Mid-Quarter Sustainability Accountability Check

As the quarter goes on and we enter week 5, it’s time for a sustainability accountability check! At the beginning of this quarter, I set three goals for myself in an attempt to reduce my ecological footprint and become more aware of my consumption habits.

My first goal was to not buy any new makeup. This is probably the goal that has been the hardest for me to follow. In the last couple weeks, I made a total of three new makeup purchases. I am a little bit disappointed in myself for not sticking to my goal, but I think I might need to narrow my goal to be a bit more specific. As a makeup artist, I’m not sure that limiting my makeup purchases is the best way to approach sustainability within this product category. In the next coming weeks, I want to be more careful with the waste I produce in using makeup. Every single time I do my makeup, I usually end up using at least two disposable makeup wipes and tons of Q tips. I want to challenge myself to do some research and look into reusable makeup wipes and see if I can find a more sustainable option. When it comes to Q tips, I use them to add precision to my makeup looks, using anywhere from 3-10 in one session. I need to do some more research as I’m not sure how damaging Q tips are for the environment and if there are proper ways to dispose of them. In addition to both of these, I use a lot of microplastics in my makeup looks. From glitters to rhinestones, I usually use these products once and then throw them away. Although it might not add up to be a lot, these products could have the potential to get into our water streams and be harmful to wildlife. I am aware of a few brands that create glitter out of seaweed and other sustainable materials, but I need to do a bit more research about rhinestones and other stickers I use quite often.

My second goal was to limit the amount of dairy I purchase. My diet is mostly vegan, with the exception of eggs cooked into baked goods, yogurt in my smoothies, and regular milk in my coffee. My goal was to stop buying yogurt, milk, and cheese at grocery stores, and so far I’ve been doing well with this goal! Milk is relatively easy to swap out for non-dairy alternatives, and yogurt is easy to simply not purchase. Cheese is still the hardest product for me to stop eating as I already have a lot of it and don’t want it to go to waste. I hope in the weeks to come that I am able to keep up with this progress and continue to not purchase any dairy products!

My third goal was to become more aware of my food waste as well as begin to compost as a way to keep myself accountable! I have a composting system set in place but I’m finding that often times I forget to use it. I think I have been successful in limiting my food waste, but there is so much more that I can be doing. Perhaps I need to move the composting bin closer to the trash can so I remember to use it more, or even put a sticky note on the garbage can reminding myself to be aware of what I’m throwing away and evaluating if it should belong in the comport or recycle bin instead. In the coming weeks I’m going to try implementing one of those options and keep better track of all the waste I’m producing.

Overall, my goals have been going pretty well. I did have to take a step back and reevaluate my first goal and adjust my intentions a bit. Looking back at my progress, I want to challenge myself to keep better track of all the waste I’m producing throughout different aspects of my life, not just in the kitchen. After recognizing how much waste I’m producing with my makeup usage, I am challenging myself to keep my waste in a bag and let it accumulate over time instead of immediately throwing it in a trash bin. This way I will be able to gain a better perspective about how much waste I’m producing and if there are any alternatives that I can implement into my routine to try and reduce this waste.

Along with keeping track of my makeup waste, I want to create a separate trash bin just for myself that is separate than what my family uses so that I can keep track of all the food packaging waste I am creating as well. I know that I am throwing away some packaging that could probably be reduced if I had done a bit more research about it, and I want to be more aware not only of the amount of waste I’m producing but what type of waste and if it’s being disposed of in the most environmentally efficient way.

I am relatively proud of myself for the progress I’ve made in my personal sustainability journey, and I am becoming increasingly more conscious of my behavior and attitudes. Through this process, I have found that I have relatively negative attitudes towards my family for not participating in my sustainability goals with me or for not understanding the purpose behind these changes I’m trying to make. I want to challenge myself to change my attitude and approach the situation with more compassion and understanding, because making those around me feel guilty for their consumption behaviors is not an effective way to introduce them to the world of sustainability. I am eager to monitor my progress in the next coming weeks and I will be back with another sustainability update soon!