I actually find that without consciously considering my environmental impact, it is so much easier to dismiss the environment than when I actually make the effort to be eco-friendlier. Everything around the city has become so disposable and purposely convenient that paying an extra $2 for a reusable tote bag at a store sounds worse than using multiple plastic bags to back items (it’s capitalism but anyway). Regardless of what is found directly in front of us, there are still simple ways to be eco-friendlier.
Some simple earth-friendly changes from the past week:
- Like most people, I buy coffee almost every day EVEN THOUGH my apartment has a coffee maker in it. My laziness on most mornings prevents me from turning it on and instead, I have to shell out an extra $2 while late on the way to my 8 am class. I used to use our coffee maker often but have started waking up too late to turn it on in time. Recently, I have returned to using it instead of buying paper cupped coffee at the over abundant coffee shops for my 8 am. Even though my paper cupped coffee days are still here, by reducing constant purchase of this eco-unfriendly garbage to only 2 times a week is better than doing nothing at all.
- We have fairy lights in our dorm kitchen that people always forget to turn off, in turn casting a (quite frightening) soft light on the kitchen in the night. We don’t need them on except when we are using the kitchen but the nice “aesthetic” that we get from the lights make us less inclined to turn them off when we get home from classes around 1 pm while it is still light outside. Because I am usually the first person awake in the mornings I have started unplugging them when I leave the room because I know that if I don’t do it others won’t either.
- My roommate and I try to do laundry on the same day so that we can use the same dryer and save money. Because the dryers in our dorm are so large, at least two loads can fit in at one time. She and I put our clothes in the same dryer to save space, time, and water!
As only a budding conservationist, it is still difficult to remove myself from the convenient harmfulness of everyday city living, but every little change and effort counts even if we do not feel like it does.