The Deliberate Consumer

TL;DR: Psychology, economics, and consumerism all have a key role to play in sustainability. A key reflection from my Plastic Free July experience is that changing how we approach buying in even the smallest of ways can have a significant positive impact for our environment and the species we share it with. Background It started with a personal ban on disposable coffee cups. For half a year, I had been successful in only purchasing hot beverages when I had a reusable cup with me or when I felt comfortable making the time to sit-in and enjoy a cup of coffee without any rush. But once I had mastered that habit, I began looking for another challenge. And then I was told about Plastic Free July. I investigated the movement and made the pledge, swearing off single-use plastics for 31 days. While I do not think it was too difficult to uphold this pledge, the lessons learned as a result of the process have been insightful and - at times - unnerving. When I started down the path of inve...

When I signed on to Plastic Free July, I pledged to swear off single-use plastics for the entire month. If any piece of an item was plastic that couldn't be used again, I vowed to leave it on the shelf. So, with Plastic Free July coming to a close, how did I do? Did I succeed in my mission? Business Insider Australia:  https://www.businessinsider.com.au/nailed-it-netflix-baking-fails-photos-2018-3 Ok, so it wasn't as bad as all that. But in short, no. I was not able to completely avoid single-use plastics. A few products took me by surprise. There was plastic where I least expected it and where it was completely unnecessary. What got me? Three items. Three in a month of purchasing. And the culprits were... Kitty litter. Grr... I thought I had avoided this when I found a cardboard box of litter without a plastic bag inside. I picked it up off the shelf, paid, and waltzed it to the car - only then to notice the plastic handle that was stuck in the top of the box. Da...

In a 31-day challenge, it is an inevitable topic. There has been much discussion about period poverty in recent months. The fact that I only stopped paying federal tax on these items in 2015 significantly adds to this discussion in Canada (for more interesting facts on that sub-topic, check out the infographic -->). But what about period packaging? Just how much waste is involved in monthly menstruation?? According to the book Flow: The Cultural History of Menstruation , the average woman disposes of between 250 and 300 pounds of period product waste in her lifetime. Compare that to the estimated total waste a woman creates during the years she has a period, and it amounts to an estimated 0.5% of her total waste.* While it isn't much on an individual level, it is unavoidable and adds up when you consider how many women are occupying space on our planet. So considering alternatives to more common period products is helpful for the environment. However, after delving deeper ...