Reducing Your Plastic Use

By now you've likely come across a post on plastic waste in the ocean, or a campaign against drinking straws, or seen pictures of the tons of plastic rolling around and rapidly engulfing our planet. Terrible, isn't it? But have you really taken a close look at plastic in your everyday life? Have you given any thought to what you use, throw away, recycle?

 When you throw away something that could have been composted or recycled, when you chose single serve packs of apple sauce for the kids' lunches rather than buying a large a glass jar that you dish up into smaller, reusable containers, when you put a plastic spoon in the lunchbox to go along with the apple sauce...and you think something like, "What difference can I make, I'm just one person?" Every person, every gesture, every effort is valuable. I laughed when I read this, "The person who thinks they're too small to make a difference has never tried to sleep with a mosquito in the room." So never dismiss your efforts as being inconsequential.



We have done more damage to our planet in the past 150 years, than mankind had managed to do in the previous 1000. If we want to be able to leave something for future generations, taking action isn't really an option anymore. It doesn't have to be painful either. It's all about becoming aware of our actions and adopting healthy ones.

So come on, let's start the journey together, invite friends and family to join in, and make a party of it. I'll get the ball rolling and share some simple steps you can take to do the same. To make it more interesting, share what you've done with us here. Invite friends and family to join in.

Let's start with 10 items. Here goes!


1-Straws. We gave up plastic straws for glass and stainless steel. Now, I prefer the glass to the stainless, but glass is not practical with kids. Last week I found bamboo straws for them!
2-Utensils. We bring our utensils from home anytime we pack a lunch. Bamboo utensil packs are affordable and come in a cloth pouch. The adult kit has a pair of chopsticks in it as well. We went out for veggie burgers the other day and we got to sample one of their desserts,  using compostable utensils. Now how cool is that?
3-Plates. Be it for a beach picnic, a school lunch or a lawn party, there are alternatives here too. Paper, bamboo, stainless steel, and yes, banana leaves, (totally Awesome!) or even glass, depending on where you're going and what you're doing with these.
4-Bottles. Here too, we can buy glass, (sport bottles have a silicone casing to protect them), stainless steel, or even a mason jar can do the trick.
5-Coffee cups. Bring your own coffee cup to fill at your favorite morning stop. There are many models on the market to choose from.
6-Shopping bags. Most stores offer reusable bags, from IKEA to Costco to Walmart. In the end, it doesn't matter where you get them, it just matters that you use them. You could even make your own.
7-Produce bags. I am fortunate enough to do my groceries online (I love my awesome organic grocery store! Shout out to Bio Sattva up in Val David, Qc!) I pick up my order in 2 big bins, so no grocery bags, and no produce bags. Everything is placed directly inside the bin as is, without plastic. My daughter bought herself a set of mesh reusable produce bags, so that's another option, or again, make your own.
8-Food storage containers. I donated all of my Tupperware and plastic containers a while back and switched to glass containers. I also use mason jars a lot! There are also silicone stretch covers that fit over almost any size bowl.
9-Soap, shampoo and  domestic cleaners all come in plastic bottles. It's getting easier and easier to bring your jars and refill them at bulk stores. We have zero waste stores for both food and soaps/cleaners, so we just refill our jars or containers.
10-Plastic wrap/bags. It is now possible to buy reusable lunch bags to pack sandwiches and such. They come in different sizes with cool colors and patterns. To replace plastic wrap, beeswax covered organic cotton is another option.

Amazon and organic health food stores carry most of these products. If you find other places, let us know!

I came across this on Facebook one night...definitely food for thought. Even if we recycle, we're still contributing to the problem, not the solution. Plastic is everywhere and in almost everything, from your phone, television, computer, car, home and more. Every bit we can cut down on helps. Just look around you and count how many things are made of plastic. My laptop, screen, printer, wall plug/switch covers, thumbtacks, mp3 player, phone, pencil holder, pens, fake fireplace heater, and multi-frame wall art are all made of plastic to varying degrees. It's everywhere. I can't imagine a wooden printer either. So for now, we're still stuck with it. But that doesn't mean we can't start to eliminate the over-consumption and waste choking our planet.

Let me know how you are doing on your end. Together, we can and will make a difference.  I love sitting back and watching discussions between my 2 youngest, (4 & 10), on composting, recycling, organic foods and healthy choices. Every bit helps, every step makes a difference...not just for us, but for our beloved planet.