7.6 billion people. We all use "stuff." Lately, I've been thinking a lot about consumption and how many things we use and throw away without a second thought.

Just because it's in your garbage does not mean it's gone. People can't be that oblivious to actually believe this, but just use it as an excuse to continue being lazy and careless.

We can't just forget about all of the waste we produce and think it's off of our hands once it's in the trash. It's not gone. We aren't done with it, and if we don't start changing our habits very soon, we'll quickly be reminded of the fact that it's not gone. It'll be there to haunt us in disastrous ways.

I'm not perfect by any means, and I still am much more wasteful than I would like to be, but if everyone takes a few small steps, positive changes can come, it just takes small efforts from enough people.

Society is too comfortable and is too reliant on instant gratification, so we have to stay optimistic about the state of our environment, and put in the effort instead of throwing in the towel and having an "it doesn't matter what I do" mindset. There are way too many of us for everyone to behave carelessly and to all have this train of thought.

Our world has a carrying capacity, and there are already parts of the world where there are fights for access to clean water and land, and it's not going to discriminate against any areas when push comes to shove.

It's also amazing to me how many people still think that if they don't live near an ocean, or if they throw their trash directly into the garbage can, that it won't end up in our oceans and threat our biodiversity. It will.

It doesn't matter where you live--you're not excused.

In America alone, 500 plastic straws get thrown in the garbage every. single.day. And that's only the numbers from one country. It's no wonder we have giant pollution and plastic "islands" taking over our oceans.

At our rate, there's expected to be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050. That is quickly and eerily approaching, and I still don't think people are wrapping their heads around the catastrophic, and apocalyptic consequences this would have.

Ask yourself what you really need. There are so many reusable, waste-free products now that will reduce so much preventable waste and would even save you money in the long run:

Buy a reusable water bottle and only keep a case of disposable water bottles on hand for absolute emergencies. Say no to straws. You can purchase steel, reusable straws, and other alternatives almost anywhere now. Instead of cotton balls, purchase washable face pads. They even have cute, customizable crochet ones if you wanted to get fancy with it and make it fun.

Just toss them in with your laundry and use it again. Bring your own bags to the grocery store! Use cruelty-free dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. These even cut your drying time down too, saving you more on utilities. When you go out for dinner, bring your own container if you anticipate leftovers. Reduce your animal product consumption.

These are only the "easy" tips. There's so many things you can do if you just take the initiative and stop making excuses or lazily trying to discredit these types of movements that are really only for the benefit of everything on earth including yourself, your children, and all of your surroundings.