My husband tells me that I first started in my crusade against plastic a few years ago in a Kroger. I’m a pescetarian, and salmon is my primary source of protein. As he tells it, I brought home a pound of my usual filet, cooked it, and was disgusted by a new “plastic-y” taste that I wasn’t accustomed to. I was tasting microplastics, he claims. It was then that I started to become stricter about what plastic we use and bring into the home with us.

This story makes me laugh on multiple levels. First, I like to think that my concern of the environment wasn’t borne out of some self-serving interest to better my meals. Secondly, I don’t think I can point to a singular source of inspiration. Like many, I’ve seen endless images of wide-eyed polar bears, frightened by their shrinking homes, or of takeout bags suffocating baby seals. I’ve been told messages from brave scientists who warn us of new and strange contaminants entering our bodies and of our endless consumption soon leading to the death of our comfortable lifestyles. More natural disasters. More displaced people. More suffering.

What inspires me about USEFULL is that by reducing our single-use plastics, we can all do our part. Unlike much of climate tech, we’re not inventing a giant machine to suck carbon out of the atmosphere or developing micro protein enhancements in a lab – we’re just changing habits of everyday people. But that’s the beauty of it.

I hope to help USEFULL’s mission in inspiring everyday change through grassroots movements. Because once we all recognize the power of everyday actions, we become empowered to demand more from the world around us – this time, for the better.

By Candice Choi, MBA Intern, candice@usefull.us

USEFULL welcomes Candice, our MBA Intern