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Choices Inspire Movements

By Camila Carsolio

By Camila CarsolioPublished 3 years ago 8 min read
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If we could choose things based solemnly on one factor then, how easy would it be to choose! But the truth is that there are always many things involved in our decisions. We can reach a can of tomatoes or go for the fresh tomatoes, but it is not as simple as that. Because we have to think about the price of the can vs that of the tomatoes, of the time it takes to prepare the tomato sauce vs just opening the can. And it gets even more complicated as we see the tomato sauce in glass jars and in plastic jars, the many brand options, and the quality of the ingredients. For pure environmental reasons we would have to consider where the tomatoes came from, whether they were grown with pesticides, how much demand there is for the product, whether the water used was recycled, whether renewable energy was used to transport it, and many more factors which would be imposible to calculate unless we grew our own tomatoes. How easy would it be if we could just take our jars of sauce and fill them up in a supply machine made of local ingredients? But the truth is that we are far from this alternate reality. Yet, if we want to propell the future, we need to make more environmentaly concious choices when it comes to daily decisions.

I have always tried to look for new ways to reduce my carbon footprint and my environmental impact. I became vegetarian by the time I was 8 years old even though I loved meat. All because I couldn’t imagine myself killing an animal. Since then, I tried to convince everyone at school to become vegetarian, I watched documentaries, and even wrote papers on the subject. But that never seemed like enough, every day I still saw trees being cut down, fires burning the forests, and invasive plagues drying up the trees. Not to mention the constant plastic and waste pollution of the lake. But yet, I wasn’t as aware of how much plastic, fabric and even glass waste I created until I came to the US and saw that everything in the supermarket came in plastic, that people used disposable plastic water bottles instead of glasses of water or refillable water bottles, that things in good condition where thrown to the street only to be replaced by more things. This left a deep mark in me which I refused to let spread. So I decided to start buying fruits and vegetables from farmers markets, to buy my grains in bulk, to collect my compost scraps and take them to a collection centers every week, I became vegan, I only used the subway for transportation, I didn’t buy any clothes and sowed those that were ripped. I continued to advocate for veganism at my school and through social media, I went to Climate Strikes, I hanged my clothes instead of using the dryer, I spent winters without heater and summers without AC, I volunteered at trash pickups, but of course, it was never enough for me to feel like I was doing my best to help the planet.

Today I have some ideas as to what I would like to develop further in order to help awareness and make a good impact in this beautiful blue marble.

One is to make a community exchange day, where the people in a neighborhood set up a place and day to exchange things that they would have otherwise thrown away or that they would just keep stored at home. It could be great to do it when there is a change of season so that the people who like to clean out their closet can at least exchange clothes with somebody else instead of just throwing them away and buying new ones. This idea came because I have been selling my friends unwanted stuff and some things that other people throw out through OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace. But how great would it be if we gave value to things based solemnly on what they are instead of just on how much money they are worth? Exchanging would not only make us more aware of the fact that things are not disposable and that they can be given many uses but also that sharing with our community should be a part of everyday life.

I would also like to spread awareness, starting from my own home, about the importance of having native plants, like weeds on our yards in order to help, not only species conservation, but also water conservation. This will help maintain healthy ecosystems, where everything from insects to birds can thrive. There is this great and easy to use website that tells you what species are native based on your location https://www.nwf.org/nativePlantFinder/plants. As well as something that I recently discovered which is an app called Bloosom that identifies plants for you. All that you have to do is take a picture and it tells you the name, characteristics, and care that the plant needs.

Another important thing that I only started thinking about when I began working was: What does my money fund while it is at the bank? It is hard to know what our money is being used for but what I do know; is that most banks sponsor the fósil fuel industry. Which is something that I am completely against. Because the fósil fuel industry is making itself rich at the expense of our planet and our future. And no one is paying for what it will cost us and future generations to counter that impact. This is why I was very excited when I heard about Aspiration which is a compostable debit and credit card which doesn’t support fossil fuels. On the contrary it is trying to make a positive impact. I would like to switch to this bank but I haven’t done so because I am trying to first gather up information about their policies and safety protocols. I think that this is something that everyone should look into and I hope that it inspires other banks to do the same.

Something that I have been postponing but I definitely have to do as soon as possible is to call my local recycling center to find out what materials they accept because not every recycling facility accepts all types of plastic and fabric as well as other materials. And whatever they don’t accept is a hazle for the facility because they have to separate it and throw it away. Otherwise, it could even ruin the machinery. This - separating trash the correct way - is something that everyone should do as it will make the whole recycling system more efficient.

I also want to set up mask collecting bins at the places where I work because there are so many masks thrown on the beach, park and every other public space. I will then take the masks to a collection center where I saw that a company is pressing them into building blocks.

Something I want to do more often is trash pick up days. Where I organize for people to get together at the beach and other places to collect trash. This is something I tried to do a couple times but I was never able to get people interested so I was just by myself. Which made it impossible to pick up all the trash. But I think that if I get together with the neighborhood council then we will be able to recruit more people.

I also want to start growing my own herbs in pots so that I can eat local, fresh, and at the same time have plants at home.

Then again, I am going to continue reducing my individual waste and pollution to the minimum, by making my own soaps, using bamboo toothbrushes, using reef friendly sunscreen, buying second hand clothes only if necessary, making my own food and choosing products with the least packaging possible.

In social media I have seen some incredible ideas but which require a little more money or skilled labor: like a toilet with a sink on top so that the water on the sink is directly stored to flush the toilet; or like a washing machine that is powered by your foot; or a mini solar panel charger for your phone and other small devices. These are all great ideas which I hope to combine one day.

Something that might be helpful for others is that I was recently able get an electric car because I found a California rebate program, an economic incentive, for people to buy used electric cars. People can find out more about this program by going to ladwp.com under Used Electric Vehicle Rebate Program.

Finally, educating future generations about the importance of sustainable and environmentally aware development. This is of great importance because otherwise our work will only be temporary. And, like it is often seen in history, we will continue to repeat our mistakes.

It is knowledge and the desire to better ourselves for the wellbeing of others that will allow for the survival of the species. Not about who is the strongest or the richest, but about who knows how to listen, observe, learn, adapt, and invent with nature to create an environment where all living beings can coexist.

Because although systematic change is a must, we as individuals have the power to make the choices that will inspire movements. Just like fish and sea animals can create most of the movement of the oceans (needed to mix up the nutrients), because life is the strongest force that this beautiful planet has created.

CC

Advocacy
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Camila Carsolio

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