Yanna's Green Living Blog

On this last day of Plastic Free July we can't help but think about the years and years of plastic waste we generated because we never thought about the consequences. We never thought about where all that waste would end up and we certainly didn't think there was any impact to the environment and wildlife. It was trash. There was a place for trash. A bottomless pit of some sort where the trash eventually disappeared. Ignorance was bliss. 

So years later and we're less ignorant. We're still trying to curb how much we waste and we're still avoiding as much single-use plastic as possible. We're a work in progress.

Most importantly though, our four year old son is taking all this in. Here's to a future where Plastic Free July is.... just July.

YG

Day 18 of Plastic Free July and all we have to say is what a different a year makes! Our top three challenges from last year are just everyday habits now.

1. No single-use plastic grocery bags. We always have our reusable bags in the car. We've actually returned home when we've forgotten them on the kitchen counter.

2. No plastic straws. We always have our bamboo and stainless steel straws on hand. In my bag, in the car, in the desk drawer....

3. No water in single-use plastic bottles. Hello to our impressive assortment of reusable water bottles!

That's all folks. Keep at it!

YG

Baby steps. Make changes in baby steps. You may as well get used to us repeating this. You can't change your lifestyle overnight and eliminate plastic, reduce waste and recycle everything. It's just not realistic or practical and you set yourself up for failure. Baby steps.

Our first goal was to eliminate as many single-use plastic items as possible. Straws, disposable cups and utensils, coffee cups/lids, grocery store bags....

So that's our advice if you're just starting this journey. Conquer these first... then takeover the world!

YG

First of all, let me say kudos to the many of us who have become conscious of our waste and the inevitable impact to our environment. When my husband and I first "saw the light" a few years ago, our initial instinct was to recycle more and steer our purchase towards items that could be recycled.

Fast forward to today and how things have changed! Now our mindset is to reuse whenever we can to avoid waste and reduce our consumer footprint. (Yeah we've been reading and picked up all these fancy terms!) Simply put, we reuse more so we buy less... and waste less. Therefore, we contribute less to the demand for all the mass produced items we have become so dependent on.

And every time I doubt that this mindset shift as consumers can change what we see on store shelves, I remember Blockbuster. Remember when we drove to the store to rent a movie? You don't see how Blockbuster's downfall is relevant? Think about it. Redbox, Netflix, Amazon et al. created a better way to watch movies at home. Many people stopped going to Blockbuster. Sure there were those who still preferred to go walk through the store and choose a movie... and buy over-priced snacks. But not enough consumers to keep them in business.

So why is it so far-fetched to think that if we had a convenient option to buy laundry detergent in bulk, enough people would stop buying detergent in plastic bottles and Tide would just go to Blockbuster land.

YG

So we've talked about curbing and eventually eliminating the use of plastic straws. So when you really need a straw for that drink, there are a few options to consider. Bamboo... Stainless Steel... Glass. Whichever one you choose, it's better than that throwaway plastic straw. Good job!