Top 10 Tips to Reduce Plastic: Tip #2
For those of you who made a New Year’s Resolution to reduce the amount of plastic in your life here's the second of my Top 10 ways to reduce plastic, based on a year’s worth of experience.
Don’t use plastic produce bags.
If you’re committed to Tip #1 (bringing your own bag), which more and more people are, then isn’t it ironic (and counter productive) to put your oranges, and bananas and other produce in plastic produce bags, then stick your plastic bags in a cotton or canvas bag – especially one emblazoned with the words ‘Stop using plastic bags’.
Think about it…How many people have touched that apple on its journey from the tree to the shelf before YOU pick it up. Lots!!! So of course you’re only going to wash it when you get home, aren’t you? So just plunk it in your shopping cart and say no to the plastic produce bag.
Now some of you are probably protesting…'Yuck, but there are germs on the checkout conveyer belt!' Hey – guess what – there are germs EVERYWHERE!!!! Wash your stuff when you're home and get over it!
Take it from someone who knows - if you like to flaunt your green lifestyle (as a way to lead by example) this is a great plastic to give up.
Because people will notice.
When you’re at the checkout counter and your apples, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, celery and potatoes are sitting on the conveyer belt, exposed for all to see, instead of shrouded in plastic produce bags – people can’t help notice that what you’re doing is different.
And it makes them think.
Bonus points - If you have a handy wire basket like mine, and carry all the stuff out of the store bare to the world, sans plastic, people notice even more and sometimes will ask 'Where'd you get the basket?’
And when they look at you, it’s with that look that says ‘Great idea’ not with the look that says ‘WhackedOutEcoFreak’.
Ya Gotta Love That!
And now, it's time for another EnviroWoman RANT!
It really bugs me when I walk into our local organic food stores and see people putting their produce in plastic bags.
I'm assuming these people buy organic because they are health conscious and don't want to fill their bodies with chemicals/hormones. Maybe even some of them also don't want to support farmers/factory farms that fill the environment with chemicals/hormones.
Then why oh why are they putting their stuff into plastic produce bags, that eventually make there way to a landfill or worse yet wild places or the ocean – and there - fill the environment with chemicals and hormones.
Oh I know, none of us are perfect. Especially not EnviroWoman. And it’s easy to microscopically criticize the behaviour of others while holding ourselves up on some chaste EcoPedestal, turning a blind eye to our own transgressions.
But it still bugs me!
112 comments. Read or write:
I find that you are a very committed person and I enjoy reading your blog because it's one of my many resources for finding plastic alternatives but you come off very much as an elitist environmentalist. What you are doing is great, but you it's kind of discouraging to put down those people that do make their little efforts, because it's the people who start out making the little efforts that turn into the people that actually make the big effort. I still don't have all of my alternatives down and I don't currently have the money at some points to go for non plastic alternatives but I'm still researching and hoping to use what I know as often as possible, and I think that you should just let the people who want to do it as a trend do it for that reason because it doesn't matter why it happens as long as it does. And chances are the people who don't truly care probably don't read your blog anyway.
You can see more information about this in www.observatorioplastico.com
Anonymous.
Hmmm...an elitist enviromentalist. I guess that's along the lines of being a WhackedOutEcoFreak, but with my nose held higher in the air. I can live with that.
Little efforts are not enough.
We will kill the planet with little efforts. Time is wasting. The planet is wasting. EVERYONE needs to make BIG efforts. Not SOMEONE ELSE. But you. And me.
I'm not 100% green. No human is. Not even No Impact Man. (Although, I do HOPE, one day, everyone WILL be)
I ACCEPT that. But I don't have to LIKE it.
My blog chronicles me trying to do my part. And since it's my blog if things bug me, I'm allowed to say so. Sometimes that means removing the sugar coating and kicking some MENTAL BUTT so people will make bigger efforts.
My blog certainly isn't about making people feel good about themselves. (Unless of course, they ARE making BIGGER EFFORTS).
I can live with that. If you can’t, oh well.
And for those people who don't truly care...let’s kick them off the planet. I can live with that, too.
Phew. I almost feel like putting my hair in dreadlocks after that!
anonymous
I checked out the site link you provided, but wasn't sure exactly what you wanted me to read on it. Is there a particular article? I have a coworker that can translate spanish for me too (assuming it's spanish)
EnviroWoman
Yeah Envirowoman you wonderful elitist environmentalist ... it's so good to have you back. You're right, people are starving to death, watching their children starving to death, the planet is tossing feverishly and we have no right to make excuses .... keep kicking arse!
Hello whackedoutecofreak ;)
I've read along the past half year or so and you're very inspiring! I'm danish so a lot of the brand names you mention I don't know but for veggie produce I think it's somewhat easy to buy plastic free in Dk.
If you would like to make some back up of your blog or anything without purchasing an extra hard drive I'm pretty sure you can get a web based one instead!
In Denmark we call your kind (and mine too, even though I'm not living plastic free)"øko-Erna" in which probably is equal to "Eco-Abby" (from Dharma and Greg).
Happy second year of living plastic free!
I don't think you're putting anyone down; you're simply encouraging them to try harder! I'm glad to see you're back - sorry to read about the tragedies of last year, especially TheBeast. I'd have fallen entirely off the PlasticWagon without my own little beast. Good luck with the rest of '08!
AnonymousCommenters are MajorCowards.
I know what you mean about the plastic produce bags - even some of the vendors/farmers at teh farmer's market use them/offer them to shoppers.
