Chey’s Guide To Environmentalism

By Cheyenne Hamm

Summer is over which means we’re getting closer to the holiday seasons! The aesthetics of fall with pumpkins and leaves, or with Christmas with the snow and hot chocolate! We all love holidays because, more or less, it gives us something to do, while bringing us all together. Another thing, unfortunately, that comes with holidays is plastic waste and single use products. All of these stores such as Hobby Lobby, Spirit Halloween, JCpenney, etc., all encourage you to get into their “BIG SALE,” for decorations: tablecloths, plastic silverware, and other miscellaneous holiday items. They make it 10x easier to buy their single use/limited use items, because that’s how they make more money! When they make you feel like you’re missing out on something, it can make you feel pressured to just buy. I’m here to encourage you to THINK before just buying. This will also help you avoid burning a hole in your wallet!

This isn’t to make you feel bad for buying cute halloween decorations for your yard, but to just make you aware of what you are directly participating in. Instead of going out to Walmart and spending way too much money on single-use decorations, make something new! The experience of making something new is fulfilling and engages the creative and imaginative part of your mind! Most materials you would use to make decorations, can just be items around your house! One of my favorite sites that includes numerous ways to make DIY decorations! (For Halloween since that’s the closest holiday) Check This Out! 

So next time you go to the store, look around. Think about how many of the things you see will end up in a trash yard. My biggest goal is to spread awareness and help make you Paduans nature-loving, tree huggers. (Join the club!) Take pride in the fact that you are making a conscious effort to choose to be a sustainable human! See you next time environmentalists.