my PLASTIC FREE WEEK - an experiment
Last week I did try an experiment: NO PLASTIC! I keep on feeling guilty on every piece of plastic that I use, because I know how bad is for the environment, so I tried to reduce it more and more and more and last Monday I said: THAT'S IT! THIS IS THE WEEK WITHOUT PLASTIC!
I live near a village in the countryside, so it was a big win for me that I didn't have to go everyday for the shops! But still! I did make some shoppings.
The plastic bag I reduced them long before. I always go to the market and to the fruit and veggie shop with my own bags. I even wash them and try them and reuse them, So this wasn't a big provocation for me. NO NEW PLASTIC BAG this week! I also use mooncup (no plastic on menstruation), I don't buy water (no new plastic bottles), etc etc.
The hardest thing was when I was with my daughter to the bookstore and she wanted some pencils to draw on her face. And because they were coming in plastic, I said NO. Next time, honey. But I felt like... uf... so bad that they are coming in plastic the colors! And I don't her to miss her chance on being creative just because her mum is a weirdo with fixed opinions.
I in fact, got some plastic!!!! I avoided it so hard, but I had to change my gas bottle (oh, yes, we don't have running gas over here, so we change bottles still). And the bottle had a plastic lid that was the proof that is new. So i got some plastic in the end!
Next day, I got some mangoes! But the mongoes had a sticker on them! Gluing in sticker on the other fruits wouldn't have made me a better person, it would have just been passing the trash to the next person!
In the end, on Saturday, I did get for my daughter some Bindis - this stickers for the forehead that Indian girls like. So, I made an exception for her.
So, in total there were 3 exceptions - a plastic lid from the gas bottle (a must have!!!), 3 stickers from the fruits and some sort of toy for my daughter's happiness.
BUT I did avoid lots of other stuff - bread in bag, yogurt cane, plastic bags, plastic one use glasses, etc etc etc!!!
So in the end, I just did great! It wasn't zero waste! But it was 0.5% waste! So I am very proud of myself! I will continue this experiment this week also!! Keep on posting!
The thing is that it is sooo hard and expensive to live plastic free! Possible, of course, but expensive. Here the toilet paper comes wrapped in plastic! We live in tiny tiny village, they don't see one piece. I can get oil without plastic, but is 4 times more expensive. And generally, all the things are 3-4 times more expensive if you choose carefully!
It is a huge step to go from very little plastic to no plastic at all...
Who wants to take the challenge this week together with me?
To be continued...
I like your way of doing it.
Of course I also try to reduce plastic if possible, but I never made the step to go totally without it.
Im thinking about joining the challenge.
Thanks for your post
yes! i kept on reducing and reducing it! But it was a real experiment one week totally without! :) Let me know if you are taking the challenge, we can be brothers of suffering :)))
Im curious if it works.
Think I will start to do it for one or two days first to see how it works
good luck! :)
I think you did an amazing job! And the fact that you are aware of this problem and doing your best to help the environment is incredible!
:)
thank you nikolina for your wonderful positive message... we all try to do our best, although it can not be perfect
Great challenge, each plastic item less is a big win for our planet - you can be proud of your result! It is a bit frustrating though, that the supermarket often offers conventional fruits and veggies without additional packaging, but wrap the organic stuff in a thick layer of plastic. Difficult to make the right choice here, isn't it? Although, you can see a lot of new concepts and ideas - our town's first packaging free organic store just celebrated its first anniversary and some huge supermarket chains are about to include environment-friendly labels that do not involve any plastic, but are directly lasered onto the fruits without harming it.
great news! indeed, each plastic item less is a big win for the planet! but somehow, you have to really rich to reduce plastic completely... they get at least 3 times more expensive the plastic free items... we do what we can..
Actually in our packaging-free organic store, most items are way cheaper compared to conventional organic stores, since the produce is less expensive to purchase for them without the packaging. But unfortunately many other store concepts like this one do not forward the lower prices to their customers - I hope for more conscious shop owners for the future!
What an achievement!
I greatly fail in that. Always feeling guilty by having bought to much plastic. Sigh... It is really hard work to avoid it. I do the same with my bags and what else you mentioned. But I am far from your accomplishment.
It gives me hope though, that other people do care, too.
I am good in saving energy, water and not wasting food. Though the latter only recently got more of my attention for my man became a food-sharer. People who collect the food "waste" from stores, which otherwise goes into the trash.
i guess for me it is easier then for normal people because i live off grid, so i don't need the shops daily and also, i have a lot of time to go wonder around for the plastic free items. normal people, that there are always in a hurry, they can not afford the time to go to the markets for their veggies, so they just end up in hypermarkets...
dumpster diving :) i did it a while ago, but now i let the people in need doing it. thank god, nothing gets wasted where we are, we have plenty of food sharers :)
What a cool idea, I think the greatest takeaway from a challenge like this is that it probably helps you realize all the ways plastic creeps in without us even being consious of it. It's less about being perfect and more about finding ways to shave plastic out bit by bit
It's the little things that really add up!
Thanks for sharing this @markwhittam, and great job @purplemoon <3
indeed, every small amount of reduced plastic really counts! i will try to figure out things to do more. maybe on the legal side has more power, to reduce the waste from the big companies... not only from individuals.. thanks for the kind words, @dayleeo :)
that's a great point :) Maybe we can use our dollars to support companies who are responsible with their plastics! I use a great app called buycott- its worth a look - I even wrote a post about it a few weeks back :)
This is great idea @purplemoon, I'm always trying to reduce our plastic usage but it's very hard to do it completely, hats off for doing it. resteemed.
thank you @trucklife-family it is very hard indeed to completely remove it...
Great Idea @purplemoon
I was at the beach yesterday and the amount of plastic I saw was shocking.
Its poisoning our Planet!
Upvoted & Resteemed
Hi @purplemoon I noticed you had 41 SBD in your wallet, SBD are worth $4.85 at the moment so those 41 SBD are worth $184
might be worth moving them, or keeping them :)
Ok so keeping them was a good idea SBD are worth $7.40 so they are now worth $307 :) don't you just just love crypto's
i don't really get it. moving them where? :) what to do with them? moving them when? :))
You get paid in steempower and SBD, most people exchange the SBD for steem or other crypto, SBD is usually worth $1 but now it worth $11 (correction $12.6 worth $516)
So if you go to the market on your wallet you can sell your SBD for $440 worth if steem. Or hold and see if it goes to the moon. But SBD should be pegged at $1 so who knows how long it will stay high.
https://steemit.com/sbd/@minnowsupport/warning-do-not-use-convert-to-steem-option-for-your-sbd-s
I totally respect your undertaking of responsibility. We should all do the same. It is not only for governments and big business to have to change, we must do our part for our beautiful, troubled planet. Upvoted and followed, good for you :D
thank you handsolo! we should all do the same, indeed. and show my example :)