I had use a couple of the fishnet drawstring bags (they're meant to protect your stockings and such during washing). I can't recall how I ever acquired them, but they weren't being used for their original purpose and seemed to meet my need for a lightweight alternative.
Unfortunately, I think they're nylon, so don't fit within the paramaters of your pledge, but resusablebags,com sells a similar product that is cotton. I like them for things like loose leaf greens (arugula for instance), and other small items that I'd like to keep from rolling around in my shopping bag.
I totally agree! I do all of the grocery shopping at out house (at a health food store) and last year my husband went with me (which NEVER happens). He was weirded out that I didn't put our fruits and veggies in bags and told me that the people who check me out probably hate me.
Well, I asked the woman who was checking us out and she said she loves it when she notices people NOT using bags, and that it really isn't much more work. So shove it Mr. Style!
Since then however, I have bought organic cotton washable produce bags (ECOBAGS) from Ecobags.com. They work great and I can also use them for all of the food I buy in bulk such as beans and rice.
Great post!
EnviroWoman, you have got me pegged. Last year I changed my habits and stopped using plastic shopping bags. I even made a few to give as Christmas presents. But I'm hung up on produce bags. In the last few months I've made small efforts towards fixing it, by taking bag clean-ish looking (plastic produce bags to re-use on my next trip, but I still walk out with a couple of new ones. Whole fruits on the conveyor belt don't bug me. Baby spinach and bulk oatmeal, however...
So this year, NO MORE. I WILL get some cloth produce bags. And for loose bulk stuff like oatmeal and popcorn, I'll take re-usable plastic (I know, plastic) containers to refill. I did that yesterday at Fairway in NYC and they were TOTALLY COOL about it. Didn't bat an eyelash.
Thanks for the kick in the ass!
PS - is there anyway to buy feta cheese w/o the #5 plastic container? Sigh.
Juli in NYC
(not really an anonymous commenter, just had trouble signing up on Blogger)
Envirowoman, it's so great to have you back blogging again, and that you're well. I Love reading your blog, and find it very entertaining in the distinct style you have. I don't think I've ever commented before, but I just felt compelled to tell you now how much I've appreciated your stories, which are compelling and inspiring.
I do lots of things in my daily life to try to reduce my impact, including bringing my own cloth bag, cloth napkin, and reusable chopsticks (but I live in the U.S.) everywhere. I'm working on planning a Focus the Nation event http://www.focusthenation.org/ at Mount Holyoke College and am putting together a table to spread the word about things everyone can be aware of and do everyday to reduce their impact. I hope you don't mind that I'm going to use several of your tips for a handout we're making. :-)
Though I truly do understand that we are killing the world (some more than others) we can't expect everyone to completely change their lifestyles as quickly as you expect, because if you try to do and you tell people that what little they are doing isn't enough, it's going to end up as just a fad that people will lose interest in. This whole thing is about changing your way of life and it has to last, it can't just be something that people get overwhelmed with and don't make it any further in life. Every effort needs to be encouraged, I'm sick of people talking down to those who don't do as much as them.
dear a year in a day
Oh, I like your 'kick ARSE' way, way better than my 'kick MENTAL BUTT'.
A big juicy GREEN KISS your way.
dear lene
Wow I think you might be my first DANE. UberCool. I am humbly honoured.
I definitely have to check out backing up on an ftp site or something. I'm feeling very 'naked' without all my files and financial records and notes and pics. Wahhhh!
My bad run of luck continues. Yesterday at work I was on the precipice of infecting my computer with a nasty, nasty virus - but thankfully recognized danger. Even then, it took our tech gurus 6 hours to wipe it out. And took me another hour to back up all my files to the network. But today, all of my backed-up files had mysteriously disappeared right when my poor little Toshiba started to crash.... Sure hope I can save the little darlin'. I love my work Toshiba. My HunkaPooh HP at home could learn a thing or two from it.
No worries, EnviroWoman has learned to keep her spirits up even in adversity. Must be all those episodes of Dharma and Greg I watched!!
Cheers
øko-Erna aka EnviroWoman
dear Ananda Devika
Thanks for the comment.
I'm glad I'm back too. There's still so much plastic to give up in life. And more stories to tell.
Yeah, it was too bad about TheBeast. But on the bright side we had a great 18 years together, especially the last 4 when she was the only furry inhabitant - her personality really came out. And, believe it or not...EnviroWoman likes living things (human and non-human) with personality!!!
I'm totally okay with 'anonymous' commenters...as a matter of fact, I even suspect one of them is my boss's husband (correct me if I'm wrong - you know who you are!).
I also agree with Julie in NYC (aka another 'anonymous')...sometimes there are glitches in the web-system that force anonymity, or in the case of EnviroWoman, your passwords get wiped off the planet when your HunkaPooh hard drive crashes so it's just plain easier to be Anon.
Cheers sweets! Thanks for reading.
dear sustainable style
Ecobags are great. And you will be interested to read my next Tip#3.
So stay tuned.
Hey all you women reading, let's send a little estrogen-energy to Sustainable Style. Here's what we WISH for her...
...One day, a few years from now, her husband will once again accompany her on a grocery shopping trip and he'll notice a whole pile of other people also are not using plastic produce bags anymore. And in that instant, our collective estrogen-energy will reach down and BRAINSMACK him into the realization...'HolyCrap, THIS WOMAN of mine is really an eco-trend setter.' And he'll be HUMBLED, and filled with PRIDE.
In fact, he'll feel so inspired, and so full of appreciation he says 'Hon, I've got a great idea....let's go shoe shopping'.
Cheers. EnviroWoman
dear Juli in NYC.
Kudos to ya woman. You ROCK!
