Sustainability during the Coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic has caused many people, including me, to become less environmental and greatly increase the amount of plastic waste we produce. This is mainly because products that involve or are packaged in single use plastics are generally more sanitary, and are therefore can be safer to use during the coronavirus pandemic. Even Lauren Singer, who is the CEO of a company called Package Free and has lived a zero waste lifestyle for 8 years, wrote about how she had to go against her values, use plastic, and produce waste because of the pandemic. She explained that sometimes it is necessary to “pivot away from one value to prioritize another; in this case pivoting from sustainability to create and sustain a strong, thriving, and inclusive community. If that means buying plastic packaged food, using single use cups, or getting takeout from local restaurants, do what you need to feel safe and to help others feel safe as well.”
Keeping our community healthy is extremely important, even if we create more waste in doing that, but there are also several ways to be sustainable in a way that is safe. It was hard to find reliable research or information about staying sustainable during the coronavirus because it is such a new topic. However, I came up with my own list of ways to help the environment during the pandemic.
Wear a reusable fabric mask. Reusable masks reduce the production of waste and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (link to fabric masks)
Learn more about the environmental issues around you. Also, try to find ways to help solve these problems, like cleaning up trash around your neighborhood. (link to trash cleanup, eco friendly during corona?, socially distanced)
Post on social media to spread awareness about the environment. This will help educate other people about the issue, especially because many people spend more time online during quarantine.
Determine what changes you need to make in order to lead a more sustainable life after the coronavirus and quarantine. Use any extra time to set yourself up for this lifestyle.
Try not to buy hand sanitizers or lysol wipes that are packaged in single use plastics. A more sustainable solution would be to buy the products in bulk and move them to smaller reusable containers. You could also reuse the plastic packaging to make art.
