I get messages daily from people all over the world asking me what can they do to help the situation in the Gulf of Mexico. The first answer is always: write your representatives, relentlessly. You can find information on other pages of this site about that.

The second answer is always: change your lifestyle to reduce your dependence on oil, and reduce your carbon footprint.

That second answer is such a blanket statement I decided to start a new blog series I’m calling “Heal The Earth” in which we will highlight a few simple things per post that you can do in your daily life to help heal our world. Each thing you do may feel small, but know that your consistent, daily actions combine with mine and those of all our friends and neighbors to create massive positive change.

Without further ado, my first installment is on plastics. Plastics are a wonderful invention, useful for all sorts of things in our daily lives. They’re in plumbing, computers, cell phones, kitchen storage containers, bottles, bags, beach balls, plastic wrap, chairs, appliances, razors, brushes, printers, games, televisions, you name it! And plastics are all petroleum based. Every time you toss a plastic water bottle in the garbage it ends up in a landfill somewhere, probably tucked neatly into a plastic bag, and will take hundreds (possibly thousands) of years to biodegrade.

Here are 3 quick, easy ways reduce your use and disposal of plastics, thereby taking one giant step towards healing our earth:

  • Keep a stock of sturdy, reusable bags in your car. Take them in and use them for groceries or on other shopping trips. Eliminate your use of plastic grocery bags.
  • Wash/reuse Ziploc bags. Wash bags with warm, soapy water and allow to air dry. These bags will last for dozens of uses, saving you money and reducing waste and petroleum-driven manufacturing, one bag at a time.
  • Get yourself several reusable water bottles. I’m a fan of Sigg, but you can get stainless water bottles in most any store these days. Vow to never use another “disposable” plastic water bottle again. If you do, make the extra effort to recycle that material. Avoid taking drinks “to go” from restaurants. If you have your water bottle with you, refill that instead!

I’ll definitely return to plastics in future installments, but if even half of the country implemented these changes, the impact would be phenomenal. If this sounds daunting, try implementing just one of these items. If you’re an overachiever like us, go for all three starting today!

Let’s all work to be more mindful, with every decision we make, that the Earth is precious, and we must value and care for Her, and not take the gifts She gives us for granted.