This is proof positive people will usually play by your rules if you just ask! (this is actually covered in Tip#4, coming soon) And if they don't, take 'yer business elsewhere.
As the world becomes more 'green conscious' people are more accomodating of others trying to be green. Just like Juli's in NYC's folks at Fairway, and sustainablestyle's checkout woman at the health food store.
After all, people who act altruistically make the world a better place for all of us.
ROCK on Juli.
EnviroWoman
elise
Thank you for your 'first' comment. May it be the 'baby step' towards plenty more.
Of course you can use my tips at your event. Just tell 'em about EnviroWoman - and that if she can do it, so can they. At first it seems hard, but it gets easier.
And of course, tell them it's worth it, 'cuz good planets are hard to find.
dear 'anonymous
Hon, one thing I've learned in life is that we humans have huge EGOs and an inherent need to feel we are GOOD, dare I say even PERFECT. Each one of us, deep down inside, thinks we are BETTER than the guy standing next to us.
I’ve often wondered if other animals feel this way.
I've also noticed that when someone says something to you and it hurts, it's because, they speak the truth. It makes us question our inner perfection, and we don't like that.
Look, I've said it before, I ain't no EcoSAINT. I may have 20+ years being a vegetarian, and 13 years living cruelty-free, but it's only been in the last year, when giving up plastic that more eco-awakenings and behavioural changes and even a deeper commitment to my Cruelty-FreePledge have come my way.
And, you also know, on Jan 1 2007 I didn't throw out ALL the plastic in my life because it would have been too hard to give it all up at once and well...OVERWHELMING, just as you say.
So, I don't EXPECT people to ‘quickly’ change their lifestyle. I may WANT them to, but I don't EXPECT them to. That's not being realistic. Besides most people think they are GOOD with what they are doing now.
But I do HOPE people will TRY to change more quickly and DO MORE.
The thing is, if we don't CHANGE quickly, Nature will further erode, and we'll be FORCED to change. Because, IT IS ALL CONNECTED.
Anyone who watchs Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth should get the message - TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. Act now. IN BIG WAYS.
I don't know about you, but I sure don't want to spend my retirement years living in an EcoBunker. So I gotta ACT BIG now.
I encourage EVERY effort. Let's just not fool ourselves into thinking what we are doing is GOOD ENOUGH when we can do so much more.
EnviroWoman certainly can do MORE. Way, way MORE.
In fact, you should see what she's got planned for YearThree….
Yes, I realized that awhile ago, but I'm not sure what to do. I did start to save the produce bags and use them again at the store, but the plastic is so thin that they often split the second time I re-use them. I'm too grossed out at the thought of putting my produce directly on the counter, where raw meat juice may have dripped out of someone else's meat purchase.
I hope to buy some of those mesh ones that i've seen online (well, at some point.)
Another solution is definately to shop for produce at a farmers market, where I can put everything I buy directly into my own canvas bags. But, this only works in the summer.
Yes! I've been going without plastic bags since college now and every single time, someone gives me "the look." They're kind of grossed out, but it does make them think twice.
You're not going to save the world by yourself. And the some twenty odd people that will follow you aren't going to either. We all have to make changes but we all have to do it together, and by all I'm referring to hundreds, thousands, and in my sweetest dreams millions. It's about a steady growth in environmental concern. I don't want this movement to end up as a trend, because of people like you excluding people who don't do quite as much as you or take longer to change their lifestyles. It is completely not enough to do what most people do, for sure, but you can't make people care.
Dear anonymous
Since when do I exclude anyone?
And 'duh' to your first 4 sentences. I would hope everyone reading this blog would agree with you on those points.
Quite frankly, I'm okay with the environmental movement becoming a 'trend'. Because lots of social change starts as a trend then integrates into the very fabric of our collective beings like the opposition to slavery, human rights, sexual equality, feminism, multi-culturalism/anti-racism, recycling. Maybe even one day making and buying only compostable stuff.
I remember seeing a presentation by a professor and monk by the name of Dr. Jim Butler. He had a great slide of the evolution of 'rights/equality' shown in a pyramid shape. I'm not going to get this quite right, but I think at the base was the equality of man and woman, then farther up was equality of the races, then sexual equality. Farther to the top of the pyramid was animal rights. My heart leapt when I saw that. Because, animals are my true passion.
Next up was the rights of nature then the rights of the planet. I would love to still be on the planet the day that happens, but alas, won't.
Where we're at right now in human consciousness is just starting to consider animal and nature rights....and the issue of global warming will precipitate this even more.
Because for many folks, they won't jump on a trend unless their own lives are threatened or it becomes socially unaccepted not to.
Hi again,
Thanks for the nice comments -- you totally made me blush!!
It's a very interessting discussion you and anonymous are having.
Of course this is your blog and you can and should say whatever you want. I suspect people who read this blog are eco-consious beforehand but how do we get people who are not to live more eco-friendly?
Your readers may be more inclined to live even more plastic-free, organic, buying less or whatever after reading your experiences but "the mugglers" may not. I find that they often need applause for what they are doing and then some gentle enlightenment or some health orientated facts (how lucky that what are good for nature are often also good for us?!!)
I'm also quite surprised how people who want to do better seriously don't know how and where to start. How about just consume less?
I'm just scared of how slowly plastic degenerates and ALL THE CHEMICALS WE ABSORB BY LIVING WITH PLASTIC!!
Hi again,
Thanks for the nice comments -- you totally made me blush!!
It's a very interessting discussion you and anonymous are having.
Of course this is your blog and you can and should say whatever you want. I suspect people who read this blog are eco-consious beforehand but how do we get people who are not to live more eco-friendly?
