Comments on Life Less Plastic: Blog Contest: It's Life Less Plastic's Year Annive...

OK where to post this?I (male) do not buy shaving ...

2008-10-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

OK where to post this?

I (male) do not buy shaving creme any longer.

I maintain a bar of soap and a plastic bottle (with push nozzle) of the cheapest hair conditioner I could find).

So to shave...
(a) wet face with warm water.
(b) apply hand soap to face (Do not rinse off!)
(c) one pump of the conditioner bottle gets me some conditioner, which I apply over the soap.
(d) shave with razor.
(e) when complete, rinse face.

Cheap! Works! Easy!

Hey Jenn. Berkeley Bowl also sells bulk tofu that...

2008-10-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hey Jenn. Berkeley Bowl also sells bulk tofu that you can put in your own container.

Beth

First, I scared the crap out of myself by watching...

2008-10-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

First, I scared the crap out of myself by watching "An Inconvenient Truth"...which then led to:
x. Buying a Klean Kanteen, which I love and use all the time!
x. Taking my own bags to the co-op.
x. Using a stainless steel coffee mug.
x. Bring my own silverware to school, so I don't have to use the plastic kind.
x. Bring my own plates and bowls, so I don't have to use the styrofoam kind.

I think its too late to enter, but I have a few th...

2008-10-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

I think its too late to enter, but I have a few things I've done...they may seem small to you and some of your readers but I'm slowly getting in to being more green...your blog was one of the ones that inspired me to start my own www.thinner-greener-richer.blogspot.com

* I use the canvas bags when shopping, and if I forget and get plastic bags, I make sure to reuse them as many times as I can!

* I went "wipeless"--a former diehard fan of clorox wipes and swiffer, I am no longer going to be using these products.

* Making the clorox hard surface cleaner myself (b/c its basically diluted clorox) and eventually as my supplies dwindle, look into using vinegar as a cleaning agent.

No more water bottles for us! Aluminum, baby.

2008-10-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

No more water bottles for us! Aluminum, baby.

Aluminum drink bottles, canvas shopping bags, glas...

2008-10-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Aluminum drink bottles, canvas shopping bags, glassware, recycled wood pencils, and shipping with recycled/recyclable paper for cushioning.

Happy Anniversary!

I bought a metal coffee cup with a clip on the han...

2008-10-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

I bought a metal coffee cup with a clip on the handle and attached it to my bookbag (which I carry everywhere) so I'm never without a cup when I find myself wanting to drink something.

Beth

We use cloth shopping bags, cloth napkins, cloth d...

2008-10-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

We use cloth shopping bags, cloth napkins, cloth diapers (when the kids were babies), metal/glass food storage containers, etc. But to really reduce our use of plastic I'd have to eliminate my husband since he hasn't come 'round yet to the life less plastic. And I'm not about to do that! I'll keep working on him however...

I accidently stumbled upon your blog one day and I...

2008-10-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

I accidently stumbled upon your blog one day and I am so glad I did! I am pretty new to this movement and am more in the “assessing my plastic life” phase, then “acting on my plastic life” phase and making big changes. But. I am making small changes (and after all, that’s the way to start anyway, right?).

The one thing that I do to reduce my use of plastic is actually an idea that I got from your site – I use wax-paper bags for food storage instead of resealable plastic. The cool part, though, is that for our family – two full-time working parents and one snack-hungry toddler – it serves multiple purposes. First off, Boo’s snacks go into these bags, so we have stopped using the plastic ones. But there are multiple additional benefits to using these types of bags:
o They are easier for little hands to get into. If I put snacks into plastic bags, they tend to fold back onto themselves once you open them. Plus, they are clear, so it’s often hard for a hungry toddler, who just wants to jam their little paws into the grub to find the right “entrance” into the bag.
o They make great toys! They crinkle, they fold, they bend, they keep their shape, their texture changes….all things toddlers love! Done with the snacks in the bag? Bam, roll it up into a ball! Get some crayons and draw! Make puppets out of them!

So, all you parents out there – get out and find yourself some wax-paper bags! You will be so glad you did.

We are using stainless steel lunch boxes and glass...

2008-10-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

We are using stainless steel lunch boxes and glass jars for storage. slowly trying to get rid of the ziploc plastic collection and replacing them with pyrex.

-charlie's soap laundry detergent in paper bags-py...

2008-10-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

-charlie's soap laundry detergent in paper bags
-pyrex glass storage instead of tupperware
-canvas grocery bags
-recycled glass jars to store bulk goods in

#1: don't have kids! (Just kidding, sorta..)We use...

2008-10-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

#1: don't have kids! (Just kidding, sorta..)
We use cloth shopping bags, metal water bottles, we used cloth diapers (mostly), I take my own travel mug when I go out, try to buy in bulk, sometimes get produce from an organic delivery (everything comes in a cardboard box), diva cup, cloth pads... but we have a long way to go. I have to take one small step at a time or else the sheer enormity of the undertaking makes me want to lay on the floor and weep :o)
Great blog--just what I was looking for!

I can't believe I didn't think of this one first.....

2008-10-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I didn't think of this one first...Give birth at home, or at least with as few interventions possible.

The amount of packaging and plastics in each IV kit, epidural kit, amnio hook, etc is staggering and that is before all that stuff causes mom to have a csection which produced even more. A standard hospital birth can fill several trash cans with plastic packaging and used supplies.

