You heard me - keeping it. Watching the pile grow. Empty bag of milk? Keeping it. Single use wrapper for frozen fish? Yup, keeping it. All the plastic that comes in our Amazon order? Definitely still keeping it. At this point, you're probably questioning my sanity, but let's rewind to when this crazy idea started...
With this global pandemic, our obsessively busy society has had time. Time to slow down, time to learn, time to reflect. Many of us have become more connected with nature. As someone who loves to spend time outdoors, I found myself curious about our impact on the planet.
This was triggered two weeks in to the pandemic after noticing the view of the Toronto skyline from our condo looked crisper, as if the fog from commuters driving in to the big city disappeared.
In a way, my hunch was correct. It is estimated that the earth's carbon impact would decrease by approximately -7% if some restrictions remain until the end of 2020 which is nice, but also surprising if you really think about the impact. With our world nearly shutting down, we would only reduce carbon by -7%?! It became clear that our subconscious habits as a species have a tremendous impact on the planet.
After binge watching documentaries, listening to podcasts and scouring articles, our society's reliance on plastic really stuck with me.
It surprised me that in 2017, humans bought a million plastic bottles a minute, 91% of which were not recycled.
It infuriated me that picture perfect islands in the South Pacific were becoming overridden with plastic.
It terrified me that by 2050, it is estimated that the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish.
Helping to solve the plastic problem became very top of mind. Every time I opened our garbage at home to throw out yet another piece of plastic, I felt a guilt-driven pang in my chest. This previously subconscious action of throwing out garbage became an opportunity to make an impact.
This brings us full circle to why we decided to keep every piece of our garbage in our 560 square foot condo for a month. It's the first step in being aware of our impact as we begin learning and transforming into a zero waste household. As we progress, we will be sharing our journey, sharing tips and tricks, and hopefully learn from all of YOU! We know that we are far from perfect, but also realize that every action can make an impact.
As we begin going zero waste, we encourage everyone to join in on the conversation. Let us know what you do to reduce your plastic use or overall carbon footprint by reaching out or commenting below!
We are happy to hear from you, because when it comes to progressing for the planet, every action makes an impact.
If you are feeling up to it, join our #tasteofzerowaste challenge by sharing how much garbage your household has generated in the last day, week, month or even year!
All the best,
Ivanna
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