Your readers may be more inclined to live even more plastic-free, organic, buying less or whatever after reading your experiences but "the mugglers" may not. I find that they often need applause for what they are doing and then some gentle enlightenment or some health orientated facts (how lucky that what are good for nature are often also good for us?!!)
I'm also quite surprised how people who want to do better seriously don't know how and where to start. How about just consume less?
I'm just scared of how slowly plastic degenerates and ALL THE CHEMICALS WE ABSORB BY LIVING WITH PLASTIC!!
We've been only buying vegetables that we can put loose into our recycle bag.
But lately we really wanted waxy potatoes and they came in a cardboard box with a little plastic window.
The checkout assistants sometimes get annoyed that they have to spend longer weighing and putting the veggies through checkout, but it's worth the extra time I think.
We only have to put the bins out every 3 weeks, I'm sure we could cut down on our consumption even more.
Also most supermarkets use disinfectant spray on the counter tops. Our one had to very regularly, whenever they didn't have any customers they had to spray and clean the counter.
If you see a sticky patch, don't put your veggies on them! Another method is to leave the veggies in a dedicated veggie bag and just give it to the checkout person who will take each one out, weigh, put it into your other recycle bag.
Here in NZ most of the supermarkets are promoting reusable bags but hardly anyone uses them consistently. I hope the Government brings in plastic bag tax soon because appealing to people's better nature doesn't seem to be working.
The check-out people at my local supermarket have got to know me now as the 'lady who brings her own bags' - not just carry-bags, but also produce bags. This is pretty sad that I am so unusual, because it really isn't very hard to bring along a few plastic bags from home and reuse them for produce. I have a lot of plastic bags at home even though I take reusables with me shopping all the time. Where do they came from - do they breed?
I totally agree with you EnviroWoman that it is not enough to just use reusable shopping bags. That is only the tip of the iceberg as far as our plastic consumption goes. And someone needs to keep reminding society of that, even if it's an uncomfortable message.
For anyone, who wants to stop using plastic produce bags but still has the ick factor of the cart/conveyor belt, check out this site:
http://www.ecobags.com/Our_Products/Produce_Bags?whence=
Here's what kills me:
I bring my own bags to the grocery store and I catch the grocery clerk sneaking plastic and paper bags into my reusable one. I buy laundry detergent and apples and since, I guess, those things can't touch, the detergent gets wrapped in plastic and then put in my bag. And, this one gets me the most, I find the clerk folding up a paper bag to put in the bottom of my reusable bag to "stabilize" the bottom of my bag! When I asked, "um, why are you putting another bag in my bag?", the clerk was totally baffled about why I would be asking that question. I had to explain to him that I bring a bag so that I don't have to take any plastic or paper home! Same guy always forgets to give me my 3 cents for reusing my bag. I don't really need 3 cents, but it's the principle of the matter. . .geesh!
Another site for reusable produce bags is www.reusablebags.com
I just ordered some bags from this site because they are 100% organic cotton and a mesh style so the grocery clerk can see through the bag to the numbers on the produce. I'm really excited about these!
EnviroWoman you are my hero! :-)
You are super awesome, I read your archives in one day! Let me say, I had a lot to learn. I am a cruelty-free vegan myself and often feel a bit holier than thou. But shucks! I got a Lara Bar and a soy yogurt today and felt, so, well, plasticized! I totally want to give up plastics now. I even have a basket I can use for my grocery shopping!
As for fake meats, my hubby (also vegan) and I have used so few fake meats in the last four years due to their over packaging and pricing. I talk about alternatives on my blog a lot. TVP is a miracle food, it is what a lot of the fake meats are made of and you can buy it in the bulk bins.
http://www.karenskitchen.com/a/recipe_tvp.htm
It's soy protein.
Another thing fake meats are made of is wheat gluten. Wheat gluten is the protein in wheat. It's stretchy. You can buy the gluten as a flour in bulk bins. There is an excellent recipe for it online called Seitan O' Greatness. You can find it here: http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=15959
Plus, there are lots of ways to eat beans and lentils to get your protein.
I know the anonymous person is giving you a hard time on this blog, but don't listen to him! You're amazing and have inspired so many people, including me!
Thank you.
Ruthie
Fatchan, icky factor? Um... you do know that veggies grow in the dirt, right? Can't get much dirtier than dirt.
Anyway, EnviroWoman, I wanted to check and see if you'd had a chance to read the e-mail I sent to you and others about being involved in a plastic-free alternatives database project. There are several other plastic-free and zero-waste bloggers who are interested in the project as well as at least one organization.
Please let me know if this is something you'd like to be a part of. Since, as far as I know, you are the original plastic-free blogger, we don't want to start without hearing from you!
Beth
http://www.fakeplasticfish.com
Just wanted to say that your life style is inspiring! We have been gradually phasing plastic out of our lives- initially much to my 6 and 8yr olds horror, but after discussing our concerns they are interested in the idea.
We are replacing all our old plastic bits with non-plastic, but I would say we fall down with food shopping. On the whole we buy whole, natural food so we don't get much plastic packaging but there are some regular appearers- such as yoghourt containers, and plastic veggie bags.
So we're now looking at making the plastic free pledge- we're already TV and car free, so I guess it's just another one on the list to make us look weirder. Actually living without plastic might look less weird here than the TV and car.
We do need to get a pram soon though, so if anyone has suggestions for a pram with as little plastic as possible, feel free to suggest.
just had to say that i'm glad you're back! and i'll be anxiously observing year two of the challenge!
