Week 1:
For an assignment at university we were set with the challenge to change a behaviour of ours that would not only better ourselves but also the society in which we live. What started simply as an assignment, become so much more. When I began this project, I had a very broad goal, to give up plastic. As I become more mindful of the plastic in my life, the goal became more defined. I came to realise that unless I completely change in just about every aspect of my life, some plastic is inevitable. However, I did find through weekly goals, little changes to make to improve my behaviour.
I found small achievable goals for myself and didn’t allow myself to get too caught up in the magnitude of the problem. I believe that the changes I have made will be lasting and will continue and grow as I continue to be mindful of my decisions and their consequences.
I hope that by reading my journey you can see ways in which you could replace something disposable for a reusable alternative.
The purpose of a behavioural change project is “to improve their personal welfare and that of the society of which they are a part” (Andreasen, 1994, p. 110). A major part of society is the environment we live in.
Spending my high school years living in the country, I was surrounded by a beautiful environment. We had native bush and a stream running through our 1 ½ acre section. It was a dream. In town, not so much. There is a lot more industry that gets in the way of beauty. Growing up, we had a lot of homegrown veggies from the garden, mum would make preserves and Dad would go hunting and fishing for a lot of our meat.
Moving around different flats in town while at university has made it difficult to establish a veggie garden. This means that I buy my own produce, which is often wrapped in plastic. Ultimately, I want to raise my own awareness of the level of plastic I use on a day-to-day basis and the effect that that has on the environment.
Ultimately, I want to raise my own awareness of the level of plastic I use on a day-to-day basis and the effect that that has on the environment.
What is your behaviour and why is it hard to change?
My behaviour is using plastic. It is hard to change because plastic is everywhere and there are not many easy alternatives. Using plastic is so ingrained in everyday living that most of the use is habitual and will take a lot of work to change many fully formed habits. To increase my mindfulness of my consumption, I am going to record the plastic I use throughout the next 10 weeks. Hopefully, by the end of this ten weeks I will not need to record any plastic.
Why haven’t you changed this before?
A course in business and sustainability last year broke me when I learnt more and more about the broken world we live in and how I am contributing to that. It took a lot to find hope for the future of our world after that course. The problem was so vast and there were seemingly few solutions, particularly for an individual that would make a significant impact. My way of coping and dealing with this harsh reality was to simply not dwell on it. I will need to ensure there are direct steps to change that show they have an impact. Otherwise, the problem will be dismissed as too big and too broad for any one person to make a difference.
After watching A Plastic Ocean I was reminded again of the world beyond my little bubble that I lived in. My flatmate and I went back to the flat on a mission! We were going to change the way we lived and cut out plastic! We started with replacing the plastic bags in our kitchen bin with newspaper and finding out what numbers of plastic were recyclable (1-7) and we wrote that on the flat white board.
Then the next day, other than the bin liners not much else changed. We were no longer confronted with the harsh reality that lay just beyond our shores and had lost that spark in the everyday routine of life. The great human condition; forgetting (McKenzie-Mohr, Lee, Schultz & Kotler, 2012).
Okay, let’s do this!
I got out my croissant for afternoon tea, which was wrapped in plastic. While amused, I also realised this was going to be harder than I thought. Going to the supermarket is going to be hard! So much plastic packaging!
What about milk? Am I going to have to buy a cow?!
Slow down, one step at a time!
First coffee, but I haven’t brought a cup with me! Oh no, no coffee! Wait a minute there are bins at university that allow me to compost the coffee cup, so if I don’t get a lid, it will be fine. Good thing the cafe has self-service for lids.
Let's see how I do next week...