I think most of us know we produce too much trash.  We’ve seen horrifying images of enormous landfills, seen pictures of garbage-strewn beaches…

And yet we take our own full trash cans to the curb every week and somehow think that there’s still some mysterious “away” where we’re throwing this stuff.

Photographer Greg Segal wanted to bring awareness to this phenomenon of our daily lives, and shine the spotlight on the broken systems that make our garbage problem so difficult to solve.  So in January of 2014, he began photographing friends, family, and complete strangers in natural settings, surrounded by the trash they accumulated in just seven days.

Seeing these pictures has made me more aware of my day-to-day consumption habits.  I realized how much packaging is involved the microwave lunches I take to work, in the groceries I buy from the store, and the things I buy online – packaging which just gets thrown away, or, at best, recycled.  I realized, I don’t want to know what my personal 7 day trash pile would look like.  In fact, I’ve been inspired to make a change, even if that just means starting small.  After all, the best way to make a lasting lifestyle change is to start with specific, achievable goals. Here are some ideas to reduce your trash accumulation:

• Invest in mason jars, high-quality tupperware, or even save plastic food containers from the store
• Use reusable packaging for your brown bag lunches
• Cook at home just one more night per week
• Buy bulk foods at the grocery store, and store them in your own containers
• Switch to a reusable water bottle
• Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store
• Get some neighbors to collaborate on a small-scale compost pile for food and yard waste

What are your ideas for reducing trash accumulation?  Would you be embarrassed by your own 7 day trash pile?  Let me know in the comments!

Featured photo credit: Greg Segal via greggsegal.com

Sleeping next to your partner can be a satisfying experience and is typically seen as the mark of a stable, healthy home life. However, many more people struggle to share a bed with their partner than typically let on. Sleeping beside someone can decrease your sleep quality which negatively affects your life. Maybe you are light sleepers and you wake each other up throughout the night. Maybe one has a loud snoring habit that’s keeping the other awake. Maybe one is always crawling into bed in the early hours of the morning while the other likes to go to bed at 10 p.m.

You don’t have to feel ashamed of finding it difficult to sleep with your partner and you also don’t have to give up entirely on it. Common problems can be addressed with simple solutions such as an additional pillow. Here are five fixes for common sleep issues that couples deal with.

1. Use a bigger mattress to sleep through movement

It can be difficult to sleep through your partner’s tossing and turning all night, particularly if they have to get in and out of bed. Waking up multiple times in one night can leave you frustrated and exhausted. The solution may be a switch to a bigger mattress or a mattress that minimizes movement.

Look for a mattress that allows enough space so that your partner can move around without impacting you or consider a mattress made for two sleepers like the Sleep Number bed.^[1] This bed allows each person to choose their own firmness level. It also minimizes any disturbances their partner might feel. A foam mattress like the kind featured in advertisements where someone jumps on a bed with an unspilled glass of wine will help minimize the impact of your partner’s movements.^[2]

2. Communicate about scheduling conflicts

If one of you is a night owl and the other an early riser, bedtime can become a source of conflict. It’s hard for a light sleeper to be jostled by their partner coming to bed four hours after them. Talk to your partner about negotiating some compromises. If you’re finding it difficult to agree on a bedtime, negotiate with your partner. Don’t come to bed before or after a certain time, giving the early bird a chance to fully fall asleep before the other comes in. Consider giving the night owl an eye mask to allow them to stay in bed while their partner gets up to start the day.

3. Don’t bring your technology to bed

If one partner likes bringing devices to bed and the other partner doesn’t, there’s very little compromise to be found. Science is pretty unanimous on the fact that screens can cause harm to a healthy sleeper. Both partners should agree on a time to keep technology out of the bedroom or turn screens off. This will prevent both partners from having their sleep interrupted and can help you power down after a long day.

4. White noise and changing positions can silence snoring

A snoring partner can be one of the most difficult things to sleep through. Snoring tends to be position-specific so many doctors recommend switching positions to stop the snoring. Rather than sleeping on your back doctors recommend turning onto your side. Changing positions can cut down on noise and breathing difficulties for any snorer. Using a white noise fan, or sound machine can also help soften the impact of loud snoring and keep both partners undisturbed.

5. Use two blankets if one’s a blanket hog

If you’ve got a blanket hog in your bed don’t fight it, get another blanket. This solution fixes any issues between two partners and their comforter. There’s no rule that you have to sleep under the same blanket. Separate covers can also cut down on tossing and turning making it a multi-useful adaptation.

Rather than giving up entirely on sharing a bed with your partner, try one of these techniques to improve your sleeping habits. Sleeping in separate beds can be a normal part of a healthy home life, but compromise can go a long way toward creating harmony in a shared bed.

Featured photo credit: Becca Tapert via unsplash.com