Sometimes facts can be overwhelming – but I know what I want.
I want cleaner oceans, cleaner streets, and a cleaner house.
I want less debris, less trash, and less clutter.
It might be simple to know what I want, but hard to know how to get there. I start to think about the steps to get there, and I easily get overwhelmed.
This month at SalemRecycles, we’ve been thinking and talking about plastic bags. Plastic bags are part of a tendency to rely on single-use disposable products for their convenience. Everywhere you turn, there is plastic. However, there is a famous saying I like to remember when facing big challenges.
A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.
This is one of those areas where I know what I want (No More Plastic Bags!) but it’s very hard to get there. I need to break this goal up into smaller pieces.
In our last blog post, we gave you some fast facts about plastic bags. But this week, maybe you want to know...what can I do?
There are many different websites for tips about living with fewer plastic bags, fewer plastic bottles, and fewer throw-away items in our lives. Those three sites are just the tip of a larger iceberg. But sometimes, all the tips in the world might not help you if you don’t just start the journey.
Tony, SalemRecycles' chair, challenged me with this story:
I have discussions with folks about eliminating plastic bags at grocery stores, and frequently receive the response…“What am I supposed to do if the store doesn’t give me bags, and I forgot to bring my bags from home?”
I usually ask if they have ever had a Costco membership, or similar, and how they handle buying things at those stores without any bags available. They say, “oh…I had to put my purchases in the boxes provided at the checkouts or just put them loose in the cart and fill the car trunk up.” I respond with – did you cancel the membership after that? You still shop at Costco, right?
They do.
It is a mindset that has to change. Just because bags are convenient doesn’t mean that you can’t change. I’ve heard the way to change a habit is to do something else for at least 30 days to form a new habit. I think that’s what people have to start doing…change their habits.
Tony challenged his friends to start by going just ONE week without using plastic bags – and then share their story, and if they make it one week – then try TWO. And keep going until it becomes a changed habit.
Moving toward a cleaner ocean, cleaner street, and cleaner house seem like worthy goals to me – so I continually challenge myself to try and go without plastic bags, plastic bottles, and more.
Could you try along with us? Could you go ONE WEEK without accepting a new plastic bag?
And...if that seems too easy, what about two?
Please participate with us in a plastic bag challenge – and share your stories on SalemRecycles' Facebook page or in the comments below!
If you are up for a bigger challenge, you might want to check out the challenge over at My Plastic Free Life. There are so many inspiring stories from people just like you and me.
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Beth Melillo, a member of the SalemRecycles Committee, is an MS candidate at Salem State University in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology program. She is interested in sustainable business and development. You can often find her running at Forest River Park or checking out books about upcycling from the Salem Public Library.
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