Recycling is like Broccoli

Like every other kid growing up in the 90s, I grew up with a perspective on recycling that was similar to my perspective on eating broccoli:

”I know I should, but it takes extra work, isn’t that enjoyable, and how much of a difference does it really make? But there’s a poster about it up at school, so I should definitely consider it, and then ultimately feel guilty for failing to commit.”

fastfood lids

I felt that way about recycling – and other efforts to take care of the one planet that we know of is hospitable for human life – until I met someone after college (as a young 20-something, I had other priorities, what can I say?) who was incredibly passionate about it.

This person would collect recyclables everywhere he went, and if there wasn’t a recycling bin nearby, he would stockpile his findings in his car until he could offload them at a trusted recycling facility. We’re talking everything from discarded magazines to fast food cup lids & straws.

I wondered, “what inspires this kind of commitment and dedication to something you can’t see tangible results from?”

the experiment

I thought he was a little extreme, and honestly wondered if all that consciousness made a difference. As a daughter of a PHD scientist, I did what anyone would do and decided to run my own experiment. I decided to collect all my recyclables I encountered throughout my regular daily activities for 1 week. Rule #1 was there was to be no going “unreasonably” out of my way. I wanted to see if by expending the minimal amount of effort, what kind of recyclable material I could save from a landfill in just 1 week.

A week later I was surprised to see a mountain of clean recyclables piled up in a corner of my apartment that had grew honestly with zero extra effort.

Me, a single person with no children, was staring at a small mountain of trash that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.

A small mountain = a big impact

The image of that small mountain of trash stayed with me, and my heart was softened. What excuse do I have not to recycle?

I committed then to do what I could. If 1 person can save a substantial pile of trash every week from contributing to the demise of our climate, why wouldn’t I?

not adding to the problem

When I decided to finally act on my longtime dream of design my own artsy clothes, I knew I couldn’t do something that would add to the problem of “fast fashion.” For this reason, I strive to seek out quality products with low to no impact on the planet. Not everything in my shop is eco-friendly, but I hope it will be someday.

Thanks for being here and supporting my art and my dreams for a more joyful planet - the people AND the world they live on.

-Bree