Good Bye, Plastic!

At the beginning of 2019, I wanted to educate myself on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Now, I never considered myself to be an environmentalist, but I recently become much more concerned about the effects our behaviors have on the environment, and specifically, our use of plastic.

Wow, plastic is EVERYWHERE. I took for granted how much we rely on plastic. It’s a convenience that we use very thoughtlessly on a daily basis. Bottles, bags, cutlery, packaging, straws. It’s impossible to go an entire day without encountering plastic in our lives. And yet, we barely think about it when we toss it in the trash. Sure, we usually toss those plastic bottles in the blue recycling bin if it’s available. But what about everything else? Where does it all go? Apparently in landfills where they will fester for millennia or our oceans where sea life ingests it or get entangled by it.

I am no expert on this topic. In fact, I’m a total newbie just trying to educate myself on the impacts of our plastic consumption. I won’t even try to explain it myself because I know I could never do justice to this issue. Instead, I will refer you to these articles which are far more substantive, informed, and credible than I could ever be on this topic:

Depressing, anyone? I included the article about sea turtles because I adore sea turtles. They are glorious and majestic creatures and the idea of them ingesting plastic and likely dying from it is absolutely heartbreaking. After reading these articles (and many more), I made a commitment to examine how I am contributing to this problem.

Starting in 2019, I have committed to changing the way I consume plastic. None of these changes are earth-shattering, and quite honestly, they’re pretty obvious. But when it comes to reducing plastic consumption in my daily life, it’s more about commitment and being conscious of the plastic around me. So… here’s what I commit to do to reduce my plastic footprint:

  • Use reusable produce bags while grocery shopping: I live in the SF Bay Area where plastic grocery bags are already banned and most people just bring their own bags. Now, in addition to the big grocery bags, I bring about 5-6 smaller, cotton, mesh bags with me to hold fruits and vegetables!
  • Replace plastic storage bags and plastic wrap by using storage containers: I must confess that I used to LOVE plastic storage bags. I had them in every size possible. They’re so handy and convenient… and terrible for the environment! I realized that I can use a storage container to store that half avocado, marinade meats, or keep that cut-into baguette fresh.
  • Stop using plastic straws: OK, I don’t really ever need to use a straw. I am perfectly capable of drinking from the rim of a cup. If I ever do feel compelled to start using straws on a regular basis, there are plenty of reusable straw options!
  • Say no to plastic cutlery: When my daughter was younger, I carried around a small set of utensils for her little hands to use. Now, I just carry a set of regular-sized utensils for my bigger hands to use.
  • Remember to bring re-fillable water bottles: I have a large and growing collection of re-fillable water bottles. I don’t have much reason to buy water in a plastic bottle if I just remember to pack my water bottle with me. Plus, I tend to drink more water if it’s in one of my favorite water bottles. My personal favorite: S’well Bottles.

Unlike so many personal goals that we have, changing the way we deal with our plastic consumption is not hard. But, I think we are so used to doing things in a certain way that we are operating in cruise control. Just like it’s the norm now to separate recycling from trash or to bring a grocery bag to the store, I hope these plastic-reducing actions will just become part of our new normal. And I hope it will also increase my chances of seeing more sea turtles in the wild.