"In the Spirit of Conservatism"

Lately I feel like I've been playing a game to see how long I can go without going to the grocery store, and yet still eating what's left in my fridge and pantry. This semester I've found that I've been inspired to be more aware of my consumption and have made an effort to be less wasteful. Especially after watching the french film "Les Glaneurs et La Glaneuse" that portrays a very minimalistic lifestyle (*highly recommend this movie!).  On average I take a weekly trip to the grocery store to get the produce essentials, bananas, milk, turkey and bread, etc. And then I've begun to start saving things I don't eat and freezing them before they go bad. I really try minimize what goes in the trash. In fact, I think I only produce one bag of trash a week. Not too shabby. Reducing the impact you make on the environment is called reducing your carbon foot print. Of course there are lots of things that I could improve on, such as the water pressure and length of my showers, the fact that I drive to school less that 5 minutes away (I rarely ride my bike or walk anymore). But other lifestyle areas I've made an attempt to change are filling the dishwasher full before running it (same with loads of laundry... this also just works into a busy schedule), using reusable bags for grocery shopping and turning the A/C or heating off at night or during nice days. I do recycle (which one can argue is a process that actually uses up more energy than just producing) but more importantly I try to just reduce my consumption of packing (ie. water bottles) I know it is hypocritical that I live by myself in a spacious apartment and drive a luxury vehicle, but I'm making effort to be more aware and to become less attached to my material belongings (which I try to remain constantly grateful for and take good care of). In honor of earth day this weekend, reflect on the beautiful planet which you inhabit and show it some appreciation!!

“Treat the world well.  It was not given to you by your parents; it was lent to you by your children.” -ancient proverb