You are amazing! There's so much encouragement here. I will come back to read again and again.
The [minus]plastic team from Singapore says hi!
We are made up of 3 students in a local Singapore university working with a non-profit environmental organisation ECO Singapore.
Our citizens are still very far from living plastic free. Hence, the [minus]plastic website was launched to encourage people to reduce their plastic usage through simple daily actions :)
Do support us @ www.minusplastic.youth.sg
We hope that more of our citizens can learn from you!
Happy to have you back!
lately, our co-op has been getting cauliflower wrapped in plastic. i realize it probably makes the trip from california (sigh) more safe for those delicate florets, but come on!
i only put squishable/small/easily lost produce items in bags. sometimes i get a look, especially with wet stuff, but i'm the customer, so i'm right. ha HA.
You're definitely right on about people noticing when you use your own bag!
I have a collection of canvas bags I use, and let me tell you, don't NOBODY at Kroger in Frankfort, Kentucky use anything but store-issue plastic bags. I feel almost like Britney Spears capturing attention on a Starbucks run.
Sometimes I forget mine in my car, and I kick myself and hand off my basket to that greeter lady at the door so I can run get them.
I hadn't really thought about the produce bags ... back to the drawing board, I guess. There's always room for improvement!
P.S. Any ideas for cat litter disposal? I buy the biodegradable, flushable kind ... but I have four cats and frankly, flushing that much litter makes my toilet overflow.
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jasmine
tech-chek.blogspot.com
anonymous, grow a pair (testicles or ovaries, as appropriate) mate, seriously. Don't be such a big girl's blouse.
If on reading her blog you feel that envirowoman is better than you, it's probably because she is. A grownup takes the challenge, steps on up. "Oh, you think you're better than me? I'll show you!" Out-green her! And stop whining.
envirowoman, well done on what you've achieved. I've been trying to minimise the plastics in my life, haven't used produce bags for months, but it's been a wussy effort so far, I still buy preplasticked stuff like pasta in bags, you're inspiring me to better efforts.
Isn't it time the King gave you that knighthood? Does the Round Table have one of those plastic sheets on it to protect the varnish?
Oh Envirowoman, where are you??? We miss you!! Well, I do anyway...I can't wait for tip #3! I hope you're well!
Please come back -- I miss you!
I've tagged you for a meme, the details are on my blog.
I'm totally with you envirowoman, but how do we deal with these plastic petrochemical filled computers we're using right now on this blog? Darn it! If we could all just develop telepathy, we wouldn't need these.
What a great tip. I never use plastic bags in the supermarket. I hope more people do this.
I am trying to form a group on cocomment.com about ecolifestyle so if u want join us.
I love your rants -- I personally enjoy a sanctimonious, self-righteous explosion every now and then myself. It's good for the soul, let it out, I say.
I never used the produce bags, I guess I understood the part about the produce is already dirty, so wtf? But recently we found these little canvas bags from ecobags.com that are perfect for bulk rice, loose mushrooms, etc. Love 'em.
I'm guilty of using canvas bags for my groceries, but I'm buying too much crap that comes in plastic. I've resolved to cut that sh*t out immediately.
I'm not sure it matters because it's starting to look like we're not going to be able to reproduce anyway, so hey, drive your SUV across the country, buy a bottle of water every 5 minutes, it won't make any difference. We really need to do something about the toxic chemicals we inhale, smear or spray on ourselves, eat, drink or smoke. They are everywhere and they are turning us into sterile mutants. Just my 2 cents worth.
We all have our own agenda, n'est-ce pas?
When enough single-use bags get together they take on a life of their own as Bag Monsters. No seriously, look them up on YouTube. They hate bag bans and reusable bags... So they're trying to ban humans. These monsters are dopey goobers who still think plastic bags are great. So go ahead and see what kind of shenanigans they're getting into today. www.BagMonster.com
envirowoman! i'm so happy i stumbled across your blog! i will read through your archives over the next few days to see how i can learn from what you have done. i've been trying since the beginning of this year to stop using plastic as well. it is difficult, with a baby - but that is why i started it. pfffffftthalates.
i have a question to ponder.. what will i do when my computer gives up the ghost, and i need a new one?
Joan -- this is what I will be getting when my current computer finally dies...
What really annoys me is organic shops that supply both plastic and paper bags for bulk bin stuff and produce. Why not just ditch the plastic altogether?
Great idea about not using plastic produce bags. Here in NZ we have www.edengreennz.com GE free compostable cornstarch bags available which I will now start taking to the supermarket to use for produce instead. Already use the bigger size for rubbish disposal.
I was hoping to get some advice from you. My dad has some pretty serious health issues related to being overly exposed to chemicals, and his doctor recently told him to cut all possible plastic products out of his life. So our family is now venturing into the plastic-free world and I was hoping for some tips to assist us all in adapting to this sudden change. I'm so glad that I found someone who has experience with this. My mom has felt so stressed about trying to shop for him for personal items and foods. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I know that you are doing your top ten tips which is great, but I was hoping to maybe get your tips faster :) Thank you!
Since I started shunning plastic, I've been able to stop using produce bags completely and I have to agree with EnviroWoman that it's been pretty easy! To get produce from the store to my house, I either grab it loose (easy for things like apples and onions) or put it in one of my mesh EcoBags
(good for things like spinach that you can't take home loose). I also have some grain bags from Ecobags that I use for taking home bulk bin items like oatmeal and nuts. (Note: I always brings old plastic grocery bags to the store in case I don't have enough cloth bags, and those work really well, too)
I agree, too, that I'm always suprised when I am shopping at a place like Whole Foods and I am absolutely the ONLY person avoiding produce bags. Absolutely every person there using them. I don't get it!
