When I first left home to begin my undergraduate studies in Canada, I packed almost everything I could think of.
Plastic storage containers, several pairs of shoes, far too many clothes, and all kinds of little things that I thought I might need. I believed that the more prepared I was, the more comfortable I would feel living in a new country.
One memory from my first year has stayed with me ever since.
At the end of the academic year, I was packing up my room before moving out. As I emptied my cupboards and storage drawers, I found several small items that I had carried all the way from home—extra pens, hair styling tools, and other little things that I had been convinced would be useful. Some of them had never been used even once. They had been sitting quietly in the cupboard for months.
I gave some of them to friends before leaving. Others had to be thrown away. Looking at those untouched items, I realized that the waste hadn’t happened when I moved out. It had happened much earlier, when I packed things simply because I thought I might need them.
Now, I am preparing for another journey—a semester abroad at the University of Warwick.
This time, opening a shopping website feels different.
A few days ago, I came across a self-stirring insulated bottle. It looked practical, well-designed, and easy to carry around. For a moment, I almost bought it.
Then I thought about the two bottles I already had.
One is an insulated bottle that keeps my water warm during long days on campus. The other is a lightweight reusable bottle that I carry with me every day. They have accompanied me through two years of university. Neither is broken. Neither needs replacing.
They simply aren’t new anymore.
I closed the webpage.
It was a small decision, but it reminded me of the cupboard I emptied at the end of my first year. Preparing for this exchange isn’t about buying more things. It’s about understanding what I already have and what I truly need.
So, I rewrote my packing list. Anything that still serves its purpose will come with me. If I need something after arriving in the UK, I will first consider buying it second-hand instead of purchasing everything in advance. I also plan to carry reusable shopping bags, food containers, and bottles, learn the local recycling system, and rely on public transport whenever possible while exploring the UK.
These choices may seem ordinary, but they have helped me understand Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) in a much more personal way. Sustainable travel doesn’t begin at the airport. It begins before the journey starts, with the quiet decisions we make at home—including deciding whether we really need another bottle.
My suitcase will probably be lighter than the one I packed for Canada.
And I think that’s a good place to begin.
