small steps, smaller footprints

 

So, you committed to cutting single-use bags out of your life and somehow you find yourself in a drive through with a single-use bag full of food wrapped in smaller single-use containers, with single-use condiment wrappers, single use plasticware wrapped in plastic, and a single-use cup with a plastic lid and straw. Not surprisingly, despite the horrible health consequences which are arguably more disturbing than the environmental consequences, fast food constitutes approximately 15% of the meals in America. Fast food is not fast or cheap when compared to shopping at the grocery store and preparing meals at home. If you are a realist, and have the budget of an average American, you'll acknowledge that purchasing fast food does not save you any time. In fact, if you account for the extra hours you'll have to work to offset the additional expense of fast (slow) food, you're wasting quite a bit of time in comparison to cooking at home. When accounting for the savings from substituting fast food with groceries, the excess waste, energy, and materials used per fast food meal, and the extra vehicular emissions attributed to traveling and idling for fast food, you can reasonably expect to save yourself hundreds of dollars and hundreds of kilograms of CO2 each year. By kicking fast (slow) food out of your diet, you are benefiting your body, wallet, and the planet. The impact of completing this action is:

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