Moving away from plastic
The process of re-evaluating most of our regular household purchases caused me to think more seriously about our use of plastic. I rarely use straws these days - partly because I don't like them very much and partly because of that YouTube video of the sea turtle with the straw stuck in its nose. If you haven't seen it, you should.
A couple of days ago, ABC reported on a giant floating island of plastic between California and Hawaii. It is now estimated to be 3x the size of France. If there was ever a time to act, it was probably 20 years ago, so I am striving to do more now. Here are some examples of actions taken over the last couple of months:
Although we store leftovers in reusable containers, plastic wrap still works its way into our lives. The internet algorithms must have known this item was along our path of change because I started seeing ads in my Instagram feed. A couple of the beeswax-based alternatives include the Vermont-based Bees Wrap and the Toronto-based Etee. I liked both companies, so I ordered a starter set of from each.
I transitioned our cat litter containment system to one that uses biodegradable plastic. So far, I am quite happy with the product.
Then, I started to think about our dog. I found five biodegradable dog poop bags on Amazon with at least four stars, sorted by price, picked the cheapest one (Unni), and crossed my fingers. So far, they are just great.
I transitioned our cat litter containment system to one that uses biodegradable plastic. So far, I am quite happy with the product.Then, I started to think about our dog. I found five biodegradable dog poop bags on Amazon with at least four stars, sorted by price, picked the cheapest one (Unni), and crossed my fingers. So far, they are just great.
I signed us up for local produce delivery with Fresh Harvest. My sister has been doing this with Hungry Harvest for years and loves it. In addition to supporting local farmers, my hope is that this decreases our weekly plastic consumption by preventing the need to shop for produce at the grocery store. The company re-uses their packaging, too.
My normal reusable bags are pretty tattered from years of use. My husband had been asking for a matching set, so I went ahead and purchased an Ecobags system for one on sale.
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Interested in ways you can hep?
Support/volunteer with organizations that clean-up local waterways and oceans, such as:
Interested in ways you can hep?
Support/volunteer with organizations that clean-up local waterways and oceans, such as:
- Chattahoochee River: https://chattahoochee.org/cleanups/
- Chesapeake Bay: http://www.cbf.org/how-we-save-the-bay/
- Massachusetts Coast: https://www.mass.gov/coastsweep
- Puget Sound: https://pugetsoundkeeper.org/cleanups/
- California Coast: http://pacificabeachcoalition.org/
- Ocean clean-up: https://4ocean.com/