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Practicing Sustainability with SMA
Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. My column on sustainability went up yesterday, in which I talk about all the waste that’s produced with SMA and how I’ve tried to address it. In my experience, a lot of the things people suggest just don’t work for disabled people—I can’t take public transportation, for example, or cut down on my number of flights. But there are certain things I can do! And, as with most things, every little bit helps.
I’ve been busy preparing for the next round of home renovation, so I’ve been spending far more money than I originally planned, but I’m trying to be more conscious about what I buy and why. I used to just buy things with the assumption that, if I ended up not wanting it, I could donate it, but since discovering that most donations end up in the landfill, I’ve really been limiting my impulse purchases. It’s hard, but I think it’s worth it!
Do y’all have any tips for reducing waste and practicing sustainability with SMA?
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2 Replies
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Sometimes I do feel very wasteful, but after a hospital stay a couple years ago I don’t feel so bad. They waste A LOT! As far as at home I use reusable straws. I just found a brand, Mermaid Straws, that make extra long straight and curved straws. They also have a discounted “Oops” line that have some minor flaw. I haven’t been able to tell what the flaw is as of yet. They always offer 1 free regular size straw with purchase so I be sure to add that into my cart before checking out. Another thing I’ve tried, and the jury’s still out, is using select-a-size paper towels. I tend to just use one sheet whereas my PCA’s tend to use 2 or 3. I don’t want to get nit-picky, so I don’t say anything. I’m just grateful they’re washing their hands. Since I like crafts, I try to reuse a lot of packaging materials too. I reuse plastic shopping bags for bathroom garbage bags, but I try to use cloth bags as much as possible when shopping. I’m sure I could do more, but those are just a few small things.
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When it comes to reducing waste and shopping with sustainability in mind… I’m all about it! Obviously SMA and all of it’s challenges brings way more plastic into my life than I would like, but I still do anything I can to live by my beliefs.
Medical Stuff: Feeding Tube Bags get rinsed and used a second night. I only buy O-Ring Syringes because the cost a lot more but last years rather than days. When I have to order my own supplies (suction stuff, oral swabs, nebulizer kits, etc…) I will always buy in bulk to reduce costs and number of shipments. We recycle all of the packaging that we can, and only change out parts when they are probably past due to be changed, not just when they are scheduled to be changed…
Human Stuff: We do a LOT of recycling in this house, to the point where we have more recycling than trash. We also have two large compost bins which then feed the garden and brings us some super yummy fruits and veggies throughout the Summer/Fall. We love the farmers market, but even if we go to the store, if given the option, will choose local (even if that just means New England vs across the country) and avoid single serve items when possible. If you are trying to be more ecologically friendly when buying clothes, I definitely suggest schoola.com… I wait for them to have a sale, and then order like 10-15 items for about $30. Since I’m shopping online, I never know if something will fit or not, but as long as about half of them or more fit, I’m still paying a lot less than in a store and can do it all on the computer <span class=”_47e3 _5mfr” title=”wink emoticon”><span class=”_7oe” aria-hidden=”true”>;)</span></span>
Like I said, it’s basically impossible to reduce my impact as much as I would like, but I’m doing what I can, which makes me happy.
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