Ever since I had children, I started to wonder about the world we will leave for them. All the disposable products I purchase and use everyday, and the plastic packaging that comes with these products. We always recycled everything we could. Do I know what happened to these recycled items after the curbside pick-up by the recycle truck? I have always heard that so much recycles end up in the landfill.
I recently learned that an average American emits 48 tons of carbon annually, which is significantly more than the global average. A Switzerland company called ClimateWorks uses CO2 collectors to remove the carbon from the air, collect the carbon and sell them to the soda companies. Sound like a win-win situation, until I learned that 1 of these CO2 collector will remove roughly 50 tons of carbon a year - roughly 1 single American's annual carbon footprint! And there are 328.2 million of us (according to the 2019 census)!
I used to travel extensively for work. With so much restaurant dining, I cultivated a taste for expensive meats. Between the frequent air travel, hotel stays, diet habits, and the heavy consumption of disposable products, I must have been above average with my carbon footprint. After learning about the environmental impact of the cattle farming industry, I have decided to cut down the meats in my diet. After all, it is a less healthier choice of diet. Many recent studies have favored the plant-based diet over meat-heavy diet.
What else can I do better? I accidentally stumbled upon a book called "Zero Waste Home", written by Bea Johnson. The way Bea describes the wastefulness in our lives really struck a chord with me. Growing up in the developing-era of China, my lifestyle was much different. To this day, my parents are still confused about how to use a tissue box, as the disposable tissue isn't an everyday personal care item for them. Less disposables means less waste. If all of us choose reusable items over disposable ones, our landfill solution will be much different. Dive into Zero-Waste lifestyle will be a large change. However, gradually replace the disposable items will produce more sustainable results, which I believe, will resonate better with my children. The next few disposables I will eliminate from my house are paper towels, tissues, disposable floor wipes, and plastic shopping bags.
Very nice! Thanks for sharing.