Sharon | BEAR UP BLOG What is it that you want out of life and how can you get it and give back? I ask myself this a lot and while I’m searching for these answers I’m also working to make changes in my day to day that are readily attainable to move in a positive direction. These changes are showing me that being kind to our environment helps us to be kinder to ourselves and each other and living a healthier life!! I wasn’t expecting so much so soon into my journey! I’m keeping tabs on my progress and noticing some really cool changes in my habits and my conversations with people – from the bank to the grocery and beyond! Here’s my little list which keeps on growing! (details in drop down – be sure to click the arrows and links) Successfully reducing plastic usage. I have found multiple uses for my cloth bags from carting items to storing them at home. They are fabulous! Creating conversations with people in passing to encourage them to do the same. more on this Recycling according to local ordinances resulting in reduction of my carbon footprint. more on this Buying whole foods not packaged when possible. I’m eating healthier than I have in YEARS! Being conscientious of the packaging on all purchases has been helping me make smarter choices not only for the environment but for my health as well. Win! Win! more on this With all this cutting back on plastics I’ve also realized that I want to reduce toxins in my body. Eliminating microwave usage is a good way to go and another step to helping me eat healthier foods and lessen waste! I’ve stored it away for now but happy to not be using it! My favorite go to wrapper! Easily cleaned with cool water, let them dry and be sure to warm them up in your hands before you use them to make them more flexible. With an average life expectancy of a year you can’t go wrong! more on this Monitoring my travel to reduce fuel and emissions has been an easy change! I am sure to run out and do my errands in a fashion where I am making the most of not only my time but to minimize the impact that my eco friendly car makes! Set a course that makes the most sense to you and try it! Bonus: You’ll be saving money on gas and wear and tear on your vehicle! Observing water usage I’ve cut down on my water bill and feel good to use less! Mind the water – Is it running with purpose or just straight to the drain? Staying hydrated by taking reusable stainless steel water bottles filled with filtered water with me wherever and whenever away from home. more on this Reusing containers and storing in glass as much as possible. I’ve become a huge fan of mason jars! more on this Admittedly I do find myself still going to the fast food joints on occasion when I have been away from home all day and at 8 p.m. my stomach is growling. I forego the straw and tell them to hold that and the plastic utensils with a smile on my face! more on this Buying previously used products / clothing is a great way to save money. Not only that but re-purposing means you aren’t contributing to shipping cost, packaging, manufacturing and all the resources needed for these. There are innumerable items that can have a long life and well worth every penny! All natural all the way! White Vinegar is amazing and can be used for so much. Also baking soda is a great item to get tough stains out. The idea here is to get away from the toxic but if you don’t like making your own – I do really like Meyers dish soap and hand soap for the sink and use Dr. Bronner’s all purpose soap (has about 100 uses). The downer here is the plastic so I try to reuse the bottles and order refill soap. I don’t need much of any of these so they last a very long time! Dr. Bronner’s has been with me for years and I have only gotten the bottle down about 1 inch from the top because it is so potent. I have a letter drafted to both companies to plea for them to change their containers. Using my voice! Everywhere I go I find myself talking about my passion for making change happen to better this world for us all. The other day I was at the checkout and noticed the gentleman in front of me had placed about 12 plastic produce bags on the counter. I engaged him in conversation and proudly showed him my cotton bags that could possibly be an alternative for him. Mind you – I wasn’t pushy, I was conversational and engaging. I’m not forcing people to change. I’m showing them the options… How we approach each other is a considerable aspect of communication in every area of life. If you want a good quality conversation you aren’t going to get it by getting someone on the defensive – that’s for sure! He was delighted for the input and said he didn’t even know that these existed! He took a photo of the label with his phone and said he was going to show his wife and then asked me where I go them from. I told him I got them from Amazon and while we were in Whole Foods (owned by Amazon) we both wondered why they weren’t selling them there? My next step was to go to the customer service desk and write up a request for just that! At the front desk, I wrote up a request for the cotton produce bags to be available for purchase. Included was a requested that they encourage sustainability and I offered the idea of perhaps selling mason jars near the nut press machines. This way people could buy and reuse the jars for the nut spreads instead of using the available plastic containers. The customer service representative informed me that people already bring in their mason jars for this purpose. While this is great, I don’t think most people even know about some of these options. I truly believe that sharing this information is critical and giving examples of how a better life can come from making these earth loving choices shows people the holistic value of these actions. We’ll see if they make any of these changes. I hope they do! Most people want to be informed and want to do the right thing! There are some people who have a passive train of thought and subscribe to the theory that people don’t change or won’t change. But…I’m proof that We Do and We Can! There is an entire planet that needs us to persevere in this quest to make a difference! Keep learning, stay motivated and mindful! You are a powerful and beautiful soul in a beautiful world with unlimited possibilities and the power to make beautiful change happen! As my Dad (now blessed in Heaven) used to say – ‘Do It To It! Have a love filled and peaceful day! – Purr Out! ♦ Bee on Flower – Photo by Ryan Graybill on UnsplashWhat Have I Done?
Keep Going!
Next Steps
Be Kind, Stay Motivated and Mindful!
We’ll Get There