Anyways, the cashiers at Whole Foods and Stanley's Fresh Mart in Chicago (my two favorite places to shop) never seem to notice or mind that I'm not using produce bags. I think they see so many people go through the line that they stop noticing who's doing what.
Anyways, rock on Envirowoman! Down with produce bags!
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Hi, Just found your Blog. Yes, most of the time I remember to take my cloth bags. In fact, I make and sell them at local craft and yard sales. I usually take one or two items home in plastic veggie bags, but only with the intention of reusing them to collect the litter from my cat's box. Most of the pet owners in our co-op use them for pet refuse, so they do get double duty out of the plastic. And we are required to scoop up after our dogs in this part of the world.
Keep up the good work.
Great post: you have inspired me to try better. Thanks!
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Hey you!
You are wicked. I love it.
I also live in Vancouver and recently went vegan (well, I still eat certain wild fish) and it has been a MAJOR challenge.
I was just searching the net for plastic alternatives, and to see if being plastic free was even possible... I was making dinner, thinking "it would TOTALLY be possible!" *DING...DING DING* as I punch the microwave buttons.
*SH_T*
This microwave oven is plastic.
WAIT... cars have plastic. (HAHA I ride the bus)
OH EFF, my computer and stereo have plastic.
.... my cat's indoor crapper is made of plastic.
WAIT!!! BEER comes in GLASS!
*there is a GOD*
anyway, you have really inspired me, I'm gonna try to go as plastic free as possible from now on.
Oh, and anonymous? Guess what I'm going to tell my grandkids when they ask "Grandma? Why are there no whales in the ocean?"
"well, my little darling, there were a handful of selfish people who didn't want to be inconvenienced by climate change so they made little to no effort, even when faced with katastrophic concequences. They felt taking "baby steps" to avoid total global distruction was good enough... anyway, lets go back to our history lesson. Yes, see here? this was what we called an albatross. They all choked and died on plastic. Ok turn the page to the next extinct creature..."
Hey 'vegan' pilot,
You might want to actually BE vegan before you start advertising yourself as one (i.e. in your username). If you eat fish, you're not yet vegan. Kind of like those 'vegetarians' who eat chicken. The labels do not compute with the behaviors.
Good luck finishing the transition someday!
I am so excited about your site. As a new mom, it is a sometimes fun and sometimes a frustrating challenge to cut out plastic. I love getting new inspirations. My local organic food shop offers great big bins of lovely lettuces with of course a roll of plastic bags attached. I love this new unwrapped world, but while I happily throw in apples, carrots, etc. naked into my canvas bag, what about those lovely lettuces and beans ect. Any tips?
Dear EnviroWoman -- I was reading about the plastic issue in the oceans (Alan Weisman's The World Without Us) and was seized with the idea that me and family must move to a plastic-free lifestyle. I naively logged on to look for all the millions of resources that must surely be available to people wanting to wean themselves off plastic. All I found that is interesting and useful is you. So thanks and thanks again! Inspiring and the humour helps as it all can make one feel dreary and drowning. We're starting slowly, I have 2 young kids and a husband to drag along with me, but on the weekend we plan to recycle some old fabric into shopping bags. This is Hamilton ON so no doubt our model will get people moving (hahaha). But please keep your blog going, like toothpaste?pens?ZIPLOC BAGS? aaaaaagggghhh etc.
Dear EnviroWoman -- I was reading about the plastic issue in the oceans (Alan Weisman's The World Without Us) and was seized with the idea that me and family must move to a plastic-free lifestyle. I naively logged on to look for all the millions of resources that must surely be available to people wanting to wean themselves off plastic. All I found that is interesting and useful is you. So thanks and thanks again! Inspiring and the humour helps as it all can make one feel dreary and drowning. We're starting slowly, I have 2 young kids and a husband to drag along with me, but on the weekend we plan to recycle some old fabric into shopping bags. This is Hamilton ON so no doubt our model will get people moving (hahaha). But please keep your blog going, like toothpaste?pens?ZIPLOC BAGS? aaaaaagggghhh etc.
Keep the blog going! As many tips as possible most welcome.
Great blog. What an excellent discussion. 19 Million Visitors To Your Web SiteGuaranteed -- And It's FREE!
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geez. people make fun of me because i'm environmentally conscious, and when i bug them to not use plastic bags, and reuse their water bottles, they shrug it off like its supposed to be funny. People need to realize that we're gonna be screwed [actually, we're kind of already screwed] if we keep up what we're doing..
but yeah, its just good to know that there are actually people out there making efforts to actually save our earth - the one and only.
I think that this is such a fantastic idea. I use canvas bags at the grocery store and I really have never thought about the fruits and vegetables being in bags. As you touched on I do think that there would be a lot of people that would feel it was much less clean to not put it in a bag (even though it obviously is not) so I'm wondering if there would be a way to make people more willing to leave the plastic alone? Possibly small paper bags- just as a step in the right direction. But I am definitely going to just say no to those little plastic bags from now on. Thanks.
This is a great idea and a pretty great site. If I remember to when I get to work, I think I might feature it on The Screaming Eye as long as you don't mind.
I think its amazing what you are doing. I have a question tho-. As I open my frige, its plastic, my freezer too, and my ice maker and parts inside my car and my keyboard I am typing on...how do you avoid it totally?
After I read your blog I took a pledge for NoNewPlastic. I have started to incorporate alternatives for Plastic in my everyday life. The two tips that you gave are very helpful. I hope more and more people become aware of the plastic hazards and choose a plastic free life to save the envirnonment.
