Prior to starting the Green Team, our whole class read articles and watched multiple videos about other major green topics such as collaborative consumption (featured in my last blog post) and different aspects of recycling. All of this discussion focused around lifestyle changes in order to create a better, cleaner life, which would in turn effect the quality of life for the entire world. Since we embarked on these discussions, I found myself changing my lifestyle based on what we've learned mostly about collaborative consumption. Although I have not completely gone through my closet, drawers, house, etc., to see what I don't need or use anymore, my mind set has changed thoroughly. I am now on the slow road to recovery from being an impulse buyer, to buying what and when I truly need something. For example, at the mall shopping for prom shoes recently, mother dearest offered to buy me a new pair of shoes because the ones I was wearing were from last Spring. Before the unit began, I would have jumped at the chance to buy a pair. But in the store I sat and thought about the shoes and if I really did need them just because they were "last season's." After a few moments of deep thought and confused looks from my mother, I decided against the shoes and left the store. I have to admit, it was a weird feeling. Never before had I willingly turned down a shopping experience, but I do believe it started a trend for change in a new way of thinking in my life.
Other than basic concepts and ideas from collaborative consumption and living a minimalistic lifestyle, I've learned a few different facts from this unit. One example deals with the recycling of water bottles; I had no idea you couldn't recycle the caps with the bottles! Since then, I make sure to unscrew the caps before depositing them in the recycling bins. I also learned that almost anything can be recycled, but there are barely any places to recycle the rarer items like yogurt containers and plastic cups. One of the final facts I've learned dealt with the very beginning of the unit where we watched the water bottle documentary. I now know the dangers of BPA in water bottles and how bad they really are for the environment. The chemicals found in bottled water also came as shocking news to me, which I try to warn my peers about.
As a member of the "Green Team," I have been working on a tournament, which will hopefully take place in May, which consists of flicking the can tabs off of soda cans and then collecting the tabs and cans to be recycled/donated to the Ronald McDonald House for charity. Other than having a good time and handing out eco-friendly prizes to the winners, Green Team members and I were hoping this tournament would help initiate a desire to recycle in the student body, which would eventually force the school board to get more involved. In doing this, I also co-wrote a letter to Mr. Newman explaining the tournament and asking for his approval. With the other members of the team I also helped collect surveys about the recycling habits of the school from other teachers.
Hopefully my millions of followers have gathered from the first section of the post that I am hoping/planning on having these minimalist lifestyle & collaborative consumption concepts stay in my life for as long as possible. If I break, however, I can guarantee that my recycling habits will continue to improve. I have become recently obsessed with protecting the Earth and its inhabitants, and plan to make my lifestyle habits the factor that saves the world.
