*Pictured is a screenshot of the group meeting virtually through Webex. *
This event was a Webex meeting with TA Maddie St. Pierre. We met on November 18th to talk about the environment and ways to be more environmentally stable. I chose to participate in this event because I want to have a positive impact on the environment because the environment is being treated so poorly. I was looking forward to learning more ways to contribute. I figured this would be a great opportunity to open my eyes to how some of my habits can be harmful to the environment. It also allowed me to see habits that are good and habits that I can adopt to help. During this event we started by talking about the environment. Maddie shared some statistics so that we realize how at-risk the environment is. One that stood out to me was that plastic bags are typically only used for 12 minutes but they stick around for a long time afterwards harming the environment. She also shared some facts about deforestation and other harmful plastics that we use on a daily basis. I was heartbroken when I heard the fact about plastic bags, but I was also happy to be reminded that I’m doing my part. I have been reusing plastic bags my whole life. I’ve always had cats, so we use plastic bags to clean their litter boxes. Now I use plastic bags that I get after shopping as liners for my trash can. Obviously, I shouldn’t be using plastic bags at all, but I think it’s still good that I reuse them and make them multipurpose. After talking about some facts, Maddie shared some ways that she is environmentally stable. For example, she buys her clothes second-hand. That’s another thing that I do as well. After sharing what she does, and encouraging us to possibly try some, she also shared some other ideas of ways to be more environmentally stable. One thing she mentioned that I should be better about is borrowing from or sharing with friends and family instead of buying something new. This was especially smart for Halloween costumes. I used what I already had for my costume which is a small step towards making a difference. After she shared her practices and other ideas, we went into breakout rooms to talk about what statistics stood out, what we want to do to improve in the future, and any struggles we currently have that we are aware of. My group talked about how we realize the harm from plasticware, and we need to work on that. I also mentioned that I struggled with keeping too many clothes when they can be recycled (resold/donated). As soon as I got home that weekend, I went through my closet and got rid of almost everything. We also talked about and shared with Maddie afterwards that we really appreciated how she presented this topic. She made a big point of doing little things and taking little steps. It can be really overwhelming to hear about how harmful many things are but, even the little acts can make a difference. I learned a lot about the environment especially through the facts and statistics she presented. I think hearing about how harmful some practices can be was very eye-opening. It’s very helpful that she stressed the idea of the little steps though because it’s incredibly overwhelming. She also shared the importance of reusable water bottles which is another thing I do. I think it’s really easy to just use plastic and disposable products in college. I appreciated how many easy ideas she gave us. I’m positive I can change my actions and continue my already sustainable ones and help the environment by doing my little part.
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