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I've been cutting back on the plastic produce bags on my own for some time now - they just seem so pointless. However I am embarrassed to take major action to deal with, for instance, loose mushrooms.
I lived in the Middle East as a child and a college student, back in the 70s and 80s. No free plastic bags. This was when you had to buy your own string bag on trips to Europe because no stores there gave out plastic bags either.
Anyway - my memory of produce shopping in Egypt circa 1983 is that the vendors had stacks of old newspapers. If they needed a container for something fumbly like walnuts or parsley or some such, they just wrapped it up neatly in a cone of newsprint. Recycling. What's the big deal?
I see ladies around the farmers markets here in Oakland carrying big old fashioned wicker baskets into which they tuck all their produce, no bags. Very Alice Waters.
Your blog makes me determined now to bring my own paper cones or something for when I want to buy mushrooms. Thank you.
Now, how are we supposed to buy strawberries? Even the organic ones are sold in plastic "clamshells" this year. Feh. Guess I'll have to buy only at the farmers market and tell them to keep their baskets, please.
Glad to see someone trying to get the word out. Most people overlook the plastic produce bags. Either don't use them or use home made cloth produce bags (repurposed sheer curtains).
Please start blogging again Envriowoman. I miss reading your posts and learning new ways to live sans plastique.
--Ave
I personally use a canvas bag and everytime i have to buy something small or something that needs to get wrapped in the store's plastic bag, I decline the plastic bag and just put it in my handy canvas. Feels good to help the environment, no matter how small.
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I'm very excited to have found your blog (via a post in a LiveJournal community... not sure which one). I was just thinking to myself, "Maybe I should start an LJ community about how to eliminate plastic from one's life, because I don't have a clue where to start." So I'm really looking forward to reading about what you've done!
We've been working on going plastic-free for a little while now. I had never thought of not using plastic bags for bulk items until I was with a friend & saw her use cloth. LIGHTBULB!!
I now have several cloth bags that I use JUST for bulk & loose items. They are awesome.
I really love the idea of bringing along a wire basket too.
AND, it IS true that you inspire people to use cloth (or other reusable containers) when you use it. We were at the Farmer's Market & while we were bagging up our produce a lady turned around and commented how it reminded her she had cloth bags in her car, so she went and got them! YAY!!!
We sell wool bedding, and are moving as quickly as possible towards organic materials. One of the problems we face is packaging; it is necessary to package bedding in clear plastic in order to allow our customers to see our duvets, while at the same time protecting them. Duvets that can't be seen, do not sell; it is just how humans seem to work. So my question is this: can you recommend an alternate material that is biodegrable and clear or at least more than 70% translucent? We would love to move to a more environmentally reasonable model, but are having trouble coming up with an alternative. http://www.sleepysheep.ca
Chelsea -- I don't know what your shop looks like, but what about having one of each type of duvet out for customers to see and handle, and then, once they've selected which one they want, they then find the relevant package -- which at that point does not need to be made out of plastic. Imagine you are buying furniture in IKEA or something -- a show model for customers to examine, and then the actual product comes in a plain brown cardboard box...
Our primary sales venue is online, so all of our packaging is based on how light it is to ship.
From a price standpoint, it costs us about 20 cents for a plastic zipper bag, and about $5 for a branded box. Also, boxes add bulk and weight for shipping when we are shipping more than one item, which we generally are. And the issue of protecting them while they are being shipped from the elements is not to be discounted.
Perhaps there is a waxed paper or cellulose solution.
If you are primarily selling duvets online, I am a bit baffled by your earlier comment about how the consumer needs to be able to see the product through the packaging. I buy most of my bedding from Liv. I look at the photos on the web site, choose what I want, and the items arrive altogether in one plain cardboard box. If I buy several sheets, they are not individually wrapped in plastic, just neatly folded and stacked together in an appropriately sized shipping box. I fail to see why that wouldn't work for you.
I suppose that is a presentation bias on my part. (We do do trade shows as well, so that is where the presentation concern comes from.)
We manufacture our duvets and pillows in North Vancouver, and send them out in recycled boxes already.
It is very important that they are easily accessible for the packers, so that the correct items get packed, and that they are protected from being handled. Stock destroyed by handling is a huge issue in our industry.
You have inspired me to look for a better solution. Since reading your blog, I have come across websites about cellulose; perhaps that could be a solution that satisfies both our need to have a presentable product, our need to keep our shipping weights down, keeping costs down for our customers, and not contributing more plastics to the environment.
Thanks for the conversation!
http://www.sleepysheep.ca
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Is there an article on here for the Diva cup? I *know* it's plastic but if you're going to buy just one eeny weeny thing in plastic the Diva Cup has got to be it!
I love mine and so does every woman I know who has one yet it's almost unknown in the "normal" world!
Anytime I tell anyone about mine they're floored (and then appalled, mildly disgusted, then intrigued in spite of themselves)that something like that exists!
Where do you stand on that issue? Is one plastic item that prevents so much garbage okay? Even the sea sponges don't last for every whereas the Diva Cup lasts for years.
The world's largest garbage dump stretches 11 million miles (larger than the continental United States) from the west coast to China. To see this absolute mountain of plastic debris in the Pacific (much of which ends up in the stomachs of marine animals and birds) is so discouraging, that I am ashamed of my thoughtless dependence on plastic--thus my visit to this website. After I read the blog of this "WhackedOutEcoFreak," I thanked the gods (and google) for her existence. For those of us slowly waking up to the horror of plastic, her roadmap is an invaluable tool. Those who believe her to be too extreme have not yet fully educated themselves on the extent of the damage done by the use (and disposal) of plastics all over the world. Get over it and do your part!!!
