07/06/2020
Back in March, I read the book “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I knew as soon as I finished it that it was the spark for . It’s an incredible book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who cares about the planet, global climate change, and sustainability. It also made me cry over cattails and algae, which was unexpected!
It got me thinking a lot about sustainability, consumption, and plastic. There’s no denying we’re at a critical tipping point (possibly past that tipping point) when it comes to climate change and protecting our natural world. I’ve been geeking about ways to do what I can to help since I was a kid - I still have my copy of “50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save The Earth.” It’s a complicated problem, though - the thing to do that’ll have the biggest impact is the thing that feels the furthest out of our hands - regulate environmental protections at the top level. Big corporations (especially when it comes to consumable goods production) are the biggest contributor to the problem. It’s too easy to throw our hands up and say, “well, my actions don’t matter when it’s Big Oil that’s the real problem!”
There are a MILLION things to focus on right now - the Black Lives Matter movement, the upcoming November election, the frickin pandemic that is picking up speed in the US at a terrifying rate, the horrifying unemployment rate (and imminent end to the extra $600/week payments), the question of what to do about schools in September, the best way to go about defunding the police...and that doesn’t even touch on any personal, day-to-day problems that crop up. So why, in the middle of all of this, am I trying to care about reducing plastic consumption and trying to shift to a more sustainable lifestyle?
Maybe it’s because it gives me something tangible to focus on, because it feels like a concrete action. Maybe it’s the natural progression of the slow-burning anti-capitalism fire that’s been building in my soul. Maybe it’s because I recognize the intersection of unchecked consumerism and modern day slave labor that plays a huge role in our world’s carbon footprint (looking at you, Amazon). Probably all of the above.
Either way, I’m so, SO excited about one of Milwaukee’s new businesses that just opened - The Glass Pantry. It’s a zero-plastic store that is an environmentalist’s heaven on earth. Cleaning products, bath products, pantry staples - they have things I didn’t know *could* be sold in bulk, like hot chocolate mix! I’m looking forward to working regular trips to The Glass Pantry into our household shopping routine. Yes, it’s inconvenient compared to a one-stop-shop like Pick’n’Save. I haven’t done a price comparison to see how price points differ, but I imagine it’s slightly more expensive than plastic-packaged alternatives. Yes, it’s definitely going to be something of an upfront investment to shift our household away from the convenience of plastic.
But it’s worth it, to me. Do I think my household is really going to make a game-changing impact on the environmental problems we’re facing? Nope. The half-dozen or so plastic shampoo/conditioner/body wash containers we go through in a year is a drop in the proverbial bucket. But I have the financial ability to make the choice to go for a plastic-free alternative. If everyone who had the ability to do so chose to do so...it would keep thousands, millions, possibly billions of plastic packages out of landfills.
One action doesn’t change much. But one action, millions of times over? That’s a movement.
