Growing Together

by Faith Longo

“When did it trigger for you?”

Many friends and family have asked me this question, and I, in turn, have stopped to ask myself the same too, only to find no clear answer. In fact, just three months ago I didn’t even think about my environmental impact, and I would carelessly use single-use plastics with no guilty feeling.

When I first moved into my college dorm, my roommate, Stephanie, actually introduced me to some zero-waste habits. She had a bamboo tooth-brush, a reusable straw, a menstrual cup, and handfuls of other products to help reduce her waste. At first, I wasn’t too interested, and became one of the many people who simply said: “I’ll try it out in the future”.

However, just a month later I completely changed my perspective. Part of the reason for this was recognizing my own hypocrisy. The truth was, a year prior to this change, I transitioned to become vegetarian in order to help the planet. I knew how unethical the meat industry was, but I also knew just how much water consumption, air pollution, and land degradation it contributed too. I decided that if I wanted to be true to my heart and help the planet, I needed to take the extra step to change my other bad habits.

Youtube was probably my best friend during this transition process. Seeing people’s personal stories on how easy it was to reduce their environmental impact made me feel like I could, too. Here’s one video in particular that inspired me.

There wasn’t a ‘moment’ for me that made everything click. No video, article, or even a speech could do that. Instead (for me at least) it was more like learning how to ride a bike. The moment when you can revolve the pedals on your own isn’t instantaneous after you take off your training wheels; you fall sometimes. You give up. You wonder, “what’s the point”? But you go back to it, ask for help, and learn little things that can help you stay up longer. Suddenly, you can ride a bike on your own--and easily, too. Thinking of a time when you couldn’t just seems absurd.

Just like riding that bike, being more eco-friendly is not easy--at first. The struggle lies in the key fact that you are mostly just breaking old, bad habits. Even after a few months of being low-waste I still struggle with some aspects of it (like saying no to plastic packaged Disneyland pickles). Nobody’s perfect, but even making simple changes and cutting out single-use plastics like water bottles, cutlery, and bags makes such a huge impact (especially considering they’re a part of the top ten marine debris items).

Once my perspective shifted, I started to get knots in my stomach whenever I used something packaged, or made out of plastic. I couldn’t be consciously okay knowing what I was contributing to, knowing exactly where my trash was going. It was either going to be piling up an already enormous landfill, or end up in the oceans because of accidental spills and mismanaged waste disposal. And while more developed nations don’t contribute ‘as much’, it doesn’t undermine the fact that it is still an issue. The backlash against the anti-straw movement in Seattle, the average of 854 pounds thrown away by the average US citizen, and the alarming amount of food waste in our country is hard to ignore.

I believe because of the privilege many of us have, we have a duty to at least attempt to change our habits. I believe because of the strength of our generation, we have the capability and vitality to really change the world if we put our minds to it. I believe because doing nothing is doing something, we need to see through our ignorances and make a change before it’s too late.

That’s where The Water Lily Collective comes in. I realized that the core of these issues lies in our own communities. How are our officials handling waste? Do your friends and neighbors compost or recycle? How does your community care for each other, and the planet? My mother is a huge believer in positive thinking, and because of her inspiration, I had the idea of this project.

To really lead change, I believe we need to come together as a community. We need to care for one another, set an example for new generations, and realize that we are all people that deserve a bright future. How does this relate to being eco-friendly? The truth is, if we care for one another, we are going to want a bright future for one another. We'll want our children to see clean oceans, to play in parks without trash, to see the skies without smog.

At its core, our project is based on kindness and growth. Constant learning from one another, and endless compassion. This project is more than just leading an eco-friendly movement, it’s also about community activism and seeing each other as human. I believe with this kindness we can make real changes.

So, grow like the waterlily, and see things from a new perspective. Grateful for the sun, gentle along the water, and in peace with your community.

With love,

Faith