Maria, a doula ;-)

I send my kids and hubby to school with stainless ...

2008-10-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

I send my kids and hubby to school with stainless steel utensils. The schools and his cafeteria both have plastic utensils wrapped individualy in additional plastic. I just stick a fork/spoon in with their cloth lunch boxes and stainless steel water bottles.

Also using reusable menstral products cuts down on packaging.

Maria

We have a local Community Market that allows us to...

2008-10-02T06:21:00.000-07:00

We have a local Community Market that allows us to bring in our own containers. If you don't bring in your own container then you have to pay for the container! So for instance, if you want cooking oil, you bring in your own bottle. This is also the process of getting refills for Honey etc. I would like to see more places offer this bulk option. It saves so much money for the store because they are not paying for packaging, and it cuts down on plastic being put in the landfills.
http://conchacastaneda.blogspot.com

I only use fabric bags to go shopping (actually I ...

2008-10-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

I only use fabric bags to go shopping (actually I have made shoppings bags to give my friends for Christmas last year, and the left over fabric got me into patchworking and quilting this years Christmas presents :)

In order to avoid using plastic cutlery, I used to...

2008-10-02T04:47:00.000-07:00

In order to avoid using plastic cutlery, I used to carry around silver cutlery from home. But that was somewhat noisy and added weight to my bag. So I switched to a pair of chopsticks and only carry a spoon with me in case I am eating soup or yoghurt. It looks cool to eat with chopsticks, too.

I've been looking for a no shampoo option and, ima...

2008-10-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for a no shampoo option and, imagine this, I found you! I've so wanted to live a life with less plastic in it; I've always struggled with throwing things away. You are really imspiring! I've started making my own cloth bags for the super market but never know what to do about produce. I still end up with all those stinking produce bags! This would be a great way to take yet another plastic free step.
One interesting change for me was to start buying real maple syrup. Not only is it better tasting, without all the gunk, but it comes in glass containers!
Thanks for spending a year on this project... Hopefully it doesn't take me that long to catch up on all that you are doing!

Congrats you! Um, I'm going the things that peop...

2008-10-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Congrats you! Um, I'm going the things that people mentioned like canvas bags and a refillable water bottle.

- I try to buy only wooden toys for the guys.
-I only get plastic toys if they are used so I don't promote "NEW" plastic.
- We only eat out (rarely anyway) that use real silverware and plastes.
- Look at food packaging choices.

Have fun! Shannon

In addition to my knock-off Sigg water bottle, I u...

2008-10-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

In addition to my knock-off Sigg water bottle, I usually carry a travel coffee mug to avoid disposable cups at coffee shops and at work. Another trick is to fold an empty sugar packet to use as a stir stick (more like a stub, but it works).

I keep utensils in my desk drawer at work so I don...

2008-10-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

I keep utensils in my desk drawer at work so I don't use the disposable plastic ones there. I carry water with me (Nalgene, sadly) instead of using disposable plastic water bottles people keep trying to give me. I still use plastic containers, but I recycle them!

Switch to wearing glasses instead of contacts, avo...

2008-10-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

Switch to wearing glasses instead of contacts, avoiding all the plastic use to package the contact lenses and solutions.

Reusable grocery bags, stop eating out so much (mu...

2008-10-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

Reusable grocery bags, stop eating out so much (much of it is wrapped in plastic, etc), and hey - I homeschool so we don't use any baggies anymore for school lunches! :)

Use Fertility Awareness instead of the pill. :) ...

2008-09-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

Use Fertility Awareness instead of the pill. :) Not only better for the environment, but better for your body too.

During the months when local farmers sell fresh fr...

2008-09-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

During the months when local farmers sell fresh fruit from their farms, I now eat whole fruits instead of drinking juice. All the juice cartons sold around here include pieces of plastic, so eating whole fruits instead of drinking juice means using less plastic.

I buy nuts and dried fruits from bulk bins, and eat those when I want a snack. I also talk to store managers about what could be done to induce me to buy more food from bulk bins, e.g., putting ingredient lists on the bins that hold breakfast cereal and other processed foods.

I keep my eyes to the ground while out walking. Mostly I do that so I can pick up recyclables and take them home for recycling, but I also find so many plastic bags that I never have to purchase trash bags. Sometimes I find pens, and recently I found a big roll of packing tape. The packing tape's cardboard core had disintegrated in the rain, but the tape itself was still usable. I realize that the plastic bags, plastic pens, and plastic packing tape I've found are (duh) plastic, but the point is that I'm not going out and buying new plastic.

I always, always carry multiple cloth bags with me, no matter where I go. That way, I'm ready if I do any impulse shopping.

I always bring a sealable container with me to restaurants in case I have leftovers.

When I needed to buy a new flashlight, I chose a model that would accept the rechargeable batteries I already owned. The model I had originally planned to buy required batteries of a kind that can't be recharged, and there's no way to buy them except in packages with lots of unnecessary cardboard and plastic. I still feel like an eco-sinner for buying any flashlight, but at least I don't have to buy a package of batteries every few months. Honestly, I was more concerned about the environmental impact of the batteries themselves than I was about their packaging, but the plastic and cardboard packaging were a factor in my decision to avoid new batteries.

***

I think the contest you're holding is great! However, I already own plenty of produce bags so please don't include me in the drawing.