My Sustainability Journey

I never had an 'aha' moment when it came to sustainability, but I'm so grateful I get to share what I'm passionate about with others.

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How did I get into sustainability? A lot of other bloggers I follow have had sort of an 'aha' moment. I can't pinpoint one moment where it clicked for me. I've always been into 'saving the earth' - ever since I was a kid. However, there still been a few things throughout my life that have gotten me to where I am now in my sustainability journey. ​

Childhood

Growing up, I was a little bit of a hoarder! I loved doing crafts and I would always save things for crafts even if everyone else would consider it garbage. My friend, Makayla, and I were pen pals all of elementary school. She would frequently tell me about what projects she'd been working on and sometimes even send me stuff she made. This was during the time of duct tape wallets. Makayla told me about a version that had a bit of a twist - you would save candy wrappers and make duct tape candy wrapper wallets!

Now, I probably wouldn't save my candy wrappers now BUT at the time I was so excited to be 'recycling'. I filled up a whole container with candy wrappers and wouldn't let my family throw away their wrappers. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out the instructions Makayla wrote for me and ended up tossing them all, but it was the start of trying to be innovative and creative when it comes to recycling.

High School

In high school, I got a job working at Plato's Closet. I'd always been passionate about fashion, even if my execution was questionable, but this really got me into it a bit more. For those of you who don't know about Plato's Closet, it is a consignment store for clothes you would get at the mall. We had things from places like Forever 21, Nike, Vans.... all those kinds of brands! And the best thing about it, it was all second-hand so you felt a little bit better purchasing it. You could also sell your clothes to Plato's Closet and while you might not get as much as you think your clothes are worth, its nice to get a little extra cash for things you were just going to donate.

Another thing I did in high school was participate in my school's FCCLA chapter! Part of this club was creating a project and competing. The categories were pretty broad; my junior year I competed in event planning. My senior year, I decided to do something a little different. My idea was to pick something that isn't normally 'recycled' and make it into something unexpected.

I brainstormed things that are just getting tossed. What about VHS tapes?? The thrift stores are filled with them. But what could I make with them? What about a fringe flappers dress?? So I set out to do it. Unfortunately, because of covid, I have yet to finish the dress and didn't get to compete in the state competition but this is another example of how being creative and recycling have always been a part of my life. (When I get a sewing machine I'm planning on finishing it).

College

During covid, before I moved out from home, I started watching TikToks on sustainable fashion - the fashion industry is so polluting! I would get sucked into these worm holes - I learned so much. After I moved out, I started noticing how easy it is to be extreeemmly wasteful! Food waste, waste from packaging, grocery store bags, broken electronics, old shoes, disposable toiletries. The list goes on and on. And I just kept reading blogs, watching YouTube videos, and looking at Instagram posts about sustainability. It was all so interesting to me!

Except, I wasn't *actually* doing anything about any of the things I was reading. Yeah, I liked to go thrifting, but that stopped a lot once I started college and didn't have a car or access to a sewing machine. I had never really considered myself to be passionate about sustainability before either, with occasional phases but nothing that really stuck.

I kind of hoped to life a sustainable, eco-friendly, healthy life but I hadn't done anything to work towards that. This past fall semester I realized "Oh, my life is starting. I can start creating sustainable habits now, I need ​to start creating these habits. I don't need to put it off." I was already trying to get better at not impulse buying (mostly for budgeting reasons) and the rest has slowly started coming together. I switched to zero-waste shampoo and conditioner. I've started holding on to jars and cans to use for other things or recycle one I have the chance. I've been working to make sure I don't waste food and use up my leftovers.

And next came my blog. I was debating all of fall semester what I should focus on to grow in my career. Should I work hard to get good at graphic design? Do I need to get more experience at photography/videography? Should I start a blog? What should I start a blog about even? I just couldn't decide what to do with myself and so I was doing nothing! My fiancé and I brainstormed what I would actually enjoy doing the most. (You can probably guess what I picked).

When I read the syllabus for my Intro to Social Media class and saw that one of the requirements was to work on a blog over the course of the semester, I knew it was meant to be! I had already decided I wanted to write about sustainability and intentional living because it's what I'm passionate about, but I was nervous that I wouldn't have the motivation to keep it going. I've started a couple things that have died after a while. Blogging for my class was the perfect way to keep myself accountable from the beginning. I love being able to learn more about taking care of our earth and I'm so glad I get to share that with others. This blog also helps hold myself accountable to make sure I'm doing my part to help make the world a more sustainable place. ​

This article was originally publishes 4/4/2022.