Way back in August of 2009, I decided to eliminate bottled water from my life. I made this decision while I was sitting in one of my environmental classes. I realized that every time I purchased bottled water I was basically contradicting my beliefs and the core of my studies. From that moment forward, I swore off bottled water. Nine months later and I am still going strong. It was very difficult at first and I went thirsty on many occasions, but I knew it was for the greater good. I now rarely leave the house without my stainless steel canister.
I am very proud of no-bottled-water pledge I have taken, but another realization hit me the other day. Why did I swear off bottled water and not Styrofoam? While it is not the best choice, at least bottled water can be recycled. Styrofoam on the other hand… most municipalities can’t recycle it and it is terrible on the environment. So as of March 28, 2010 I have completely banished Styrofoam from my life. Let me tell you, this has made my life difficult in ways I never imagined. Our society LOVES Styrofoam! I can no longer buy chicken in bulk or ground turkey or pretty much anything in the meat section of the grocery store. I can’t even explain the disappointment when I saw my favorite bratwurst came in Styrofoam! Now at restaurants I have to ask the waiter ahead of time what their to-go containers are made of and endure that strange look they give me. I never realized how much Styrofoam surrounds us until I took on this pledge. Man… these first couple months are going to be brutal, but I know it is the right decision for me and I am happy I decided to do this.
