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Several years ago, recovering from surgery, I read the article and photo that changed my life.  The article was Plastic Ocean and the photo show...
 
 
 
 

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Giving up plastic: Not so easy? What do you think?

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plastic-encased apples at CostcoThis post is supposed to be about "easy ways to reduce plastic use." But really, what's so easy about that? These days, our fast-paced lifestyles are centered on convenience and technology, both of which require plastic, right? Our beverages (water, sodas, sports drinks, iced lattes) and food (meats, cheeses, milk, energy bars, cereal, bread, frozen dinners, whole roasted chickens, and sometimes even produce) all come packaged in plastic. And our toys -- whether for grown ups (computer, iPhone, camera) or kids (from teethers to training wheels) are all made from and/or packaged in plastic, right?

How can it possibly be easy to give up?

It's not, if you try to do it all at once. And one thing that I've learned after nearly two years of blogging about plastic reduction is that people are not the same. A step that feels like no big deal for me might be truly difficult for someone else. I always assumed that bringing our own reusable grocery bags to the supermarket was an easy no-brainer first step. But Katie Woollven, who writes the blog, No Plastic For A Year, told me that it took her two years to remember to bring her reusable bags into the store with her! What finally got her seriously looking at her plastic consumption was seeing it first hand in the marine environment. A few days ago, she wrote,

It is important to mention that my beef with plastic was born the same time I became aware of the marine debris issue. The health of our oceans is very important to me, and I see what a pressing issue it is when I do clean-ups at South Point with Hawaii Wildlife Fund. 99% of the garbage we see down there is plastic, and so many of the items are familiar, single use items: bottle caps, lighters, toothbrushes, shoes, deodorant tubes, glowsticks, laundry soap bottles... One of the goals of this project is to educate people about how the problem of marine debris is exacerbated by our society's disposable mentality.

plastic litter on a beach in HawaiiPlastic Reduction Step #1: Do some reading. Learn why plastic is such a problem for our health and that of our planet in the first place. Throughout this post, I'll be linking to other bloggers who are working to reduce their own plastic footprint. Their blogs are a good start. But for me, the absolute best article about plastic pollution and what got me started on my own less plastic journey is Best Life Magazine's "Our Oceans Are Turning Into Plastic... Are We?". Some of the photos will take your breath away, as will the information about plastic's toxicity and potential harm to our health. After reading this piece, you may never look at plastic the same way again.

plastic collected for one weekPlastic Reduction Step #2: Start Where You Are. Trying to eliminate all plastic from your life in a week is the road to burnout and failure. Several months ago, a Chicago Tribune reporter, Trine Tsouderos, attempted to do just that. Her experiment was informative but less than successful and I'm afraid left some readers feeling that the effort was futile. Instead of going whole hog (unless whole hog is as fun for you as it is for me) try collecting your plastic trash for a week. Think of it as an educational experience and don't succumb to guilt. At the end of your week, analyze your waste as a scientist would. What does your plastic waste tell you about your lifestyle? And what would be the easiest items to give up or replace?

Like me, blogger Juli Borst of Plasticless NYC collects and analyzes her weekly plastic waste and has learned a few things. For example, "alcohol and plastic avoidance do not mix":

About the bar straws-- swizzle sticks are my weakness. This isn't the first time since starting my plastic pledge, either. When I am out and alcohol is involved, I forget to ask for no straw- I haven't remembered a single time. Tsk. I've got to get better about

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Beth Terry 5 pts

Great point, midnightbliss.  I also think that educating people on the health effects of the chemicals in plastic might be even more helpful.  Moms especially tend to go green as a way to protect their children.

Beth Terry: attempting to live plastic-free and blogging the heck out of it at FakePlasticFish.com ( http://www.fakeplasticfish.com ). Follow her on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/fakeplasticfish ).

midnightbliss 5 pts

its the convinience that many people still prefer to use plastics, but i think, what we need is some more campaigns on educating people on the effects of plastics on our environemnt.

