What is Plastic May Never Die: Day 4 (How to Start a Citizen Action Campaign)

Last post in the series, I talked about the health and socioeconomic implications of plastic. It was a little doom and gloom, right?

HOW TO START A CITIZEN ACTION CAMPAIGN
Let's talk about empowering ourselves as activists this time. Do you have an issue that you care about, or something in your life or community that you want to change? Are you unsure or maybe paralyzed on how to start? 

Beth Terry provides an outline for her readers who want to inspire change (spoiler alert: it requires a lot of effort and time, but Beth and I and other like-minded individuals believe in you!).

I've created an infographic from her book (pages 120-125) on how to start a citizen action campaign for an issue you care about. Remember to pin now so that you have it for when you're ready to start your own campaign, or join another that you care about.

Day 4's Plastic Inventory:

• Trader Joe's coconut milk carton
• 3 pet waste bags
• English cucumber wrapper

Plus the uze (usual):

• 2 daily contact lens
• 2 cotton swabs
• nightly floss ritual

A small day for plastic inventory. I think I stayed home this day, which really helped reduce my plastic consumption. The following days I went out with my grandma and racked up some plastic use! (STBP - soon to be posted.)

Reflection (it involves cheese!)

I love cheese. It's something I miss a lot from my diet. Whenever I go to the grocery store, I always find myself walking around the cheese display, pining for the creaminess, nuttiness, pungent + strong (blue cheese anyone?), multidimensional layers that is brie, camembert, roquefort.

IMPACT OF DAIRY
Dairy products have big impacts on my body. Maybe it's all the hormones, but I noticed if the product has even an inkling of dairy, any milk ingredients or hormones, my face will break out, specifically around my temples, my ears, and my jawline. They're under-the-skin, cystic bumps that aren't poppable (wait, I'm not popping them - you are) and are often very painful. They also make me feel and look 14 again.

It's important to know that in the US, food regulations mean squat. Other countries have higher standards of food and animal regulations. My husband, who's from Israel, is always surprised by artificial renderings of US foods. "In Israel, dates taste better!" "Back home, fruits are fruits, and they don't have all these chemicals on them."

WHY I'M DAIRY-FREE
Yes, that's sadly the case. Going dairy-free is my way of protesting the dairy industry here. I hate the way cows are treated (I'm in the process of phasing out beef from my life), and the hormones they inject into cows to stimulate more milk production. I mean, it's just wrong! It's like when farmers overstuff ducks to make foie gras.

Moreover, there's an idea that eating meat lowers your vibrational energy (each body vibrates at certain frequencies depending on what we consume and what we emit). The idea that you are what energy you eat kinda makes sense in a nutty way.

Stuffed and fattened with artificial food and hormones, and living in a cage is a life I wish for no species. I'm by no means a vegan. I'm not a saint either. But I cannot support businesses or corporations that exploit animals for entertainment or food (I'm looking at you Sea World!).

FEELING COMPELLED YET?
So, if you've started to feel compelled to do something, DO IT. The world needs more people like you. People who'll protect the vulnerable from being taken advantaged of. Follow this outline that Beth Terry gives us, and just start! Start from where you are. If you need to talk it out with someone, reach out to me below! I'd love to hear what you're passionate about. What gets your fire going.