1 . Eradajere Oleita thinks she may have a partial solution to two of her country’s problems: garbage and poverty (贫穷). It’s called the Chip Bag Project. The 26-year-old student and environmentalist from Detroit is asking a favor of local snack lovers: Rather than throw your empty chip bags into the bin, donate them so she can turn them into sleeping bags for the homeless.

Chip waters drop off their empty bags from Doritos. Lays. and other favorites at two locations in Detroit: a print shop and a clothing store, where Oleita and her volunteer helpers collect them. After they clean the chip bags in soapy hot water, they slice them open, lay them flat, and iron them together. They use padding (衬垫) and liners (衬里) from old coats to line the insides.

It takes about four hours to sew a sleeping bag and each takes around 150 to 300 chip bags depending on whether they’re single-serve or family size. The result is a sleeping bag that is “waterproof lightweight and easy to carry around”. Oleita told the Detroit News.

Since its start in 2020, the Chip Bag Project has collected more than 800,000 chip bags and, as of last December, created 110 sleeping bags. Sure, it would be simpler to raise the money to buy new sleeping bags. But that’s only half the goal for Oleita — whose family moved to the United States from Nigeria a decade ago with the hope of attaining a better life — and her fellow volunteers. “We are devoted to making an impact not only socially, but environmentally,” she says.

And, of course, there’s the symbolism of rescuing bags that would otherwise land in the trash and using them to help the homeless. It’s a powerful reminder that environmental problem and poverty often go hand in hand. As Oleita told hourdetroit.com, “I think it’s time to show connections between all of these issues.”

We are all faced with challenges in our lives. Most people have a hard time accepting and dealing with them. The truth is that you will have to deal with difficult problems throughout your life. Here are some tips on how to deal with everyday challenges.

1. Don’t compare your lifestyle with others. It is really difficult not to compare ourselves with others; however, the more often we do that, the more dissatisfied we will feel. There will be people that may have accomplished more than you. The key thing to remember is that you create your own story and success in life.

2. Don’t blame others. Many people make a habit of blaming others for all their problems. They fail to take full responsibility for the decisions they have made in life. The more you blame others for the challenges you are faced with, the more you will make people dislike you and not want to be around you. The first thing you want to do when faced with a personal challenge is not to start pointing fingers at others.

3. Accept changes in your life. You will have to deal with changes in life all the time. Many people don’t like change because it gets them outside of their comfort zone. You may be unhappy or happy at certain times; however, you have to realize that those two feelings will not last forever. You have to always train your mind to be at peace despite the emotional state you are experiencing.

4. Don’t think too much. When you think too much about an event that happened, you will start to judge everything and everyone. When you think too much, you will have a very hard time accepting reality and you will think that something is not right. Thinking too much can also lead you not to take action on your goal. This can make you really sad in the long run.

Life is full of its ups and downs. With the right mindset and practice, you will be able to overcome them every time and grow in the process!

Yours,

Li Hua