Why I choose to live less waste?

    Try to type these two keywords: ‘plastic pollution’ and ‘animal’, then tell me what you find. I guess you will see many photos of animals which mistakenly see plastics as food, eat them, and make them starved to die. Some of animals were tangled and trapped with plastics in terrible condition. It is heart-breaking. We owe nature so much for giving us abundant resources, but what have we done? The sad thing is, I HAVE KNOWN this from many years ago, I have seen a lot, but NEVER actually try to do something to make it better.

All the plastic bags from whale's stomach (source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/)

    A facebook post back in June 20, 2017 by Sky Ocean Rescue was an eye-opening for me. In the beginning of the video you will see a desperate whale that didn’t want to go back into the sea, until the fire department decided to shoot it. Scientists at the University of Bergen did an autopsy and found out that whale’s stomach was full of plastic bags tangled with one bag after the others. I felt so sorry to see that. We’ve done too much for them to bear. It may sound exaggerated, but I want to do something in favor for them but I don’t want passively just sit down in my desk, while so many animals suffering from the trash I made. And utmostly....

I don’t want to be remembered for all the trashes I made
and leave them all behind to the next generations.

It terrified me.

    That day was the day I promised and commited to myself that I will learn to reduce my waste, aiming for a sustainable living. After seeing a week worth of my own waste, I realized that I was a selfish human who always craving to fulfill my own satisfaction, I realized that living this way won’t bring any better to the environment and I realized that I oh... no, WE still can do something about this. This is my effort to honor the earth.

Since when we became so unaware?

Since when we take ourselves out from nature circle?

Since when we stopped honoring earth for all the resources it has given to us?

     It’s nearly a year since I tried challenging myself to actively make less waste, hoping that someday I can fully adapt #zerowaste as my daily basis. Now, I’m still a learner as I was a year ago and I will always be. Even though the first step was tough, I enjoyed every little process in making my way through it.

     High commitment and more preparation to refuse “unexpected” disposables for each day are needed. In the earlier days of my transition, I often forget to put my reusables in my daily bag. People do forget anyway, so don’t rush it! Sure, I didn’t change all of sudden. It wasn’t instant. It took me days, weeks or even months to change. Since then, my way of thinking has completely changed too. This lifestyle has simplified me and as the time passed, I realized so much benefits I can get from #livinglesswaste.

     Back then, I was actually planned to reduce any contact with social media and internet as an effort of green movement to cut electricity consumption. But then I saw this:

“Rather than having just one person doing eco-related things all day,
all people doing just one eco thing a day will have more overall effect.”

says Fujita who invented Maibashi movement.

         I made my mind to deactivate my Path and Twitter accounts, but keeping my Facebook, Instagram and Blogger account alive to encourage people and make a proof that habit change IS possible. I wasn’t living this way a year ago, but now I am trying my best to cultivate an environmentally conscious mindset along with many other people with the same motive. Habits aren’t destiny. With continuous effort, you can actually take a full control of remaking and renewing old habits!

     I am wondering if a regular lazy human like me can, anyone can do that too! You don’t need to earn environmental or science degree to start this. Because the source to learn this is everywhere! Internet, books or even some knowledge from your family and friends? Start with your own pace and do your action! Believe me, it feels so nice to put something into “actual actions”!