Welcome and Happy Earth Day! This is my first post for Habit Earth, and I’m excited for the journey ahead. The content on Habit Earth is meant to encourage incremental changes in everyday behaviors that reduce consumption of and dependence on single use plastics. My role is equal parts student, instructor and your enthusiastic supporter on the path to creating better habits and a better planet.
Earth, we have a giant plastic problem. Plastic waste is an issue developing into a crisis and is caused by hundreds of choices we make every day. Choices we make on autopilot without even thinking of an alternative. We run into reminders of these choices almost everywhere, it is nearly impossible to go on a hike on a popular trail or walk through your neighborhood without seeing single use plastics littering the way. It doesn’t have to be this way, but where should we start? When I think of how to make an immediate impact on plastic use my imagination goes wild. How can we quell the tide? Should I protest in front of a grocery store? Should I post up at starbucks handing out reuse-able mugs? What about all of the conveniences, all those auto-pilot decisions I’d have to say no to? Here’s the story of how a tiny habit helped me realize that I am in control, that I have a choice, and that the first small step can make a big impact.
Taking Control
My journey to reduce my single use items started with a gift from my brother’s girlfriend. She gave me a portable utensil set for Christmas 2017. It came in a green zippered pouch with utensil designs on the front and consisted of a fork, spoon, knife and chopsticks. It was the simplest thing and I loved it (photos below)! When I returned from the Christmas holiday, I started bringing them to work to use with the lunches I brought from home.
After a few weeks of using the utensil set at the office (when I remembered), I realized that on the days that I forgot to bring the set, I was much more aware of the waste I was creating by using plastic utensils. The other thing I realized was that the quality was just inherently better! I was happy that the metal fork could make it through a meal without breaking and the knife could grab globs of peanut butter from the jar without snapping off.
I celebrated that experience as a sign that I had forged a habit.
What I soon realized was, when I brought the utensil set, I had control. Not only were the metal utensils so much nicer to use, but I was empowered to make the decision over whether I added another fork or knife to the landfill. Something remarkable was taking place. On days that I remembered to use the set, I would walk past the single use utensils and say to myself “one less goes to landfill today!” On days when I didn’t bring the set I’d run through my alternatives; don’t eat, eat my meal a different way, or grab the plastic utensils. Though I’d typically grab the plastic utensils I started to realize I had turned a mindless behavior of eating my meal with single-use utensils into a choice. Now that it was a choice I had power, and since I was empowered I decided to make more of the choices that aligned best with what I wanted for the world around me.
What I wanted for the world around me was a cleaner planet. A planet free of dependence on single use items, free of trash and pollution and where sustainable practices are the norm, not the exception. That’s a very nice dream! But I wasn’t participating in that dream on a daily basis. Even now, when I think about living a zero-waste lifestyle my heart rate jumps, my palms sweat and I get discouraged by the amount of sacrifice that goal might take. I’d find it impossible to make so great a change immediately without involving a ton of discouraging feelings each time I fail. I’d feel guilt and hypocrisy rather than the satisfaction I feel each time I take control of my interaction with single use items.
I realize that the only way to be successful is to incrementally change my behaviors; celebrate my wins and evaluate my failures. I need to learn good habits, and to do that I’ll need tricks, tips, and lots of support along the way. If you are reading this, I’m happy to have you be part of my journey.
By starting Habit Earth, I hope to illuminate simple ways to reduce waste by creating better habits. I believe that in order to engage the millions of people it will require to end systemic plastic use, we have to start with incremental habits. By connecting habit science with sustainability, I hope to empower you, the reader, to live your values in a way that focuses on enrichment rather than sacrifice.
Habit Earth 