A few weeks ago I was invited to an event where my son received an award that he won in writing. Third prize in his age category, for a story he wrote. The contest was held in the last month of the school year and the proposed theme was environment and values about responsibility and ecological awareness.
I was more than surprised when he told me that he won that award because, in reality, I didn't know that he participated at all! Teenagers... sometimes he doesn't tell me things like this... nor did he tell me that a few months earlier he participated in another contest, also for writing in the Valencian language, and there he also won a prize. Well, as long as I find out through the good news, it's okay.
So, the story he wrote has been rewarded with a cool notebook, a nice pen, a cloth backpack, a diploma, a book that you see in this post and a voucher valued at 25 euros that he has been able to exchange at a bookstore for whatever he wanted. He ordered two books of his choice, which had already arrived — one about musical intelligence and another about the lives of artists.
His story talked about a little village and the sad reality of how would our society and planet look if we did not take care of it, but the moral of the short story was the importance of daily actions that can make a difference.
This book, which I took from him to read, 😇 made me think about my actions and how could I contribute to a more sustainable planet. Its title already says Tú puedes cambiar el mundo - or in English... You Can Change the World.
There are also quotes like this one that state that a teacher, a student, a pencil and a book can change the world. Can they change it indeed? Or what we can do? Education is very important, it is the first step but our own decisions should make the difference for the good of ourselves and everyone.
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The texts in the book draw our attention to different sectors and industries that pollute our environment, reflect on possible solutions, and give small suggestions on how children and adults could improve their habits and bring a change. I ignored the information that the textile industry is the second most polluting in the world, after the oil company. Well, I don't buy many clothes - that is a good thing. And also I always love giving life to an already used garment that may even have better quality than the new ones they sell now.
The quantity of trash we throw every day is already annoying us for a long time. We see that something is not going in a good direction as just thinking about the time we were children we can't recall so much waste in our households.
But what really scares me the most is the presence of plastic in everything. Virtually everything we buy is wrapped in plastic. No, I'm not talking about the plastic bags you buy at the store when you forget the cloth bag, but rather the packaging of every single fruit or vegetable. Why did it become the norm? 😟
I understand that manufacturers will make everything that people buy, everything. And the more we buy food served like this, the worse it is for us. Maybe it's practical, but we should think about the consequences. Not only because we accumulate a huge amount of garbage, but because small particles of plastic inevitably become part of the food we take into our bodies. Directly or indirectly.
After leafing through the book I borrowed from my son I made a resolution. For a week or two I will try to avoid buying food in plastic packages as much as I can, and buy fresh vegetables and fruits on the market. To see if we can switch...
There is definitely less plastic and the prices are also a bit cheaper than in supermarkets. Not to mention the taste, which is a lot better when you buy fresh veggies from the farmers or at least resellers.
Also, I decided to use my bike instead of the car for the grocery as many times as I could. Going to work by bicycle is not really practical as I have to pedal uphill for half an hour 😅 but I did it last week for one lesson. I had to make sure I would arrive early and not sweat anymore at the time when my student arrived. But I can't do it every day.
About my experiment could I change my habits and completely avoid buying food in plastic packaging... I failed. There are many products that you can't buy in another form. The solution would be to stop buying and eating them. Move to a more rural area, have your own little garden, grow your own food - that could be a thing... But my lifestyle currently is different. I can just try to stay aware of this problem and every time I reach a lettuce wrapped in that horrible plastic just refrain from buying it and go to the market instead.
Do you (and how) try to change your habits to help our planet and us stay healthier?
