The Next Step…

For this post, I wanted to examine my daily actions for a week and develop a strategic plan for how I can reducing my own carbon footprint. I hope you guys can relate to my daily activities as well as learn from my mistakes and create your own plans to join me in my endeavors.

TRACKING MY HABITS

This past week I was able to understand more about my habits. Currently, some energy-saving activities I already partake in include: walking/using public transportation, turning off lights and faucets when they are not in use, using battery-powered LEDs for my lamps (instead of plugging them in), recycling, and only buying enough food to eat and finish before the expiration date.

I feel like these activities are really simple when you’re a college student (like me) trying to save money. I don’t know how to drive which also factors into the reason why I take public transportation or walk. If I ever do ride in a car, I’m carpooling with my roommates or friends.

Also, because of the household that I have grown up in, I make a habit of saving plastic containers that we would get from takeout and reuse them to store my leftovers so that I can reheat them for a later time.

DEVELOPING A STRATEGY

After conducting this research with you guys, I want to implement some of my findings into my daily life.

First off, I want to start meal planning and composting. I feel like meal planning on Sundays would save me time during the week. Composting would allow me to be more conscious about the foods I bring home and it’s a good fertilizer so I could grow a nice looking garden in my backyard.

I also want to try upcycling clothes or purchasing more durable clothes that will last me a while. As someone who loves shopping, I have decided that it is necessary to know where my clothes come from. I want to be a more conscious consumer, only getting essential apparel that I will wear repeatedly for a long period of time. Upcycling might be harder to follow through with since I don’t know how to sew, but I’m willing to learn from my grandma.

I tend to keep my phone on the charger overnight. I also will keep using my phone while it’s charging which I know this is a really bad habit and I hope to change this about myself. To fix this, I’ll put my phone aside while it’s charging and spend my time doing something else. I’ll also try to charge my phone an hour or two before I fall asleep so that I can unplug it before I fall asleep.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

I hope that those of you following along with my blog were able to learn more about sustainability and consider how to apply what you’ve learned to your daily lives. IGNORANCE IS NOT THE ANSWER.