Week one done: Kicking the habit
I suppose this is how a smoker kicking the habit feels. I know that when I swore off disposable cups, I experienced it. And now, having sworn off single-use plastics for the month of July, it is happening once more.
I see single-use plastics EVERYWHERE.
I reach for the egg carton in the fridge, and my arm stretches past the plastic bottle of mustard I had previously purchased (yes, that one is going to be a challenge to let go; at least until I find a recipe I can make myself that I like even more).
I go to my beach volleyball league and don't see the beer, but the Jenga tower of plastic cups left on the picnic tables.
I stand across the parking lot at the grocery store and watch the plastic marching out the door. In my mind, it looks like the parade of talking hotdogs and soft drink cups that once graced the beginning of every movie. I half-smile at the young woman half-committed to the cause; reusable bag in her right hand and plastic bag in her left.
Heck, I even noticed (and refrained from) the mint on the bill tray after lunch this week, encased as it was in its teensy plastic wrapper.
After week one of the plastic-free challenge, I have a better understanding of why we are slow to change. With single-use plastics at every turn, trying to reduce waste can become so overwhelming that we give up before we even start.
Yet we mustn't.
We needn't change the entire world with our actions. Only, as Dr. BJ Hunnicutt from M*A*S*H once said, "our little corner of it". Even if we start small, we are starting. And, if my heightened awareness of all things plastic after one week of plastic-free has demonstrated anything to me, it's that small positive actions compound. And we should not overlook such a positive rate of return.
Not sure where to begin? In upcoming weeks, I will share more information and strategies here for removing plastic from our lives in relation to our pets, take-out, household items, and personal products. And this isn't the only place you can visit to find tips. Check out, for example, Zero Waste Insights (https://www.instagram.com/zerowasteinsights/) and follow Zero on his journey to find local-to-KW places and products with reduced or no waste. And consider trying one of the things I did this week: take your reusable cup to the coffee shop, explore a local bulk food store, or insist on eating at the restaurant at lunch instead of opting for take-out. Pick one thing and start there.
Rest assured, if I can, you can too!
I see single-use plastics EVERYWHERE.
I reach for the egg carton in the fridge, and my arm stretches past the plastic bottle of mustard I had previously purchased (yes, that one is going to be a challenge to let go; at least until I find a recipe I can make myself that I like even more).
I go to my beach volleyball league and don't see the beer, but the Jenga tower of plastic cups left on the picnic tables.
I stand across the parking lot at the grocery store and watch the plastic marching out the door. In my mind, it looks like the parade of talking hotdogs and soft drink cups that once graced the beginning of every movie. I half-smile at the young woman half-committed to the cause; reusable bag in her right hand and plastic bag in her left.
Heck, I even noticed (and refrained from) the mint on the bill tray after lunch this week, encased as it was in its teensy plastic wrapper.
After week one of the plastic-free challenge, I have a better understanding of why we are slow to change. With single-use plastics at every turn, trying to reduce waste can become so overwhelming that we give up before we even start.
Yet we mustn't.
We needn't change the entire world with our actions. Only, as Dr. BJ Hunnicutt from M*A*S*H once said, "our little corner of it". Even if we start small, we are starting. And, if my heightened awareness of all things plastic after one week of plastic-free has demonstrated anything to me, it's that small positive actions compound. And we should not overlook such a positive rate of return.
Not sure where to begin? In upcoming weeks, I will share more information and strategies here for removing plastic from our lives in relation to our pets, take-out, household items, and personal products. And this isn't the only place you can visit to find tips. Check out, for example, Zero Waste Insights (https://www.instagram.com/zerowasteinsights/) and follow Zero on his journey to find local-to-KW places and products with reduced or no waste. And consider trying one of the things I did this week: take your reusable cup to the coffee shop, explore a local bulk food store, or insist on eating at the restaurant at lunch instead of opting for take-out. Pick one thing and start there.
Rest assured, if I can, you can too!
If you master the mustard, please share. My one attempt blue my head off it was so strong!
ReplyDelete