Self Sustainability

Sunday, November 10, 2019



So this post may get a little TMI for some people, but ultimately we are here to learn from my experiences, have a laugh or two, and maybe , just maybe, try something new.

Yes I've gone MIA for a while, but this topic has been in the back of my mind for quite some time. I was never the type to be deeply rooted in sustainability and why it matters, but I found myself picking up little habits over the past few months. Then, I realized that these little changes, ever so nominal as they may be, actually do make a difference in both my personal life, but also for the planets as well.

The topic of sustainability really came into my radar two summers ago when I was interning. I had an apartment in the city and lived alone. Keyword here being "alone," yet I was always shocked at just how much trash I would dispose of at the end of the week... I wanted to try more to reduce that.

I pack my own lunch most of the time, and for years, always used plastic bags and plastic sandwich bags. But you use 'em once, you throw it away like a fuckboy that just wanted to hit it and quit it. Why constantly replace something when you can just consistently use the same thing? GO on Amazon, find yourself a sandwich sized plastic container, banana container, packable salad bowl, whatever you need to carry food, and stop using your plastics.


When you were younger, you would have gotten away with carrying your lunch in a plastic or brown bag, but imagine being a grown ass adult dressed up on the train, and carrying Stop n Shops finest? Overall, it just looks sloppy. For presentation purposes as well, get a reusable tote. It'll hold up better, look better, and overall will be better.

The shower. I love places like Lush because I can buy package free soap and shampoo bars and use them until the product is no more. Now, we all grow hair, and majority, want to remove it, so we buy disposable razors. This next alternative is the more pricer of suggestions, but hear me out. Women will shave over 7,000 times in their lifetime and spend over $10,000 in disposable products. Don't believe me? Check out some glamour articles and read for yourself. Some people opt for waxing, which at the end of the day, is wasteful because you still have to throw strips out. I personally, do laser hair removal. There is no mess, the pain is a little sting, and it drastically removes your hair growth. You will have to shave every mercury in retrograde after about 6 laser sessions, but you won't be spending $15 a month at CVS on the same BIC razors you've been using your entire life.

Since the shower is the in the bathroom, it bring me to the next subtopic- periods. IDK about the rest of the world reading this, but after a few days, my ceramic trash bin is already filled with wrappers and all that brightly colored shit thats meant to mentally make a period more appealing and "happy." Newflash, wrapping products in bright pinks and purple will NOT internally make me feel better. Periods aren't only filled with endless cramps, but trash too. You have to buy pads, tampons, liners, Mydol, extra underwear.... fun expenses that come with being a woman. But have you ever heard of/ tried a menstrual cup?  Put it in, take it out, rinse and repeat until your flow is no more. You wont have anxiety of things like leakage, having to grab a tampon when nobody is looking to sneak into the bathroom,  and so on. Theres so many benefits to a cup and it's so incredibly waste free. I would personally recommend the brand Saalt which you can find at your local Target.

These are just a few of the ways I implement sustainability in my day-to-day life, so what about you? Drop it low in the comments below to get a conversation going.



Photos by France
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