Great blog. I just discovered it. My take is different but the world will have more than one way to do things. Your blog is featured on Plastico Fantastico today.
I wonder about all of those indirect dependencies you cannot control, e.g. the plastic in your car, in the services you use, etc.
great to see so much discussion; i feel the momentum of the non-plastic movement.
do people have ideas of how to store vegetables in the fridge without having them in the plastic bags? if i put them in the fridge bare they don't last as long.
thanks!
oh, and an idea for chelsea.
i once bought a set of sheets that were packaged in a cube-shaped bag of the material from which they were made. so you could feel how soft they were and they were contained in a compact fashion with a simple drawstring on top.
Great post. I started using reusable produce bags so they wouldn't touch the conveyer belt, and it's made a huge difference in the amount of plastic used.
I made some produce bags out of silk organza. It's quite strong and transparent, so they can read the produce numbers through it. I did a french seam for strength.
I wouldn't put artichokes in them, though :) Maybe those could go in a strong non transparent produce bag made out of an old sheet.
One has to keep on washing the produce bags, because they get dirty quickly.
Laura
People mention bags for dog crap. Sure you can reuse a plastic produce bag for this, but the plastic still goes to a landfill and makes a poop mummy.
There are corn plastic dog poop bags. Much more enviro-friendly.
Laura
I love this topic! Or hate plastic, depending how you look at it!
I know that living plastic free is possible, we did it for thousands of years! I also know that I do not want to mindlessly follow the cultures addiction to consuming. Keep the good ideas flowing to be sensitive to being on the planet and being truly human!
If manufacturers do not make goods that last, and are repairable, we will make them.
My focus not is how to replace daily food type product packaging. I know this can be done, but it takes real effort to pick ways of using foods without packaging to circumvent the dominant cultural habits.
I commend all efforts to take the signs for our enviroment seriously.
Wes
Greetings, We want to stop using plastic bags to store fresh vegetables in the refrigerator. We were thinking about cotton muslin bags. (The only thing we found recommended were of plastic, also.)
Has anyone ever used these washable/reusable cotton bags for this use?
I agree. And I don't use plastic product bags anymore. I have some hemp ones and cotton ones. But what to do about meat??? I put my meat in plastic bags as to keep them from leaking on other meats.
I have no idea what to do about that. I would buy something if I needed to but no idea what to buy.
It seems like so many people are missing a big issue with plastic use, especially if they are trying to live organic, chemical-free lives. The ubiquitous use of hormone-disrupting phthalates and bisphenol-A in plastic food packaging and food storage is truly amazing. It has had and continues to have devastating effects on our biological systems. These effects have been studied since the 1950's on animals large and small.
This is personally important to me, because I have multiple chemical sensitivities and estrogen dominance, likely caused from plastics and other endocrine-disrupting compounds in our food supply and environment.
Please read "Hormone Deception" by D. Lindsey Berkson and an earlier book called "Our Stolen Future" by Theo Colborn. You will learn that since the industrial revolution, and especially since the proliferation of plastics, we have done so much damage in the name of progress, it is unlikely our bodies and environment will recover.
However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't ACT NOW to at least make the next generations' lives a little bit better. Lobby Congress to enact stricter laws, write to food suppliers and demand they use non-plastic packaging, nag your friends and family-- do whatever it takes.
It's currently not possible to live a truly plastic-free life, but there was a world before plastic-- let's try to get back to it.
I actually had a lot of faake silk scarfs I didn't use anymore, and I made bags for bulk out of it...they don't waigh anything,and are washable...so whenever I buy bulk, I put the stuff in there!
For a disturbing and entertaining music video on The 7 Deadly Plastics, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP-oC-0hOC0 .
Actually, plastic bags aren't killing the planet, and aren't really much of a threat environmentally if they are disposed of properly or recycled.
And EnviroWoman is breaking laws by displaying a picture with her post that is the copyrighted property of a plastic bag company. She has been asked to remove the picture but hasn't complied or even had the nerve to answer the request.
Envirowoman- why the lapse in blogging? We want to know what's going on. We are also living in vancouver and would love to interview you for our documentary. you can contact me through the link on my name.
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Wonderful post! I find that, especially with plastic bags, people are impressed when they see me using my own bags and NOT using plastic.
Great information on living green ... keep it up!!
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I agree, it's frustrating to go to my local organic stores (whole foods) and see the littlest effort on replacing plastic.
I just started the comittment, no new plastic in 2009. Wow, I guess all I can do is keep it fun, otherwise it is a bit overwelming.
The challenge for me has been replacing personal products like deoderant. Even when there is an alternative like the crystal rock, it comes wrapped in plastic! Of what use is that!
The longer I look at this issue the more I realize that I must work for some international government regulation, otherwise it will be too late by the time humans catch up with the full extent of the damage.
I'm also wondering about 'green-washing' or fake replacements. I recently read a pretty scientific article that mentioned some food based plastic alternatives still had plasic particles in their compostition.
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Thanks for this nice tips.
Well, I didn't see this as elitist at all!! I saw it as WONDERFUL INSPIRATION!! :)
So PLEASE post eco-tips #3-#10!! Or is there another place to see them?
I am a believer in *small steps* but ideally, the people who have figured out the 'small steps' would make it easier for the rest of us still figuring out what the best 'small steps' are - oh wait, you're already doing this!! :) BIG THANKS!! :)
& would REALLY LOVE to READ MORE!! :)
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