Our daily decisions affect not only ourselves but also the world around us. I try my best to make decisions that will help keep our planet healthy. Some of these decisions include not eating meat, avoiding single-use plastic, and conserving resources. I am far from perfect but I strive to make smart choices and to educate those around me to do the same. The meat industry contributes negatively to the environment in many ways. Not only is it a leading cause of deforestation but it also is a huge drain on resources and produces high levels of chemical runoff. By removing meat from your diet you dramatically decrease the amount of land, water, and oil needed to put your meal on the table. If more people would cut back on meat or farm their own products it could make a huge impact on the number of resources being used. Single-use plastic is everywhere you look and not in a good way. You can't as much as go for a walk without seeing a piece of trash tumbling by. It litters our streets, lakes, oceans, everything. Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose and is extremely difficult to recycle. Studies show less than 5% of plastic is successfully recycled and the rest is filling our landfills. The best way to fix this is to avoid plastic altogether. In our home, we opt for tap water over bottled, bring reusable bags to the grocery stores (or opt for paper bags if we forget them), always use reusable straws, and do our best to shop for plastic-free products. My sister and I also operate a small Etsy business where we sell soaps and wax melts in fully compostable packaging to help others make these choices too. Cutting down on resources used is really as easy as paying attention. Once you start to pay attention you realize how much waste is around you. To cut down we do the basics, turn off the water when brushing your teeth, don't run the washer until it's full, and turn off the light when leaving the room. Not only has this really helped with our utility bills but it's a super easy way to save resources that anyone can do. These changes may be small and they say one person can't make a difference but I think it just takes finding the right "one person" to tip the scales and finally see positive changes. The most important thing is to speak out and show big businesses we aren't going to stand for these bad practices and that protecting our planet should always come first. The message I would put on my flag at the top of the mountain would be "You did it." It may be short and seem overly simple but it's the best reflection of all the hard work and drive that you have put in to get to this point. You conquered a task you probably felt was impossible several times, completing it is a victory. You did it, and that's amazing.