It is no old news that there is a problem with plastic in our oceans. So many companies out there have developed out of the cause for saving our oceans by using ocean plastic in jewelry, clothing, water bottles and more! Plastic is not fantastic and that is no lie. A quote that has been shared amongst media lately has made me realize this more. It says “We don’t inherit the land from our ancestor’s, we are borrowing it from our children.” A strong sentence that made me change my perspective. So what can we do besides try to recycled when we can? Well if your wondering what kind of things you can do to contribute here are a few that we like to practice and do at home and on the go.
- Re-useable Produce and Grocery Bags- These bags can be found almost anywhere. Especially on the internet. You can purchase re-useable grocery bags at the grocery store even. What is the sense in using all those plastic grocery bags just to take your groceries home in and throw them into the garbage? If your do have grocery bags and forget to use them, opt for using paper bags. They can easily be recycled or reused as packaging paper for gifts and more! Produce bags are huge. We put our produce inside a plastic bag to put inside of another plastic bag to take home. There are lots of wonderful re-useable produce bags on the market that you can use to put your produce in and take home.
- Buy More Produce- Sure this can help reduce plastic waste when your not purchasing a ton of processed goods in plastic and cardboard boxes or bags. I understand that we cannot completely avoid the plastic at the grocery store but by reducing the amount of processed goods that you buy you are both reducing your plastic waste and eating better by shopping in the produce section.
- Buy a re-useable water bottle- Plastic water bottles are terrible. I have come culprit to having to purchase some now and then, but by buying a re-useable water bottle for on the go you can reduce your plastic waste by a ton! Plus, you lessen your exposure to plastic byproduct in your drinking water
- Get a water filter- If you don’t like the taste of your tap water you can always purchase a water filter. In the long run, this is more cost effective and better for your health. Purchasing water bottles to drink more water at home is expensive and not deeming very good for your health. We just bought a Berkey filter, it is an amazing product! Watch our video VIDEO: We Got A Berkey!
- Re–useable Straws- There has been a huge movement for removing the use of plastic straws because they cannot be recycled and it’s a good one! We must have a ton of re-useable straws. I keep some at home and some in our bags for when we are on the go and eating out. Skip the plastic straw and put them in your cup of water when your out to eat. We always get tons of positive comments when were out. Just don’t forget them when you leave!
- Avoid Lots of Plastic Toys- Obviously this one is a hard one but it is one we have managed to stay pretty good (not perfect) about in our house. At all corners of the earth there is something wrapped or made with plastic. When we buy our kids toys we like to seek out things that are hand made (from etsy or other small business) or somthing that is made from wood or other recycleble or long lasting materials. (Most of the time). Although we can control most of what we buy we cannot control what others buy which is why I say we cannot be perfect. When we recieve gifts that are plastic from others we embrace the kind gesture. Obviously we would never be rude to someone who purchased something for our children out of the joy of doing so. The idea is to limit plastic and not to aim for perfection, then we just get stressed out and ruin our own lives over the idea of perfection. Another great way to avoid buying or purchasing things with plastic is to encourage the children to be outdoors and explore! Sometimes the best toys are old boxes, sticks, wagons and bikes. These things create memories that last longer. Read our blog on Money, Gifts and Materialism
There are a lot of ways we can avoid and reduce our plastic use in our lives. It is always the goal of reducing and not focusing on complete perfection and elimination. It is almost impossible to avoid plastic for the rest of your life. Especially if your someone who travels or has children. Anything we do little by little can help the earth. ❤ You are important, loved and doing your best every single day. ❤
Happy Herb Lady 