The Deliberate Consumer

While Plastic Free July has come and gone for the year, the habits I learned from undertaking the challenge are here to stay. And August was the month for focusing my attention on the space in my house where the most plastics live: the bathroom. A glance around my washroom at the beginning of Plastic Free July revealed single-use plastics e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. On the counter, in the shower, and in the cupboard. However, since many of the bottles were still near-full, I vowed to spend August investigating alternatives. The replacements Some of my bathroom products have run out. And then there were others I was just too excited to try and added them to the "loo list". Here are the three key changes I have made thus far in that most personal of places. Bar soap. My liquid soap refill is nearly empty and a bar of bee pollen soap sits at the ready for handwashing (made by SoapWorks and available at Full Circle Foods ). I will be following this up with an oatmeal option i...

TL;DR: Psychology, economics, and consumerism all have a key role to play in sustainability. A key reflection from my Plastic Free July experience is that changing how we approach buying in even the smallest of ways can have a significant positive impact for our environment and the species we share it with. Background It started with a personal ban on disposable coffee cups. For half a year, I had been successful in only purchasing hot beverages when I had a reusable cup with me or when I felt comfortable making the time to sit-in and enjoy a cup of coffee without any rush. But once I had mastered that habit, I began looking for another challenge. And then I was told about Plastic Free July. I investigated the movement and made the pledge, swearing off single-use plastics for 31 days. While I do not think it was too difficult to uphold this pledge, the lessons learned as a result of the process have been insightful and - at times - unnerving. When I started down the path of inve...

When I signed on to Plastic Free July, I pledged to swear off single-use plastics for the entire month. If any piece of an item was plastic that couldn't be used again, I vowed to leave it on the shelf. So, with Plastic Free July coming to a close, how did I do? Did I succeed in my mission? Business Insider Australia:  https://www.businessinsider.com.au/nailed-it-netflix-baking-fails-photos-2018-3 Ok, so it wasn't as bad as all that. But in short, no. I was not able to completely avoid single-use plastics. A few products took me by surprise. There was plastic where I least expected it and where it was completely unnecessary. What got me? Three items. Three in a month of purchasing. And the culprits were... Kitty litter. Grr... I thought I had avoided this when I found a cardboard box of litter without a plastic bag inside. I picked it up off the shelf, paid, and waltzed it to the car - only then to notice the plastic handle that was stuck in the top of the box. Da...