Humans are actively destroying the earth, every day. Single-use plastics get tossed into landfills where they sit for hundreds of years or worse – in natural habitats where it negatively impacts wildlife. I can’t idly contribute to this destruction, which is why I’m pledging to cut single-use plastics from my life! Unless, of course, I really need to use them.

There are scientific and ethical reasons to stop using disposable plastics that have convinced me to radically restructure my life. For example, my water bottle usage decreased tremendously when I purchased a HydroFlask. But sometimes my HydroFlask gets too heavy in my bag so I’ll stop by CVS for a Dasani. But I try to recycle it, sort of!

Cutting out single-use plastics brought so many positive changes to my life. It’s why I threw out all my old tupperware, shopping bags, and clothes from synthetic fibers in exchange for cute glassware, canvas grocery totes, and brand new (sustainable) clothes!

I read you can reuse pickle jars for storage, which I think is kind of ugly and not my style, but you’re totally free to do that! For the planet!

I mean, sometimes if I order takeout and it arrives in a plastic container, I can’t help that. And it’d be wasteful not to eat it. Sometimes I’m limited in my activism, but oh well. I love pad thai!

And yes: I’ve seen those pictures of the plastic littering the oceans, killing wildlife and polluting our food chain. Can you imagine a little baby turtle choking on a straw? It breaks my beautiful, extraordinarily large heart. I think about those images every time I bravely use a reusable ziploc bag. They require cleaning after each use, which I don’t really have time to do during the week, so sometimes I’m forced to use disposable bags.

We all need to feel the urgency when transitioning from throwaway culture to sustainability.

The most unwilling person I’ve encountered about this is my landlord, who only accepts paper checks, and it’s so sad. How am I supposed to write a check without a plastic pen? I haven’t paid rent in three months because someone needs to hold his stubbornness accountable.

Plastic takes a long time to break down, anywhere from 20 to 1,000 years to break down. Whenever I have parties, I ask people to bring cans because 70% of aluminum is made from recyclable material. Although my friends and I hate beer, so I pour some mixed drinks into solo cups, but only for myself! Minimize plastic waste!

Laws against use of plastic bags help, but it’s not enough. In order to create change, we need to be passionate leaders committed to a better tomorrow, unless you need to use a plastic thing once, which sometimes I really need to, but I do it as an informed consumer. Join me in saving our little Earth home – and the turtles!