Four years in and still figuring things out

Initially I was drawn into this world of sustainable living based on posts I had seen on social media. These ranged from very simple changes to reduce plastic consumption all the way to people that did not use toilet paper because it was too wasteful. (Americans use more toilet paper than anywhere else on earth.) This wide spectrum was incredibly daunting at first. How far was far enough? On the other hand, at what point would I become a social outcast for the ideas people were suggesting?

            Then the real questions started popping up in my head. Were these people on social media even remotely correct in the assertions they were making? I did not have the foggiest clue. This is the point where I started to do actual research. I realized fact checking was going to be incredibly important in accepting this lifestyle change and convincing others that it is a worthwhile cause.

            I decided I needed to assess my life before making drastic changes. There are several websites that will measure your carbon footprint based on a few basic factors such as diet, energy consumption and transportation usage. To be completely fair, these websites are only giving you a general approximation of your carbon footprint. Nearly every detail of your life would have to be included in the calculations and would truly discourage anyone from completing the assessment.

            It has been four, maybe five, years since I calculated my carbon footprint for the first time, but I still remember that it was not good. Two of the biggest contributors were my car and my home energy consumption.  Turning the thermostat down a couple of degrees was an easy fix that really has a significant impact on how much electricity your home uses. Last August I was able to reduce my A/C use to almost never. (Only August because I was interning in another city and did not have control over the shared A/C in the place I was living. My usage in August was maybe an hour at night or every other night just to cut the humidity to prohibit mold growth in the basement.)

T-shirt into rags for plastic free cleaning. Image source. 

            The next I did was to focus on something the carbon footprint calculator does not even consider, my waste output. It was recommended by some online article or YouTube video (I have no idea which one at this point) that I “audit” my trash before sending it to the curb. Personally, I found it to be a very enlightening exercise, even if a little gross. Half of my trash was plastic bags and glass bottles. Both were recyclable but believe it or not, I had never recycled before. One crash course on recycling later and I started making some serious changes.