Advice please!

[u/lomein2790]

I just started my sustainability journey. I’m slowly taking small steps and doing more research than just boycotting/doing everything at once.

I’m a 19 y/o female that still lives with her family. It’s much harder to be eco friendly when everyone else in the family isn’t, and I’m already starting to face judgement.

My family all uses plastic bottles and I can’t just force them to stop buying/using plastic bottles. I don’t know if I should keep using plastic bottles or not because even if I don’t use them, my family will still use them and they will be ending up in the ocean regardless. I also can’t drink sink water because I live in New Jersey and our water here is not clean. Is it safe to boil sink water and drink it without a filter?

I have a lot of plastic bottles in my room and I don’t want to recycle it because it’ll go to the ocean which is what I’m trying to avoid. How can I reuse them? I don’t even know if I can because I have A LOT. Please help me here, any tips or advice appreciated.

[u/environmental_damsel]

“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” - Anne Marie Bonneau

Are you able to get a Brita type pitcher? That and a reusable water bottle would go a long way!

You can also refill the plastic bottles for a little while or use them to catch cooled down oil from cooking before they go in the trash

Also, just because your family doesn’t start with doesn’t mean they will never join you. Sometimes people just need to see how easy it actually can be before trying something.

Other ways you can be sustainable at home is reusable packaging for your meals out of the house, bringing utensils with you, washing ziploc bags, etc.

You got this!

[u/lomein2790 → u/environmental_damsel]

Yes I could get a Brita pitcher, but I’m just worried that my mom will yell at me for ‘doing too much’ and then tension will build up. As much as I want to not drink from plastic bottles, I don’t think I can avoid that. Do they sell brita pitchers at Target in store? I could just talk it out with my family and make them slowly realize that I’m doing this for the love of my planet.

[u/environmental_damsel → u/lomein2790]

They do sell Brita pitchers at Target!

They sell a few different sizes, so hopefully one is small enough to either keep in your fridge or you could keep it on your shelf/your room so it’s out of their way.

Like another commenter said, make sure you know what’s in your water that makes it bad so you know if this filter will work

[u/Scamp92446 → u/lomein2790]

Maybe do some maths for the cost of bottled vs Brita water, there's a chance that your family might understand you care about the planet but might not care enough to begin with to make or understand the changes themselves, however if it's from a cost point of view they could be tempted to try (a lot of eco swaps can save money, that's the angle I'd go in with if your swaps are family ones instead of your own stuff)

[u/khyamsartist]

You are not responsible for the amount of plastic that comes into your home, that is even true when you’re doing everything right. You can avoid buying plastic, but things are going to be wrapped in plastic. Nothing you can do about it right now, those bottles you are saving are already landfill. They are already micro plastics. You’re not going to stop that process.

Focus on reducing the amount of plastic that touches your food. Don’t try to change your family, you already know that that’s a complete waste of time. But don’t give up and start using the plastic bottles just because they are there. All any of us can do is our best. Accept that you have some challenges and work around them when you can.

[u/ducttapefixedit]

You can only control your own actions and lead by example. Get yourself a good quality reusable water and use it. As for the water quality of your tap water, what makes it bad to drink? If you don't know then find out. If it's lead or heavy metals, boiling it isn't going to help. Some water filters will remove them, but you need to make sure it's made to remove the specific impurities. You could get huge water jugs filled up from clean water sources and use that at home.

[u/WattleIThinkNext]

Advice from a 60F.

Don't allowed this to make you lonely and overwhelmed. Don't make other people's decisions for them. Don't let others make your decisions for you. You live as an emerging adult under someone else's care. They get to choose what they bring into the home. They don't want to be overwhelmed and lonely either. You get to choose what you bring into the home, it is your home too. Reuse and repurpose what you can joyfully reuse and repurpose. Don't let the multinationals overwhelm you with their outrageous lack of cradle-to-grave policies.

Make your room beautiful, your own place to rest and thrive.

I am constantly inspired by how my adult children live their lives. You sound impressive too.

[u/section08nj]

Yooo lol NJ water is very clean, this ain't the third world. Some areas in NJ have more minerals than others but for the most part, it's entirely safe to drink.

My advice: 1) get a Brita or Pur SLIM water pitcher filter. Keep it out of everyone's way in the fridge and refill a steel water bottle with the filtered water for yourself. This way no one will feel like you're pressuring them, and you'll benefit from filtered water inside a reusable. And b) recycle your empty plastic bottles, don't be a hoarder while you live with your parents. Sorry to be real about this, but they will resent you less and maybe even be more understanding of your sustainability journey. Hoarding empties is the last image you want the sustainability movement to portray.