Over at the Going Green With Burbanmom Yahoo group (which is actually hosted by Green Resolutions now that Burbanmom has moved on) the group has been chatting about plastic. I'm excited to see the number of people who are on board with eliminating -- or at least reducing -- plastic from their lives. I think they'll be a great source of support, information, and ideas as we embark on the challenge ourselves this year.
I'm planning to keep a list here of the things we've changed and will bump the post up as we add more to it.
Here's what we've done thus far:
- Use cloth bags instead of plastic.
- Use a travel mug instead of getting a paper cup w/ plastic lid.
- Use To-Go Ware when eating out.
- Use a glass straw.
- We bring drinks with us in Sigg bottles.
- Use bar soap in the shower instead of liquid soap that comes in a plastic bottle.
- I've been trying "no-poo" w/ an apple cider vinegar rinse instead of shampoo & conditioner. I haven't quite committed to this yet though.
- I've also tried almond oil in my hair instead of gel in a plastic tube. It's great for the weekdays when I'm working at home, but I still use gel when I have meetings or am going out and want to look hot (haha).
- Using an apple cider / water / green tea mix for toner instead of store bought in a plastic bottle.
- We use Preserve toothbrushes and razors, which you can send back to the company for recycling.
- I use bar shave soap.
- I use sweet almond oil in a glass bottle for body moisturizer instead of lotion in a plastic bottle.
- We replaced our shower curtain and liner with cloth alternatives.
- I make our laundry soap from borax, washing soda and bar soap - no plastic involved.
- I make my cleaning products from borax, washing soda, baking soda, lemon juice, or vinegar. The vinegar does come in plastic, but we at least buy it in bulk.
- We buy eggs in compostable cardboard cartons instead of styrofoam.
- We've cut out individually packaged items like granola bars.
- I make my own butter.
- When there's something we want that comes in plastic, we find it used instead of buying it new. Like the salad spinner I bought at Goodwill, or the rubbery Ikea molds I wanted for making crayons. No new environmental impact that way.
7 comments:
I have to question if making your own butter really is greener. I did it once just to see what happened and found that the cream to make the butter was the same price or more than buying butter ready to go. Also, is there really that much more packaging on butter than on a box of cream? I don't think so.
Is your hair really curly? I would be interested in the almond oil as gel idea, but my hair is long and very curly and frizzes up easily and I feel like I have to use lots of gel. A gel alternative would be terrific!
Carrie~ To me, it's not really about price. I mean, don't get me wrong, if it cost me three times more to make butter than to buy it, I'd definitely buy it. We've always bought butter in a plastic tub, so this cuts back on the plastic waste for us.
I think it's also less energy-intensive for me to shake cream into butter using my biceps, than for a machine to do it in a factory. Usually the process would be: milk from farm -> transported to butter factory where it's processed and packaged -> transported to grocery store -> transported to my home. So we skip a big step in that process.
Not to mention that "Look at me, I made butter - I'm like a pioneer!" feeling. :)
Hey Joelle~ Yes, my hair is thick, curly and coarse. It's a nightmare! I find it's best when I get out of the shower, don't mess much with it, and just rub a dab of the almond oil onto it without disturbing the natural curl too much.
The first time, I tried to run my fingers through it and get the oil everywhere, but that broke up the curls and it didn't look so good. Now I just lightly rub it on and leave it. It leaves my hair soft. Don't use too much though, or it will look greasy. It takes a time or two of experimenting I guess!
Like I said - great for normal days, but I do resort to gel or another product when we're planning to go out.
Oh! I'm so glad you commented about almond oil. My hair is also very curly and frizzy, and I need to start considering a gel alternative when my current stuff runs out.
This is a great list! And I'm also grateful for the almond oil suggestion. I tried aloe in my hair after reading about it on the Going Green discussion forum and it didn't work for me, so I'm still buying the Aubrey organics leave-in stuff (which comes in small bottles and = lots of plastic).
If you don't use a Laptop Lunch, I'd also suggest that reusable sandwitch bags are great and fashionable. :)
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