Me, A Consumer
By Tamika Whitenack
I've been thinking a lot about the ways in which I can live better and be more conscious of my presence and reduce my consumption and environmental impact....it's a little overwhelming, and sometimes I feel like I really shouldn't be doing anything other than sitting outside wearing clothes made from the local leaves on the ground or something. In an effort to address this craziness, I've decided it would be interesting to take stock of one of my typicalish days and sort of assess what little things I feel like I can realistically do.
A typical day in the life of Tamika:
Wake-up in my bed and my pajamas: be mindful of what bedding/clothing I buy-what is it made of, who made it, how far did it travel? and how often I wash it
Brush my teeth: what goes into my toothpaste? can i buy a better version or make my own in a better way? can i be conscious of how much water i really need to use to brush my teeth?
Go to the bathroom: should i flush? after i wash my hands, do i use one of the paper towels in the bathroom, or can i just shake and air dry?
Get dressed: be mindful of my clothing-again, what is it made of, who made it, how far did it travel etc...how much use can i get out of these clothes, and can i give them a new life when i'm done with them? same thing with shoes
Go on a run: where am i running? what is the land used for, who used to own the land, and why am i able to run on it now? be mindful of whose habitat i'm encroaching on, both human spaces and nature places, and what privilege i bring to each of these spaces
Take a shower: what is in my shower products? what companies am i supporting? can i use less? can i buy/make a better version? how much water am i using? can i reduce my water consumption? am i using hot water? be mindful of my towel (same questions as bedding/clothes)
Do homework/go to class: am i printing my readings? can i use less paper/ink? am i on my computer more than necessary, can i reduce the need to charge my electronics? what other things am i using-pencils, pens, etc? books? can i buy used books and then lend them to other people? what about my backpack and everything in it? where do these things come from, where will they go?
Eating: oohhhh boy there's a lot going on here! what companies am i supporting? who made the food? can i avoid processed food? can i eat locally? are the practices ethical? environmentally friendly? how much energy was required to bring the food here? how much energy was required to keep the food cold or heat it up? what waste is it generating and how much can i reduce waste, compost, or reuse? what utensils/plates etc am i using and what resources do they use to be washed? can they be reused? what about napkins? can i reduce the number of paper napkins that i use here? how does the food relate to a culture? is anyone being taking advantage of? do i need my mini-fridge in my room? is it worth the use of kitchen appliances to bake for fun?
Practice flute: what paper is my music on? idk how to address my flute because I already have it...how can i keep it in good condition?
Luckily, I don't have to drive anywhere here and walking feels somewhat harmless. But driving is a huge one to think about and I'll try to address it when I get home...also the fact that I have to fly to school makes me feel like I need to make up that huge fossil fuel consumption in some way, so I'm working on coming to peace with that.
Okay, there's definitely other things that are consumption and that I need to be mindful of, but as these are the most salient activities in my life at the moment, I think I'll stop there! I'm curious what you all think, what other ways do we consume?
I've been thinking a lot about the ways in which I can live better and be more conscious of my presence and reduce my consumption and environmental impact....it's a little overwhelming, and sometimes I feel like I really shouldn't be doing anything other than sitting outside wearing clothes made from the local leaves on the ground or something. In an effort to address this craziness, I've decided it would be interesting to take stock of one of my typicalish days and sort of assess what little things I feel like I can realistically do.
A typical day in the life of Tamika:
Wake-up in my bed and my pajamas: be mindful of what bedding/clothing I buy-what is it made of, who made it, how far did it travel? and how often I wash it
Brush my teeth: what goes into my toothpaste? can i buy a better version or make my own in a better way? can i be conscious of how much water i really need to use to brush my teeth?
Go to the bathroom: should i flush? after i wash my hands, do i use one of the paper towels in the bathroom, or can i just shake and air dry?
Get dressed: be mindful of my clothing-again, what is it made of, who made it, how far did it travel etc...how much use can i get out of these clothes, and can i give them a new life when i'm done with them? same thing with shoes
Go on a run: where am i running? what is the land used for, who used to own the land, and why am i able to run on it now? be mindful of whose habitat i'm encroaching on, both human spaces and nature places, and what privilege i bring to each of these spaces
Take a shower: what is in my shower products? what companies am i supporting? can i use less? can i buy/make a better version? how much water am i using? can i reduce my water consumption? am i using hot water? be mindful of my towel (same questions as bedding/clothes)
Do homework/go to class: am i printing my readings? can i use less paper/ink? am i on my computer more than necessary, can i reduce the need to charge my electronics? what other things am i using-pencils, pens, etc? books? can i buy used books and then lend them to other people? what about my backpack and everything in it? where do these things come from, where will they go?
Eating: oohhhh boy there's a lot going on here! what companies am i supporting? who made the food? can i avoid processed food? can i eat locally? are the practices ethical? environmentally friendly? how much energy was required to bring the food here? how much energy was required to keep the food cold or heat it up? what waste is it generating and how much can i reduce waste, compost, or reuse? what utensils/plates etc am i using and what resources do they use to be washed? can they be reused? what about napkins? can i reduce the number of paper napkins that i use here? how does the food relate to a culture? is anyone being taking advantage of? do i need my mini-fridge in my room? is it worth the use of kitchen appliances to bake for fun?
Practice flute: what paper is my music on? idk how to address my flute because I already have it...how can i keep it in good condition?
Luckily, I don't have to drive anywhere here and walking feels somewhat harmless. But driving is a huge one to think about and I'll try to address it when I get home...also the fact that I have to fly to school makes me feel like I need to make up that huge fossil fuel consumption in some way, so I'm working on coming to peace with that.
Okay, there's definitely other things that are consumption and that I need to be mindful of, but as these are the most salient activities in my life at the moment, I think I'll stop there! I'm curious what you all think, what other ways do we consume?
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