Emily Jenkins

After dialing in my shower time, the next step I can take is having a plastic free shower/bathroom. This idea was brought up to me by a friend in Washington this summer. She has been working to reduce her plastic by buying items for her shower that come in the form of bars - shampoo bars, conditioner bars, and also the tooth paste cubes! I am extremely inspired by her- although I do already use a shampoo bar, I can cut down my plastic waste by trying the solid tooth pastes and more! This would be a fun challenge. 

Something that stands in the way of me saying no to single use mugs simply is convenience- This is a harsh reality. By planning ahead and bringing a mug with me, I can eliminate or greatly reduce my need for single use mugs! I also use my french press every morning (very little waste), and I can bring my coffee with me. This will not only save my need for buying coffee in single use containers, but it will also save me money! A win win situation if you ask me ! 

If I find myself needing a bag at a grocery store and the only option is plastic, I will always buy a reusable bag and spend the extra two dollars. Or carry my stuff out. I hate plastic. I know that hate is a strong word, and that is why I am using it above. I honestly hate plastic. I am privileged enough to be able to buy a reusable bag, so I will always buy a bag if I forget. I typically have some bags in the back of my car, but I always try and plan ahead when I go to the store. Thus, I can always plan ahead to have bags with me as well. This is going pretty well so far! 

My roommates and I started a compost bin for our apartment, and so far, it has been a learning experience! So far, I have honestly been shocked by the amount of food waste we compost. One of my roommates eats 100% of her meals in our apartment due to a health related thing, and most of my other roommates (and myself) eat a lot of our food in the apartment too. We have accumulated a lot of compost from this. The amount is so surprising. I am thankful to be participating in this challenge! We donate our compost to the on campus compost bin in the apartment complex on campus. 

By practicing a healthy work-life balance, I can focus both my work and my play on sustainability. Thus, I can practice sustainability in both realms of life -incorporating more habits in a wholistic approach. 

I usually get between 6-7 hours of sleep. This is an unsustainable habit that I have fallen into during college. In order to take control of my life and focus on self care, I will commit to getting at least seven hours of sleep a night. I would like to go to bed earlier, around 11, and get up earlier, around 7, to exercise, sit on my porch, and enjoy life. Limiting my screen time close to bed really helps me go to sleep earlier!  

In richer countries, people have more access to expensive foods (which take more power and energy to grow/transport) such as meat! Eating more meat creates a larger environmental footprint for an individual. Every piece of meat eaten takes massive amounts of energy to produce and generates an incredible amount of waste. I once heard that it takes over 600 gallons of water to create one burger. If the average American eats three burgers a week, that's over 18,000 gallons of water a week that is being used. By eating lower on the trophic scale, for example eating a plant rich diet, you can cut out these large amounts of energy being used for meat production-lowering your environmental footprint!