Passions

Being homeschooled has allowed me to pursue my passions. Three of my big passions that I was able to focus on are Plastic Use, Food Waste, and Fast Fashion.

My freshman year, I became incredibly passionate about plastic use and zero waste. Zero Waste is a practice where people reduce their waste so they only throw out a handful of items per year. Bea Johnson’s book Zero Waste Home was a huge inspiration for me. I interviewed people who grew up not using plastic. I interview a family friend who grew up in India and asked her about the alternatives to plastic she used. I also asked my grandmother about what they used in the 1930s and 40s. I made my own deodorant and toothpaste and bought food in bulk for the project. I have continued to use many of the alternatives I learned about.

One-third of all food is wasted in the United States. My sophomore year of high school, I did a year-long research project on food waste and what we can do about it. I watched numerous documentaries and read about the causes of food waste and some of the proposed solutions. I was also able to attend Ohio State University’s Food Waste Conference with my mom. I was the only high school student at the conference. We saw presentations from people who are currently working on solutions for food waste. I was able to participate in discussions and meet people who are also passionate about food waste reduction. I was also able to attend the showing of the documentary Wasted! and the panel discussion following.

My junior year I learned about fast fashion and the fashion industry. This passion was sparked by the documentary “The True Cost.” It completely changed my perspective on fashion and buying new clothes. The majority of our clothes are made in factories where the workers are paid minimal wages and have no protections. They are often mistreated and abused by their management and are sometimes forced to work with no pay. Many of the factories that the clothes are being made in have major structural issues and some have collapsed, killing the workers inside. The reason for the horrendous conditions and small wages is that people want cheap new clothes. This particular research project many have created the most change in my life. I refuse to buy new clothes unless the company shares the conditions of their workers and their environmental impact.

Being able to thoroughly research my passion and gaining important information that I can now share with others has been one of my favorite parts of my schooling.