Whats it About?
THE PLEDGE
I chose the 40 days of lent for this pledge as it's supposed to be a time to make some sacrifice . . Usually I would try to give up chocolate. Instead I decided to choose something slightly more plausible. I made a pledge to myself that I will be package free in the city.
I had been living in Edinburgh for a few years now and every day I observed the consumer world in action. The amount of waste the city produces is staggering. I wanted to prove to myself and to others that with a bit of mindfulness and pro active planning it is possible to act against the capitalist consumer market.
So my first pledge started on Feb 14th 2018. My mission, to be completely package free. . Meaning, I choose to not invest in anything with packaging such as toiletries, essentials i.e toothpaste and most importantly, something we all love and need, FOOD!
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PLAN OF ACTION
My plan of action will be to source out local markets, wholesale businesses and online resources for ideas on how to survive in this crazy plastic wrapped world.
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WHY DO THIS?
My reason for this project is not only to bring awareness to how much waste we produce but to show that WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! I need to prove it to myself as much as anybody else. I managed to live almost package free in other countries, mainly because street food was so cheap and served out in a bowl or on a banana leaf, the local markets were packed with local people selling produce from their back gardens. And when you eat this way you automatically became healthier. I was eating fresh, local food and supporting my neighbor. In Babylon this is more difficult, society has made it so by making us believe there is no other way. We grab our imported, packaged goods, scan them through the machine and boom, a few hours later the food is in our bellies along with ingredients we cant even pronounce. Then that (usually unnecessary) packaging goes to landfill or "recycling". I understand that 100% package free may be asking too much of myself and of anyone else wanting to take part in the pledge, not everybody wants to be a farmer, we all have our roles to play in this life, but we also have to work together to keep the earth clean. I was lucky to do my first pledge Edinburgh as the city has a growing community of conscious beans who support a waste free world in many ways.
Follow my journey as I try to continue the pledge every year and record my challenges etc to encourage myself and others for a better environment, cleaner oceans and healthier lifestyle.
Thank you
