Good Habit

GOOD HABIT

INTRODUCTION

After recording 7 days of personal waste production, I came to a realization - my habits are directly harming the environment and its time to make a change. Therefore, I decided to take the necessary steps towards going completely waste free.

This book explores how to live a waste free lifestyle based on 7 days of living waste free.

It is divided into three steps: REFUSE, REUSE, & ROT. Recycle not an option, because the goal is to completely refuse disposable and non-compostable plastics, aluminums, and papers.

REFUSE

The first step to living a waste free lifestyle is to refuse unnecessary disposable plastics, aluminum, styrofoam, and paper.

In order to do so, I completely avoided ordering take-out, fast food, and products packaged in non bio-degradable packaging. To live waste-free, you have to make conscious choices every day.

It’s all about making the right choices to begin with - for yourself and the environment. Once you decide to REFUSE these unhealthy habits, you have to find alternatives that work.

Shopping at the farmers market and buying bulk goods were two simple choices that made my wastefree lifestyle an easy transition.

The average food in the U.S. travels 1,500 miles to get to your plate.

I will make it a goal this week to only eat local food from the farmers market.

5-23-2018 7:15 am West Hollywood, CA

I brought my own re-

Today, I refused to

usable bag to the

buy any products that

farmers market

had plastic packaging

5-23-2018

5-23-2018

2:15 pm

11:45 pm

West Hollywood, CA

West Hollywood, CA

Today, I will refuse using unecessary paper products.

5-24-2018 7:00 am West Hollywood, CA

Rather than using a paper towel, I used cotton rags that I can simply wash.

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using large amounts of polluting fossil fuels, wasteful packaging and harmful toxins used for farming

The farmers market is ideal for living a waste-free lifestyle

Instead of getting takeout, I made a salad filled with fresh vegetables from the farmers market.

5-24-2018 12:45 pm Westwood, CA

I used a rag to remove my makeup rather than a disposable pad 5-24-2018 11:15 pm West Hollywood, CA

Today, I will go to the grocery store and buy bulk items.

5-25-2018 7:15 am West Hollywood, CA

I replaced my usual clif bar snack with a protein rich trail mix that I bought in bulk.

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the food is locally sourced, reducing the amount of fossil fuels used to transport the food

Refuse to buy food packaged in environmentally harmful materials

I bought tea in bulk and brought it to school to curb by Yerba Mate craving.

5-25-2018 12:45 pm Westwood, CA

Instead of using an average of 6 squares of toilet paper, I will use 3 squares.

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I refused a plastic straw at dinner, I now understand every single piece of plastic will harm the environment.

5-26-2018 Every day, no matter what I will re-

6:30 pm Culver City, CA

fuse plastic bottled or aluminum canned

choose to buy food in bulk, shop at farmers markets & ethically sourced grocery stores

drinks.

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Westwood, CA

REUSE

When you REFUSE packaged products, you have to replace them with environmentally friendly, REUSABLE options.

When buying items in bulk at the store or farmers market, it is important to bring your own reusable bags. For produce, it is best to have a variety sized canvas bags. Canvas bags are prefferred because they are easy to wash and reuse a countless number of times.

Glass containers, such as mason jars, are prefferred over plastic tupperware for holding food since they can be reused a countless number of times.

Almost 1/3 of the waste generated in the U.S. is packaging.

I brought homemade Yerba Mate in my reusable bottle to school 5-26-2018 12:45 pm Westwood, CA

I used my reusable bags at the farmers market to buy fresh carrots, oranges, and kale 5-26-2018 7:15 am

I bought 6 reusable canvas bags to take to the market for my produce and bulk 5-27-2018 6:30 pm Culver City, CA At Sprouts, I used my canvas bags to buy produce and bulk items. I even saved money doing so.

5-27-2018 2:00 pm Westwood, CA

packaging adds 29 million tons of non biodegradable waste to landfills every year.

Buying food products in bulk saves the environment & your wallet

I used a towel to remove my makeup at night, rather than a disposable cotton pad 5-24-2018 11:15 pm West Hollywood, CA

I used a rag to remove my makeup rather than a disposable pad 5-24-2018 11:15 pm West Hollywood, CA

Today, I will go to the grocery store and buy in bulk, using my own reusable bags.

5-25-2018 7:15 am West Hollywood, CA

I replaced daily packaged clif bar

organic bulk products offer 30-50% in savings per year, while reducing your carbon footprint.

with a trail mix that I bought in bulk 5-25-2018 3:15 pm West Hollywood, CA

if everyone bought in bulk, we’d save enough packaging waste to eliminate 1.1 million fewer garbage trailer trips to the landfill per year.

ROT

The first step to living a waste free lifestyle is to refuse unnecessary disposable plastics, aluminum, styrofoam, and paper.

In order to do so, I completely avoided ordering take-out, fast food, and products packaged in non bio-degradable packaging. To live waste-free, you have to make conscious choices every day.

It’s all about making the right choices to begin with - for yourself and the environment. Once you decide to REFUSE these unhealthy habits, you have to find alternatives that work.

Shopping at the farmers market and buying bulk goods were two simple choices that made my wastefree lifestyle an easy transition.

Up to one-fourth of all landfill waste could have been thrown into the compost I finished building my compost in less than 30 minutes!

5-25-2018 6:00pm West Hollywood, CA

I had avocado toast for breakfast, I placed the avocado shell and seed in my new compost.

5-26-2018 7:15am West Hollywood, CA

Had a banana for a snack, rather than throwing it away at school, I placed it in my canvas reusable bag to compost later.

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landfills are the single biggest emitters of toxic methane gases

Composting betters the overall air quality

My first day of composting was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

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Had an orange for breakfast, I composted the peel.

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Salad for dinner, placed the leftover scraps in my compost.

It is a little less convenient now that it is outside.

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A lot of flies surrounding my compost, so I decided to place it outside on our porch.

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- rather than burning organic waste, which releases deadly toxins

Composted soil is simply richer in the needed nutrients for wildlife

thus adding to the diversification and sustainability of many life forms

WORK CITED

1 “10 Reasons to Support Farmers Markets.” CUESA, cuesa.org/ learn/10-reasons-support-farmers-markets.

2

“Composting At Home.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agen cy, 20 Mar. 2017, www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home.

3 “The Impact of Paper Waste.” Food Waste Facts | StopWaste

Home, Work, School, www.stopwaste.org/preventing-waste/ impact-paper-waste.

4

Santa Barbara County. “Benefits of Composting.” LessIsMore. org: Santa Barbara County’s Recycling Resource, www.lessis more.org/materials/72-benefits-of-composting.

5 Snyder, Kimberly. “15 Benefits Of Shopping At A Local Farm

er’s Market.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com,

7 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/kimberly-snyder/farm ers-market_b_1118572.html.