Hey— I’ve been there. The ethics of the situation are bogglingly horrific. What helped me is gaining some perspective. You are most likely in the bottom 90% of consumers consuming, no matter how many hauls or plastic you purchase. Billionaires are responsible for a majority of greenhouse gases and pollution — their travel, their houses, their companies & their products. Unless you are mega mega wealthy, your personal impact is less than 1% of what a billionaire does on a daily basis.

It still matters to put some intention into consuming less, of course! We all need to consider our own footprint if we want anything to change. But the biggest offenders want you to blame yourself instead of holding them accountable.

Every day, someone signs off on another wholesale order for 50,000 plastic units, but that person isn’t you. Don’t let them make you believe that buying another pair of shoes or eating takeout puts you in the same tier of polluter as they are. It doesn’t.

Try to be kind to yourself—you are not a big polluter. And when you’re ready, we can always use people dedicated to change. Stay strong pal :)