One thing I have been thinking and doing a lot lately is focusing being more earth friendly. I have been avoiding plastic bags like the plague for a long time now. But I was not doing enough. If I wanted to be one with nature I have to fully commit. So I started to take a more drastic approach, and after some trial and error I am sharing what has worked for me with you. And since we are in plastic free July, it is only appropriate. I found the easiest way for me was to incorporate one step at the time. Once it is engrained in my brain I moved on to the next one.
REUSABLE BAGS
I have collected about 5 or 6 reusable bags that I take with me every time I go grocery shopping. I have one for cold, frozen stuff, and the rest are just the regular ones made from recycled plastic. You can get them on almost all grocery stores or you can buy them online.
I recently incorporated the reusable veggie bags by NHB, which I take with me as well. I use these for tomatoes, carrots, and zucchinis, jalapeños. Anything that has a harder skin I don’t bag them individually. Things like avocados, lemons, onions, garlic, bananas. I keep in a bag altogether so they are not in direct contact with the shopping cart.
REUSABLE CUPS
I have several reusable cups that I bring with me everywhere. When I worked in an office I’d take my morning smoothie to work in a reusable tumbler. After the smoothie, I would rinse it and fill it with water, instead of buying bottles of water. I would also always carry my water jug to yoga. This is actually what made me get used to drinking more water during the day.
I don’t buy coffee from coffee shops very often. I usually prepare coffee at home and if I have to leave the house I grab a reusable cup. It saves me both time and money, plus I really love brewing my own coffee.
REUSABLE STRAWS
I have a steel straw a couple of years ago that I would use at home. Luckily, most of what I drink when I’m out doesn’t need a straw (water, wine, mimosas.) But if you enjoy sipping your drink from a straw, bringing a reusable straw would be very convenient. I like the glass straw from Natural Home Brands, it comes with a pouch and a brush for easy washing.
BUY IN BULK
Buying in bulk gets me so happy! I started getting stuff in bulk since I moved to Oregon. I finally had the time to try and cook new healthy recipes. I discovered that a lot of prepackaged food is mostly processed. Once I found a supermarket that had great selection in bulk, I had met my own version of heaven. I now get all of my grains, flours, sugar, oats, spices and sometimes even pasta.
And even though I do still use plastic bags, I reuse them and will continue to until they fall apart. I store all my bulk food in reused glass jars, more on this on my next tip below.
BUY IN GLASS INSTEAD
Even though it is not always possible, I have found that this step is useful in two ways. You avoid using plastic, and you end up with a toxic free container. I’ve found a glass container version of most of what I used to get in plastic, which is AWESOME. And I try to limit the things I can’t get in glass. I also use these containers for home made salad dressings and salsas. They last so much longer and are safer than keeping them on plastic containers.
I also now store all my leftovers in glass containers instead of plastic. You don’t risk releasing toxic chemicals into your food and you can microwave them if needed. I don’t use the microwave a lot but it is a lifesaver that I don’t have to worry about this. These are the ones that I have:
REUSE SINGLE USE PLASTIC
You know a lot of you might already have some plastic containers in your home. So what would be the best, to throw them away or reuse them? I say let’s reuse them! There are some skincare containers sitting under the sink, but I plan to reuse them. Using them for things like homemade masks and toners, or to take with me for travel is the plan. I also use other plastic containers to store homemade house cleaners and laundry detergent. Whatever I don’t have a use for I’ll check if it is recyclable and pray to the gods I’ll remember not to buy that next time.
USE COMPOSTABLE PICNICWARE
It is amazing to me that people still use styrofoam/plastic cups and plates for their gatherings and bbq’s. It makes me angry in fact. It takes an insane amount of fossil fuels to be made, contain carcinogens and almost every piece is still floating around.
So, if you are like me and want to make a better decision when inviting people over, use compostable picnicware. I recently discovered Repurpose Compostables, which carry everything from compostable straws, plates and bowls, utensils, and cups. They compost in around 90 days after they’ve been used.
Hope these tips and products are helpful for everyone trying to be more conscious consumers. If you are interested in learning more about plastic free July you can head over to www.plasticfreejuly.org. There you can find more information about the movement and what it entails.
