Ahem. Millennials are known to be very passionate individuals. I know this because I have gotten on the plane multiple times meeting a group of my coworkers for the first time – many of them are in their late forties, early fifties, and they give me that all too familiar, wary side glance. Like they are silently thinking to themselves… “Who is this little whippersnapper who looks like she was just birthed, and why in Jehosaphat’s name is she on this plane.” I always win them over fairly quickly, but the common thought process is this, Millenials are always on their phones, taking selfies, posting the latest status, thoroughly and totally self-involved.
This is what I have heard, over and over again, and I can see there is some truth to it. Millennials are very passionate, but are we passionate about the things that really matter? Like cough cough having a planet to live on in the next thirty years when we have long since lost our whippersnapper status. I for one am all about obsessing over the latest hashtag and taking that perfect staged photo that will get me all of the followers my little heart desires. But what would the world be like in ten years if we took all the effort that we put into building our social media accounts, and we poured it into becoming a more “green,” and Eco-Friendly driven generation? We are currently building our future, and I hate to break it to you Babes and Beaus but so far they haven’t created an algorithm to allow us to live in our virtual worlds when our planet becomes uninhabitable – MAYBE a bit on the dramatic side… but hey! This is our world we are talking about. So what can WE do today to literally make the world a better, more sustainable place?
1. Recycle, and Recycle the Right Way
Do you know that for years I never recycled at all? I just went along with my bad self, pretending that my trash wasn’t piling up somewhere and all the lovely consequences to our earth piling up along with it. After I finally grew a brain I started recycling, but I was recycling all of the wrong things. I was trying to recycle ALL of my plastic, all of my cardboard, the plastic bags from the supermarket, you name it – it was in my recycling bin. WRONG! Not all trash is created equal. Some things can be recycled. Other things can’t. Want to learn the difference? Here is a nice visual list from EcoScraps.com https://www.ecoscraps.com/blogs/sustainable-living/76411652-a-simple-list-of-what-can-and-cannot-be-recycled
2. Buy Used Clothing/ Give Away or Donate your Old Clothes:
This is a two for one because it will both help the environment as well as save you some good $$$. No need to thank me. The environment will thank you in the long run. Discarded clothing takes up so much space in landfills and creates a ton of waste. If you donate your clothing to a secondhand shop, someone can buy it and give it several more good years of use before it ends up in the landfill. When you need something new, buy used. This, in the long run, eliminates textile waste and creates a community of recycling. If you live in Charlotte, NC, feel free to check out my favorite thrift shop, Uptown Cheapskates.
3. Recycle at your Work Place:
Many of you know I am a flight attendant, and I just recently flew with a flight attendant who would go “dumpster diving” after we collected trash to pull out all the cans. I just kind of stared at him at first, thinking “GROSS.” Then it dawned on me just how many recyclable cans he was probably saving from getting tossed in the trash. Let’s do the math. If that flight attendant saves 15 cans every flight he takes, let’s say he works 18 days a month, taking 3 flights per workday for a whole year. He would be recycling 810 aluminum cans in a month, and 9,720 cans EVERY SINGLE YEAR. One man is making a difference in his workplace by taking 2 minutes out of his time to pull the cans out the trash. How much of a difference could we make if we all made small changes like that?
4. Spend your Hard Earned Money on Green Products:
Here is how Consumerism works. Sammy goes into a store. Sammy buys Cola. The Cola company produces more Cola because Sammy is buying it. Have you noticed that in the last few years that Target had started to sell more “green” items? They even have Target Clean sections in their beauty and cleaning aisles. Do you want to know why? Because there is a newfound consumer need for “green,” “eco-friendly” products. If we buy more “green” products, companies will produce more “green” products, because the consumer need is higher. Thus, in turn, will eventually give us, “the consumers,” more options and more clean products. Both of which will help the environment, and bring less harmful chemicals into our homes.
5. Ditch your Water Bottles and SAY no to plastic Straws: Just Say No Kids
So what is the deal with water bottles and plastic straws you ask? Well, it is a good idea to limit your plastic in general. Here’s why. As far as plastic straws go, they are too small to recycle. You can only imagine just how many plastic straws get dumped in landfills each day, and ANY unrecycled plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose. So let your imagination run wild… when we are all dead and gone, that plastic straw we used at lunch today??? Still going strong in the landfill down the street. Hopefully, our grandkids will have some sort of solution. ORRRR we could be the solution today and say, “no thank you,” when your waitress asks you if you want a straw. If you just HAVE to have your happy little straw, bring your own, and buy PAPER. Here is a 200 pack from Amazon for $7 buckaroos. Go Get Down with your happy little biodegradable straw.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This is at no cost to you. Happy Shopping! Just for the Love of all that’s Holy… Buy Green.
So here is the deal. We have a lot of catching up to do to make this world a healthier, more sustainable place. We are millennials, and most of us are going to be around for the next sixty years or so to actually see the results of our labors. So start today. If that means posting on your Instagram the new green line you are supporting at Target then go for it. Or if that means you start flipping the heck out the every you see a plastic straw. I support it. Just commit to doing something today and every day forward to doing your part in making this little world we call home – a better place. If we all make that decision today. We can make a real impact. Let’s show the world that we are passionate about more than just posting about the Wheaties and almond milk we had for breakfast!!!
Xoxo,
Megan Marie
