This week I did bad.

As I sat down to do my Inquiry blog, I had a plan. On Wednesday after work, I was going to grab a bunch of mason jars and containers and head on down to the fill-your-own-container, no-waste grocery store to take pictures and document the experience.

But, Wednesday came I had no energy. When I finally got home from work, I did the opposite of my low waste inquiry . . . I ordered takeout. The pizza came in its box, with little plastic cups for the sauce and tinfoil for the wings.

As I was eating it, I felt like this weird kind of failure. It’s hard to find balance in an area where we decide ethics are involved. I personally see unnecessary waste as unethical, but here I live in a capitalist society. There are going to be days when I buy coffee and get a to-go cup. To take my garbage out I put it in a plastic bag. If I want a new or thrifted shirt it comes with an unneeded tag. That’s a bummer.

A while back a completed an Eco Footprint Calculator. As I was typing in my answers, I felt pretty good. I eat little meat, don’t fly often, and rarely drive, but I still was told that if everyone lived like me the world would still be dying.

Why? Well, because of the society’s structure. No matter how ethically I live, buildings, supply chains, and transportation in Canada are all designed to consume resources in an unsustainable way.

This reminds me of the bigger picture. When it comes to waste and eco-living, we can all make changes at the personal level – but large, governmental system changes are needed to save our society. And, me getting a pizza every once in a while won’t kill the Earth.