I AM your average 21 year old fashionista, living in San Francisco, CA. San Francisco is well on its way at being a leader in this "Green" movement. Our city has ban the use of plastic bags, all business and households are required to have a compost, recycle, and landfill bin, and even our Mayor rode his bike on bike to work day.
The idea of being sustainable and green is constantly surrounding me in this city. So, I do my fair share. I compost and recycle, I use my bike and my main source of transportation, I bring my reusable coffee cup to the cafes (usually), and I sure blab my mouth a lot about the state of our planet. However, my actions are never as loud as my words. I find I preach more then I do.
These past few months, weeks, and days I having been surrounding myself with as much inspiration as possible. Movies, photography, activists, organizations, events, etc.
I have been kicking myself trying to figure out what I can do that is brilliant and creative to change the world. I find that everyday I tell myself, WE are not doing enough. WE as a society. This past weekend was Bay to Breakers, a 99 year old tradition of a run from the Bay to Ocean Beach. The tradition has become another excuse for San Franciscans to dress up and get wasted. I thought it was going to be fun, I love to dress up, however, walking down the the Panhandle (just 3 blocks from my house) I come to find the whole city is completely trashed and half naked. Now, I have no problem with nudity, and I was drinking too, so that wasn't my issue, it was all the WASTE we were creating. I was shocked.
Here is this huge event where people from all over the Bay Area get together as a community, and what do we do? Get drunk and throw our trash all over our lovely parks and streets. That moment, right there was the final straw, the final 6-pack O Ring I was going to pick up and cut so a turtle has less a chance of getting stuck or choking on it.
I was so confused as to why we can't get together like that and do something better for our environment and community. I mean heck, lets all get together and have a clean up the city day. We can still all dress in costumes, and sure we can still drink. But why to the extent of passing out at 10 am?
SO HERE IT IS:
This whole time I was saying WE need to do something to change, but never once did I say "I NEED TO CHANGE". I never pointed the finger at myself. I need to start with myself, change my ways, before I can help others change theirs.
Plastic to me is the biggest issue right now.
85,000,000 plastic bottles are thrown away every day in the US
500 Billion plastic bags thrown away annually.
Plastic rarely gets properly recycled. It takes to much energy and too high of costs, so it ends up just getting thrown into the landfill, which ends up in the ocean.
Plastic can never be fully broken down back into earth, instead, it is just broken down into a million little pieces that floods our oceans, which is ingested by millions of sea creatures, and we then in return, eat those fish.
The only way I know how to stop myself from using unnecessary plastic is to throw it in my face.
Write down every piece of plastic I use and throw away, with the potential of using less and less each week, till I am using next to none.
It is going to be a long process, and a struggle. But with motivation, inspiration, and support, I can do it.
Inspiration:
The CoveSF Bicycle CoalitionThe Plastic Pollution CoalitionThe No Impact ManPlanet EarthSF EnvironmentChris Jordan PhotographySymbiosis EventsJ
en ZariatSan Francisco Farmer's Markets
Green FestivalsDisney Natureand more to come each post...
