Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10: Overall Project Reflection

SMART Goal: 

My SMART goal is to use a reusable water bottle instead of a plastic water bottle everyday for the rest of the semester and hopefully the rest of my life. I didn't change anything with my individual SMART goal. I was able to complete me goal every week and therefore decided to try out other class members goals. I had a lot of fun trying out others goals. I was able to walk to school, use four pieces of toilet paper, shower in under five minutes, and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Success:
I felt really successful over the course of the semester. I think what most helped me to be successful was that this was a goal I wanted to do for myself before class began. By having this lifestyle change I had motivation to implement my goal of switching to a reusable water bottle everyday. The only thing that really that got in my way was going home. When I went home it was a little more of a challenge because my mother does buy plastic water bottles. However, I did not have any issues with this as I continued to use my water bottle. In the future I can address this by helping my mother to switch to a reusable water bottle.

My Benefits:

I felt that I benefited from this project in many ways. One way that I was able to benefit was by saving money. This entire semester I did not spend any money on plastic water bottles. I decided to figure out exactly how much I saved:  I figured one case of water is about $4.50 and I would have to buy that every 20 days and over the course of the semester (14 weeks). Therefore, I saved $22.05 over 14 weeks by using a reusable water bottle that I already had and did not have to purchase. Another benefit was that I was drinking more water. I tend to drink a lot of water in general and therefore would spend a lot on bottled water but this way I drank more water at no cost! I learned that now I know exactly how much water I drink as my water bottle has measurements on the side. I thought this was really cool to see and thought it was very informative. I also learned that by drinking more water I feel a lot better throughout the day. I think drinking water also improves on your diet. A lot of the time people eat because they think they are hungry when really they are just thirsty.

Environmental Benefit: 

By not drinking bottled water and drinking from a reusable water bottle, I was able to reduce the amount of waste in landfills. Others benefited because I was able to influence them to make the switch. I was able to help others understand why this is so important for them and for the environment. A lot of people thought it was going to be a challenge but once they got started they realized that it just becomes routine, as it did for me. Although this is a small part in the world, I felt really good about what I was able to accomplish. This is a change for the rest of my life and am really proud of my accomplishment.

Continuing Behavior:

I plan to continue this behavior for the rest of my life. I feel I have truly changed something for the better in my life and made a change that benefits the environment.  I think as I continue using my reusable water bottle other friends and family members of mine will also make the switch. I hope that when I am home more frequently I am able to get my mother to make the switch also.

Recommendations: 

I would suggest to other that want to make the switch to start off small. Finish using the bottled water that you have. Only drink two to three of the bottled water a week and the rest of the time use a reusable water bottle. Then begin to decrease your bottled water intake and add in more reusable water bottle time. Before you know it the bottled water will be gone and you will be use to using a reusable water bottle. It is important not to buy any more bottled water because then you are just back at stage one. Instead buy a different reusable water bottle. This will switch things up and make it more fun for you. I also have been thinking about what to do when hosting a party. It always seems like the best idea to get bottled water for your guests but there has to be a better and more environmentally friendly way of having water at a get together or a party. 

 Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy