Little Ways You Can Help the Planet

Hi all!

You deserve a big, fat apology from me for not posting consistently on this blog! Shout out to Aunt Cath for asking my parents why I haven't been posting on here: thank you for re-inspiring me to write on my blog!

Luckily, neglecting this blog has allowed me more time to grow in other areas, and I am back to share my ("worldly") discoveries.

I thought I would kick off the rebirth of this blog—a Cerebration Renaissance, if you will—with a tribute to our beautiful home, planet earth.

As some may know, I am vegan, and have been for over a year now. I am still trying to cut out leather products from my life, but my diet has been consistently plant-based. Many people view this choice as "extreme",  and often wonder why I chose to change in the first place.

There is a whole backstory to my switch, but the short answer is that watching documentaries like Cowspiracy, Food Inc., Supersize Me, and Forks Over Knives, prompted me to do some of my own research. After months and months of watching videos and reading articles and studies I questioned my habits more and more. Why did I eat meat, fish, diary, eggs...? Was it an essential part of a balanced diet? Did these items contain essential nutrients I couldn't get from plant-based foods?
But aside from these personal health concerns, I felt a deeper pull to veganism. What were my consumption decisions saying about my values? How were my purchases of animal products affecting the economy? What industries was I inadvertently supporting? How were my choices affecting the planet?

This lifestyle change has been an amazing journey so far, and as time goes on I am delighted to have learned so many delicious recipes, but more so, to develop the deepest compassion for living things and the deepest awareness of my own actions that I have ever experienced.

I am not here to convince you to convert to a vegan lifestyle, or to chastise you for liking animal products. I simply want to bring more awareness into your life and help you, reader, make more mindful decisions.

If you care about the planet (which you should) (see: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/02/rapid-carbon-emission-cuts-severe-impact-climate-change-ipcc-report) please keep reading!!

Here are some unique tips I've come up with ... I will call them:

Little Ways You Can Help the Planet

Don't Spill the Tea!! ⚠️

When you are fulfilling your daily Starbucks/Peet's/Duncan donuts(?) beverage needs, skip out on the lids and straws. Straws are one of the top ten contributors to marine debris, and we throw away over 500,000 per DAY! Like, are you kidding me?! I think that is ridiculous, and I am sure you do to. The best way you can make a difference is by simply asking for no straw! Same goes for plastic lids. Why have a lid when scent is a huge part of the experience of your drink??? 

Read more: 

• http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/plastic-straws-and-the-environment/

• http://www.choosetogostrawless.com/

BYOM: Bring Your Own Mug?! ☕️

Did you know you could bring travel mugs, cups, or thermoses from home to a coffee shop and they will fill them up for you?? Imagine how much waste we would eliminate if every single Starbucks customer used their own thermos for their morning brew. It's easy, sanitary, and you can purchase a super cute bev-holder like these ones:

http://www.gocontigo.com/16-oz-autoseal-transit-stainless-travel-mug.html

https://www.swellbottle.com/bottles?gclid=CjwKCAjw2NvLBRAjEiwAF98GMa9va0-Y363eG68VLbLfxnMdMCdTjIziyaDUQ7weC3aMtEJCKuN_zRoCEB0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.worldmarket.com/product/aerin+floral+travel+not+a+paper+cup+set+of+2.do?sortby=ourPicks&green=46D0936F-28F9-5959-07CD-F57865F5AB71&Clickid=mybuys_prod_cs

Walk the Walk Before You Talk the Talk 🏃🏼‍♀️

Wow that was a mouthful... Basically, try to walk places if you are able to. I know we are all in a time crunch these days, but walking to the grocery store nearby or to a friend's house in your neighborhood is never a bad idea.

Meat Me Halfway 🥓

Eat less meat! Meatless Mondays have become a popular thing; try to improve even more! Maybe eliminate meat for an entire week, or have meat only at dinnertime.

Vegetarian Food Pyramid

Shorter Showers 🚿

Blah Blah Blah. We have all heard this one before. But only because it's true! Try to shave five minutes off of your normal shower time to save gallons of water.

BYOB: Bags, this time! 👜

Bring your reusable bags to the grocery store every time. Where I live, most people use reusable bags, but I can imagine that this isn't the case in other areas of the country&world. Make it easier on yourself but having a handful of reusable bags in your trunk at all times. Carry one in your purse if you have room. Heck, sometimes I use groceries bags as my purse! It's fashionable to help the planet ;)

Public Transit (ew...) 🚋

For some people, the thought of taking the public buses, trams, and trains seems disgusting, scary, and downright inconvenient. It is true that the transit infrastructure in America is horrific compared to other countries *cough cough Switzerland* however there are so many selfless reasons to take advantage of your local transit. It reduces traffic, wastes less gas, and pollutes less! Plus, the people-watching is always fun. Try to take the bus to work or school a few times a week, or maybe even carpool with people you know.

Grow a Garden 🌱

There are few things more satisfying than biting into a juicy nectarine that you grew yourself. Gardens are fun to plan and nurture, and they are great for the planet! The more plants, the better. They take in yucky carbon dioxide and ooze out fresh oxygen. Plus, gardens are super beautiful and can yield delicious food and they smell good and they attract cute animals and they make for nice party venues.

I hope that you are inspired to change some small habits! They add up to make a large difference. Thank you for reading my post, and thank you for caring about our planet!

Au revoir! 💋