Those of us that are aware of our current natural global state will know that we, as human beings, are destroying the planet. Although most of this is out of our individual control there are things that we can do around the house and in our day-to-day lives that will make a big difference. Where ecology is concerned, every little really does help.
Recently, I wanted to find out just how much I could reduce the amount of plastic I was throwing away. Now, before I continue, I must stress that this is all done and planned around the lifestyle I have in Koh Tao. I tried this last month when I visited my parents in England and it had to be completely reworked to fit shopping opportunities in a vastly different culture so while reading this please just think about how you could adjust it to suit your life style and location. In Koh Tao there is little price difference in cooking at home or ordering takeaway from a restaurant. Due to work commitments and convenience, more often than not, take away is the easier option. Obviously, this means a lot more plastic bags, elastic bands and other food containers. In order to avoid this issue I bought myself a small dry bag and two Tupperware lunch boxes and asked my local restaurants to package my food in these boxes to cut out all of the unnecessary waste. There’s no extra pot washing for me and I don’t need to carry out so much trash. Apart from the obvious benefits of doing this it also meant that my dinner stayed hot for much longer. I then started looking at how I could reduce even more plastic. The easiest way I reduced it further was to cut out sweets, snacks and processed food. The excessive wrappers that this food is wrapped in, is often to keep in preservatives and other nasty chemicals added to our food. To fill the gap, I started eating a lot more fruit and home made sweets. Instead of sugary fizzy drinks I was drinking more water and using re-fill stations and a reusable water bottles available at the dive shop and many other places around the island. As a result, my diet became so much healthier and I was loosing weight all because I wanted to reduce the amount of plastic I was using. No matter where you are or your financial situation you can reduce your plastic waste, reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health all at once. One of the best ways to do this, no matter how little space you have, is to grow some of your own food. There is no excuse for not being able to grow at least a couple things around your home. Even old water bottles can be used as plant pots and hung up outside a window if you have no garden or balcony space. Growing your own food removes all the pollution that comes with food transportation and industrial agriculture as well as nasty fertilizers and pesticides that are harmful to us. It also means no plastic wrappings or packages and best of all, home grown food always tastes better. As if that wasn’t enough these tips can also help you save money. By cutting out unhealthy snacks and growing at home those pennies quickly add up. These ways of reducing your waste will make an impact to the world if everyone does their part it adds up very quickly.
Take the first step to a greener life today.
Share how you have reduced plastic in your life in the comments below.
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