmed obsolescence is absolutely an issue, particularly with newer equipment that's developed. Cars for example, are a prime example. The cars in the 50's and 60's had their issues however they were built to last. Nowadays cars are built to break.
And the smartphones too!
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