Lauramunson 5 pts

Lauramunson.wordpress.com

We chose to give up plastic sandwich bags last year, and use any plastic bag that we complied from other food packaging, like bread loaf sleeves, and cereal box liners.  At first, our kids-- especially our tween, weren't happy about having non-fashion forward lunches at school, but we tought them to take pride in setting a healthy precedent and hopefully a  new trend...if not just plain awareness.  Now they brag about it.  Thanks for all your insights! 

Laura

soyjoy2008 5 pts

Great article! I'd say plastic toys are a big concern for me. Organic, wood toys are terrific, however they are usually not the toys our young children want to play with! Thanks for the the terrific resources!

kamigray 5 pts

To remember to bring reusable bags, I need to keep them everywhere! I need to get a few more reusable coffee cups and water bottles so I don't get stuck somewhere without one.

Thanks for such a thorough discussion on plastics!

Kami Gray, Author of The Denim Diet: Sixteen Simple Habits to Get You Into Your Dream Pair of Jeans

BLOG: http://blog.kamigray.com/

WEBSITE: http://www.thedenimdiet.com ( http://www.thedenimdiet.com/ )

AmberS 5 pts

I've been using re-usable grocery bags for a while. And I've pretty much given up disposable plastic for snacks and lunches. I  also buy condiments and dressings in glass rather than plastic, or make my own at home. But freezer bags are presenting a greater challenge.

I buy a lot of food in bulk and in season, and freezing 30 lbs of blueberries (for example) in plastic baggies is the fastest and most space-conscious option. I do have a lot of mason jars I use for canning, but I don't think I could fit as much in my freezer if I used those. I'm not really sure what practical alternatives exist for plastic freezer bags.

~ Amber

www.strocel.com ( http://www.strocel.com )

CourtneyFoster82 5 pts

wow I bet that was great to listen to, my goal is to do something like this in the feature, i am still learning so much though!

Courtney 

www.cookingupafamily.com ( http://www.cookingupafamily.com )

cookingupafamily@gmail.com

@cookingupfamily

RedAndBlack 5 pts

I like the idea of keeping the bags in the car!

Here in the UK recycling is not just an option we have, but something that over the past few years has become a part of everyday life and it's really good to see. 

thesmartmama 5 pts

I gave a speech yesterday to a group of women interested in going green.  The speech was 10 simple steps to go green and non toxic for today's busy parent.  The second step was trying to eliminate disposable plastic, and I got lots of questions.  Most of them asking about substitutes or alternatives for common plastic items - baby bottles, plastic bags, lunch carriers, straws, etc.  But some of the questions were more incredulous - how could you even consider eliminating plastic? And to them, I answered this - once you are conscious about plastic, and consider that every piece of plastic EVER MADE in the last 50 years, with the exception of the less than 0.5% that has been incinerated - is still around somewhere in our environment, and you think about where all that plastic is going in the next 50 years - it is easy - you start seeing plastic everywhere and think about how to eliminate it. Straws - easy, try stainless steel (my fave) or glass.  Lunch containers - well, don't just throw out what you are using now (because going green is NOT about buying green) - choose stainless.  Mayo? Glass or make your own. Cleaning supplies? Make your own in re-usable containers.  Plastic bags?  Reusable totes for shopping, produce, etc.  And I could see a light go on. . . .

SCanon 5 pts

The easiest thing for me, I think was the reusable shopping bags.  I got 50 of them from a great place and I keep them in my trunk so when I go shopping anywhere, the bags are with me. 

I think that the hardest thing for me, where plastic is concerned, is not overlooking it.  I tend to not really think about it that much.  It's so prevalent in today's life that it can be easy to overlook, especially with the mundane things.  I reuse and recycle as much as possible, but I miss things sometimes.  Thanks for this post!  I'll be doing some reading today.