How I Reduced My Plastic Consumption With a Chalk Marker
It’s easier than you think to make small changes that actually matter
Going vegan was one of the most empowering choices I’ve made to date, rebelling in the face of folks who insist that one person can’t effect change. The idea that I could vote with my dollar reclaimed my sense of disillusionment in what seems like a methodically violent and heartless economy that violates the dignity deserved to every living being. When I purchase meat, eggs and dairy, I’m not only supporting a cruel industry that breeds animals only to be slaughtered for my taste buds, but I’m saying that it’s okay for an entire workforce to become desensitized or traumatized by the mundane slaughter of individuals who want to live. Being vegan feels like the opportunity to choose life, over and over again.
Most recently, I’ve embarked on a journey to become plastic-free and the feeling has doubled: eating vegan on a plastic-reduced diet acknowledges that my world is larger than myself and extends beyond my time on this planet.
Currently, there are 150 million tons of plastic floating in our oceans, with another 8 million tons added every year, according to the Ocean Conservancy. All that plastic is disrupting and killing wildlife, with more than 60% of all seabirds and virtually…
