Being Mindful of your Environmental Footprint: Decreasing Plastic
It's been no secret for the last 20 years that there has been a climate criss. I mean, Smash Mouth sang about it in 1999 and I feel like it wasn't just new news then:
" It's a cool place, and they say it gets colder
You're bundled up now, wait 'til you get older
But the meteor men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture
The ice we skate is getting pretty thin
The water's getting warm so you might as well swim
My world's on fire, how 'bout yours? "
We've been dealing with many issues related to our planet the last several decades, and it is our responsibility now to learn from our mistakes going forward and ensure we are educating ourselves so we are doing and BEING better. A HUGE crisis is plastic pollution.
Google it. It is more horrifying than you think. Plastic is in our oceans, our fish, our animals, our soil, plants, bloodstream! It is relieving to finally see countries such as Kenya, Taiwan, Zimbabwe, USA (Malibu, Seattle), Morocco and New Delhi take actions towards single-plastic items banning them - some of these countries offer even jail sentences or fines up to $500 or more. It's great for Canada to be finally joining this list (among several other countries) in 2021.
But you don't have to wait until the plastic bans are in effect in your area to take initiative and decrease the amount of plastic you use and waste! Here are some easy swaps you can change over!
Ziplock Bags
One of the things I always bought and threw away was ziplock bags for lunches. I found these re-usable silicone bags on Amazon and haven't looked back since. They are SO versatile. They can be put in the freezer OR the oven! They hold liquid like a dream and can go in the dishwasher!
Check them out here: silicone ziplock
If you prefer the look of clear more ziplock looking more bags check out these ones!
Toss out that plastic wrap, hello:
Beeswax Food Wrap!
These are GREAT because you can just wash them with some soap and water and they're ready to use again! The wax presses together with the warmth of your hands and I have LOVED to use these on my onions (like pictured)! Easily found on Amazon, or there are some local small businesses that make reusable wrap! I have also noticed several stores like Simons have beeswax wrap available as an option!
Fibre Hooligans: click here
SHOPPING BAGS
Okay you guys, it is 2019 so there are enough cute reusable shopping bags that there should not really be any excuse why you are still using the store-provided plastic bags. UNLESS you forgot your bags (which happens!) but for real, this is one of the EASIEST ways you can say no to plastic!
Produce Bags
The plastic bags that we carry our produce home from the store in is so useless! Did you know the average lifespan of a plastic bag is 15 minutes until it is thrown out... BUT TAKES 1000 YEARS TO DECOMPOSE?! There are plenty of cute reusable produce bags, and this cute combo on Amazon was a great way I hit two bits with one stone:
Ziplock & Produce Bag Combo Amazon: click here
Water Bottles
Once again, it is 2019. There are SO many incredible reusable water bottles available that there should be no excuse as to why we are still using and discarding plastic ones!
Straws
Okay, I am a LOVER of straws. But they are NOT NECESSARY. Not if they are going to take 200 years to decompose folks. I'm so glad many establishments are taking away the plastic straw, because so many companies are coming out with aluminum straws you can carry with you!
Stay tuned the rest of the week for more Environmental Wellness tips and strategies! Decreasing our plastic waste and consumption is just the tip of the iceberg of what we can do day to day to help our environment and live more sustainably!
References:
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/plastic-bans-around-the-world/
https://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2019/06/10/canada-ban-harmful-single-use-plastics-and-hold-companies-responsible-plastic-waste
https://medium.com/green-zine/plastic-straws-a-single-use-that-lasts-a-lifetime-191f3682c262
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