We’re coming to the end of Zero Waste Week and it’s given me the opportunity to reflect on where I am in my zero waste journey. Over the past couple of years I have tried to avoid single-use plastic; I have a reusable water bottle, I say no to plastic straws, I buy fruit and vegetables without packaging etc. I know that not all of my choices are perfect and that I am still working towards a zero waste lifestyle, but I am pleased with the progress I have made. Ultimately, I am glad to be more mindful and making considered choices that move me in the direction of living my best life without single-use. I have realised that zero waste doesn’t happen overnight but is a discipline that needs practise and positive action.
This mentality ties in with plogging. For the majority of people, feeling comfortable plogging doesn’t happen overnight but takes thought, consideration and a team of like-minded people, virtually or physically, encouraging you to be the change and make a difference to your community. Fundamentally, plogging and zero waste train you to become more thoughtful. Factoring in your impact on the earth becomes part of your decisions as a consumer and a member of your community, with every purchase you make, meal you eat and discarded water bottle you see lying on the ground. No more impulse buys and an increased awareness of your surroundings and the amount of litter that lines our streets.
Surely this high level of thoughtfulness bleeds into other areas of your life. You might become more perceptive to other people’s needs, and maybe your own. If you’re committed to making a difference to planet earth, then why not be committed to yourself too? Just as you make conscious decisions to eat a zero waste meal or pick up litter, why not consider how these actions make you feel too. Do the same when you pack your shopping into a cloth bag, or when you put your organic waste into a compost bin.
Taking care of mother earth will in turn build practices and routines that take care of you.