Reviewing 48 hours

For 48 hours I wrote on a journal everything I did, consumed, and used. During the process, I understood that these were all factors leading upto how the planet is doing. As I continue to learn more about sustainability and why it is vital that everyone understands it for the well being of the planet, my perception of the world has changed with how humans continue to treat it. Reviewing everything on my journal helped me realize that I should be doing more for the planet because it is not difficult work and it is better for everyone and everything on Earth if it is living more sustainably.

On Wednesday I woke up at five A.M. and got ready with a bamboo toothbrush which is biodegradable but I still used regular toothpaste which is made with chemicals that are released into the atmosphere. Then, I did my make-up with cruelty free/vegan makeup which ensures animals do not get mistreated which is better for the environment because it helps prevent chemicals that are misused on animals from releasing on to the planet. But my lipgloss did not provide any similar labels.

At six A.M., I started to make my breakfast oatmeal which I buy in bulk at Whole Foods but it was still in a plastic bag because everytime I go out to make a purchase I forget to bring a reusable bag. Owning a few reusable bags is important for living sustainably since the planet already creates so much plastic that ends up in oceans and is unavoidable for animals to get caught up in. Knowing that humans are the cause of destroying what could have been a peaceful life for these beautiful creatures is heartbreaking. Along with my oatmeal, I used an entire peach but I remembered to not trash the seed and instead throw it onto the plants on my front porch because it decomposes by itself. I was still upset to see a sticker on the peach which is an unnecessary means of product packaging because they easily and always end up in oceans. Then at seven am I took the subway and arrived to class at 8am, I walked to different buildings for classes then at one pm I met up with my friend for lunch and we went to this vegan place called Terri, we ate there so we barely used up any plastic materials. Then we walked around the city and later I had a doctors appointment and ate a homemade vegan salad there. Afterwords, I took the subway to the lower east side and met with my friend to look around at local shops and then I got coffee at a local mcdonalds. I realize that I should invest in a portable water bottle that I can use every time I get thirsty instead of making purchases that will only add on to the  unnecessary waste that we continuously create. Finally at around sevenpm I took the subway back home to Queens and I was so exhausted and went to sleep.

On Thursday, I woke up at around eight A.M. and hung out with my baby brother until my mom picked us up in her car at nine. We drove to Long Island City for vegan donuts which honestly was a huge waste of gas. Next time, i’ll just take a 30 minute bike ride there and bring back donuts for my family or I will encourage my family to take the subway there in order to decrease our carbon footprint. It is important that we pay attention to our carbon footprint because its a way of measuring what we leave on the planet. And what we leave on the planet are chemicals and toxins leading up to the greenhouse gas effect and as a result things like climate change is occuring more frequently and it is creating a dangerous planet. At around 11 I got home and I basically just hung out at home all day. I enjoyed watching snow fall at home. After reviewing my journal and reading the 48 hours of my life that I wrote down, I noticed that I need to put in more work. I am constantly thinking of easy alternatives for what I am doing that could make my footprint on this planet more sustainable. Everyone needs to pay a little more attention to daily tasks that can easily become more sustainable and establish a brighter future for the planet.