Christy Beck is the founder of Model Environment. A former booker at modeling agencies. It was her time spent working in the industry that inspired her to start ME. “We are selfish beings for the most part. At ME we try to poke fun at that aspect while doing the best we can to improve the situation for future generations and the other inhabitants we share this space with. Something needs to change.” Christy
Why and when did you start collecting littered plastic bags? I started collecting littered plastic bags in 2011. Once I started picking them up I was amazed by how many there were. Taking pictures of them brought a bit of creativity to a dirty job and reusing them for our community litter pickups at least made the bags useful before they were thrown away.
How many have you picked up? Well, somewhere over 800 bags now. After I finished the collage of littered bags I stopped taking pictures so I don’t know the exact count.
What challenges you about your commitment to being an advocate? That is a good question. Public speaking is hard for me. It is important to speak up and out, but that is easier said than done. Last year the company I work for allowed me to give a presentation on environmentalism. My voice was shaking the whole time, but I am proud that I made myself get up there and do it anyway.
What are some of your eco good habits?
- Pick up litter frequently
- Started a recycling program at work
- Collect bottle caps for Huntsville City Schools
- Minimal ordering online
- Donate to charities
- Encourage family and friends to get involved
- Started an eco company
- Shop secondhand often
- Don’t use trash bags
- Compost food scraps and leaves
- Grow some of my food
- Eat meat very infrequently
- Purchase organic products most of the time
- Walk instead of drive regularly
- Offset CO2 emissions
- Help plant trees
- Clean plastic from waterways and the ocean
- Don’t purchase a lot of new products
- Set my thermostat for energy savings
- Reuse containers
- Use minimal paper towels (buy a roll every two years)
- Take care of my electronics. I still have an iPhone 4.
- No TV
- LED bulbs
- Rarely use chemicals in home or yard
- Almost always bring my own bag
Which areas could you improve on? - I do not drive a fuel-efficient car yet
- A greywater system would be awesome to have
- Solar panels on my house
- Grow more of my own food
- Feminine product waste
