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Practicing Zero -Waste Without Wasting Your Coins
In an era where people have become more environmentally conscious, it is important for all of us to be aware of the ways in which we can put that consciousness into action. That’s where ‘Zero-Waste’ can come in for you. ‘Zero-waste, as the word suggests, is the elimination of as much waste as possible thereby reducing the amount of garbage accumulated. According to Bea Johnson, a zero-waste activist, there are 5 principles of zero waste.
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These are:
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Refuse what you don’t need.
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Reduce what you use.
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Reuse what can be.
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Recycle.
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Compost.
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By being cognizant of all of these principles, we can all be on our way to zero waste living. Our small and beautiful island, Jamaica has been plagued by the problem of pollution, an eye sore which we all can’t help but notice. If we all embarked on the zero-waste journey imagine how much cleaner our surroundings would be and how we’d be helping to create a better environment for future generations.
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So, here are 3 affordable and practical zero-waste habits you can adopt for 2021 and in the years moving forward.
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Reuse glass and plastic jars. On our frequent trips to the supermarket we pick up items like jam, peanut butter, mayonnaise, and a lot of our other favourite foods. What do these foods have in common? They all come in useful containers that can be used for so many things around the house. Did you know that plastic takes approximately 450 years to break down? Yes, you read that correctly. In the event that you can’t avoid buying foods in plastic jars, put them to good use. Use them for storing food. Use them to store non-food items like stationery and cleaning supplies. Making use of these jars will save you from the hassle and money of buying new storage containers.
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Invest in a steel water bottle. For all the avid water drinkers out there and even for those who have pledged to drink more water for 2021 (like myself), purchasing a steel water bottle or reusing a container for everyday use will not only save you tons of money from not having to buy a plastic bottle of water everyday but think about how much less plastic waste you’ll be contributing to the environment. Definitely worth it.
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Compost. Instead of discarding your food scraps, peelings, old papers, etc., why not compost them? Not only does composting prevent waste but it also enriches and nutrifies the soil and of course it doesn’t cost you a thing.
In times like these where the money in our pockets are even more important than before, these habits aren’t going to burn a hole in them. You can help save the environment and create a more sustainable tomorrow in the most affordable ways possible.
Just Click!
starting off like we never left
The new semester has been ushered in and with it, comes in a variety of events throughout the faculty that will see students engaged and ready to push through for 2021. With the decision being made that teaching will remain on the online platform, the events are remotely done for ease of access.
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Just Click!
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One of the main events of this term is the Click Creatives initiative. I took the time to speak with Alanae Peart, one of the chief organizers of Click Creatives, and she assured me that this event was not one to miss.
“The general aim of this event is to increase knowledge and awareness of the arts that will be presented in this event - photography, videography, graphic design, writing and creative directing. It’s very exciting to learn new things hence encouraging our creatives or aspiring creatives to click,” she explains.
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Nicaro Coke, also a chief organizer for the event, echoed her sentiments.
“I’m very passionate about this event, it’s the first event that both my committees have actually collaborated on as co-lead lead organizers with ABC Hall’s PR Committee,” Coke said. “I’m thankful to Alanae for allowing us to collaborate on this. She and I have been long time friends seeing that we went to the same high school and I know she’s very passionate about event planning and the creative industry.”
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He went on to explain that the event started out as webinar which snowballed into something even greater as more ideas came into play.
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“It was originally supposed to be a webinar on Graphic Design and Photography and it my memory serves right, Videography. After consulting with a few persons on those committees, I thought it’d be good to collaborate on the event but we wanted to add a few more elements to it. We added two more fields — Creative Directing and Writing.”
Peart promises that this will not be the last we see Click Creatives being held, so if you missed it the first time, you will get another chance to take part.
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Forza Azul!
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Humanities Week is yet another event that Humanities students would have marked on their calendar. It is the faculty pride – and not to state the obvious, easily the most creative faculty – so the expectations are high for the events.
Keryce Dookie, Deputy Faculty Representative for Humanities and Education, explained that the aim for this Humanities Week was to give a vibrant and memorable taste of what the faculty stands for.
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“Forza Azul will be like no other, interesting displays, engaging themes, as well as, soulful reminders of what the faculty is and what it is striving to be, will be displayed throughout the entire week,” she said. “The faculty of Humanities and Education is always being bigger than before. We always do our best to give our full potential to surpass our past and to elevate higher for the future.”
With the pandemic, she explains that adjustments had to be made, but maintains that the events are full-steam ahead.
“Obviously we are in a pandemic so face-to-face activities will not happen where we can mingle and engage with our Humed family personally. Nonetheless, we are a creative faculty so we definitely know how to think outside the box. All events throughout Humed Week are highlights, each being worthy for people to tune into.”
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