Ever since I read and reviewed Beth Terry’s book, Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too, plastic has been on my mind… I already knew the dangers of plastics, both for our own health as well as that of other animals and the environment.
But Beth’s book was kind of a wake up call – in a sense, it was encouraging because I realized that we’re actually doing quite a few things to help curb our plastic use. At the same time, however, it served as a reminder that there’s always so much more we can all do to learn about, act upon, and teach others about the realities of our consumer-driven, throw-it-away type of culture.
Yes, since the advent of plastics, our lives have been made much easier and more convenient. But at what cost? Is it really worth a few comforts today to put our sustainability at risk tomorrow? Not in my book, it’s not.
Unfortunately, we’ve become a society which only thinks about the ‘now’, without any regard for those who will come after us and inherit this earth from us. And what will it look like for future generations? Would it be something they *want* to inherit?
I just recently learned the meaning behind the name of the company, Seventh Generation, which takes its name from the Great Law of the Haudenosaunee, which states that
in our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations. [source]
I just love that! If more companies followed this philosophy, this world could be a very different place for our children. I also recently came across this very informative, eye-opening infographic from One World One Ocean:
The Plastics Breakdown: An Infographic by One World One Ocean (click for source)
So, here are 5 simple things we can all do right now to help reduce our plastic use/waste:
- Ditch the bottled water! Invest in some stainless steel or glass water bottles and reuse them over and over again. I really love the KidBasix sippy cup for Baby Y, and Mr. Nurture and I have the LifeFactory bottles.
- Rethink the Tupperware. The last thing you want to do is put hot food into a plastic container (or worse – to reheat it!) Watch the sales and pick up some glass Pyrex-type containers in various sizes. They’re great for storing leftovers and packing lunches.
- Make your own bath and body products. You’d be amazed just how much plastic waste is generated from just one small bathroom! Try making homemade versions of things like deodorant, liquid hand soap/body wash, mouthwash, face wash, anti-bacterial spray, etc. and store them in reusable containers.
- BYOB/C (Bring Your Own Bags/Containers): Not just to the grocery store, but also the mall, the craft store, the bulk foods store, etc. And don’t forget the produce section – most items can be placed loosely in your basket (ie: you really don’t need to bag your bananas, do you?)
- Buy in bulk: it’s simple, really – buy larger quantities in one package, instead of smaller quantities In multiple packages. You save money AND reduce unnecessary waste – Win/Win!
Hi! Thank you for this article! I live the eco-friendly lifestyle and avoid using plastic. A lot of people do not understand that plastic is really toxic and can harm our health.
You’re very welcome! Yes, there’s a lot to be done about informing on the dangers of plastics to both people/animals and planet, but we’re making headway I believe. 🙂
Plastic free diapers!! If everyone did this or cloth even part time, it would make a world of difference! Nature Babycare (Naty) sells on Amazon for a decent price; disposable but earth-friendly.
I love Beth’s book! Definitely recommended reading for anyone!
I find it annoying to use produce bags for one small item. It drives me crazy when I see people putting their cantaloupe or bananas in a bag. I have small mesh drawstring bags (purchased at a Dollar Store and actually intended for toys, etc) that I use as produce bags.
For anyone switching to glass, reuse glass jars – like ones from jelly, pickles, spaghetti sauce, etc. They are free and work great for leftovers. I even freeze in mine.
Gahh! I know exactly what you mean? Once I saw someone attempt to jam a huge watermelon into a produce bag – I wish I was kidding, but I’m not. I think that’s actually the moment that I knew I had to write this post, LOL 😛 And thanks for the tip on glass jars, I’m such a glass jar hoarder, I can’t believe anyone throws those things away! Oooh, and mesh bags at the dollar store – definitely going to keep a lookout for those! 🙂
What a great list of tips! I didn’t even think about how much plastic I’m reducing by making my own face wash (oil cleansing method), toothpaste, and lotion…deodrant is next on my list so wish me luck!
Also, I love giving people sets of pyrex glass containers as Christmas gifts (one downside to having a “green relative”) to help them replace plastic tupperware! He he! ( :
Isn’t it amazing, Ashley? And deodorant was actually the very first thing I ever tried making, and over 2 years later, I still love it! I have a very easy deodorant recipe on the blog, if you want to try it out – just search for “deodorant” in the search bar. 🙂
Ahh, I love your Pyrex gift idea! Haha! 🙂
This is great!
After we had our first baby I became very wary of what plastic we brought into our home. This is a great list for beginners to implement changes!
God bless!
Our Front Porch View: The Story of a Young Family’s Pursuit to Fulfill a Simpler Life
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Beth, I definitely went into overdrive when I was pregnant with my first, as well! 🙂
I have Beth’s book too and it was very informative and eye-opening. There are so many ways we can decrease our dependence on plastics and switch to reusables- this list is a great place to start!
Great ideas…I’m switching over to glass dishes for food storage slowly but surely.
We used to buy in bulk, but it ultimately ended up being wasteful for perishable items. We still buy tissues and toilet paper in bulk, but I find that it’s often more plastic. Like each thing is individually wrapped in the larger package. I don’t know why they do that!
Yeah, every family’s needs are different so what works for some may not work for others. We usually buy things like rice, beans, and nuts in bulk. We’re slowly working on reducing our paper use as well – I would love to finally make the switch over to cloth, but I think my husband would just about lose it right now, so it’s gotta be gradual 😛
Re: #4. I lived with my parents for 4 months a few years ago while my mother was really ill. Every time we went to the grocery store, my dad and I had an argument about plastic produce bags. He’d want one darn tomato and INSIST I put it in a plastic produce bag. My general rule is if I buy more than about 5 or 6 of one thing I put it in a produce bag, simply because after that, they get to be too cumbersome to keep up with.