That Crazy Bag Lady

So, when it comes to reducing my impact on the environment most resources have indicated that I should drive less. Well, I drive to school so unless I stop going that’s not going to happen. Other choices like not driving to the gym or recycling more just don’t work for me. I recycle everything I can as it is and the gym is 5 miles away, and if I walked there I’d promptly be hit by a car. Instead I am going to do as my wise (old) mom suggested and bring bags with me to the store. This may not seem like a challenge from the outside, but I assure you it is.

My mom has been bringing grocery bags with her to the supermarket for at least 5 years now and she still forgets to bring them in. I have to go get them, but I’m not complaining because the amount of plastic saved is amazing. Now, since I live at home and my mom does much of the grocery shopping, I will be bringing my own bags to other places. Every college student knows that trips to Wawa can be far too frequent but always worth it. I spend a lot of time at the one near my house because my boyfriend works there. Taking their bags every time will be a hard habit to break. The challenges to changing this behavior include the social awkwardness of explaining that I have brought my own bag into a convenience store, constantly rejecting and having to repackage already filled plastic bags that are accidentally handed to me, remembering to bring a bag with me everywhere I go, and not giving in when my boyfriend says what I’m doing is silly and that I should just make up these entries. (Where’s the fun in that?)

I think this will be a rewarding experience and hopefully it will help me to appreciate all of the resources I use daily more.