Take it one step at a time!
Sometimes it may feel like you are being told what to do on just about any topic – don't eat this, don’t say that, and don’t use single-use plastic. It may seem impossible to live up to all the demands, but don’t worry, we McSisters feel that way too sometimes. Our goal is to educate and inspire our subscribers, not to make demands or have you feel guilty. We want to empower you to make a commitment to your health, your family’s health, and the health of the planet and assist you in choosing alternatives to plastic whenever you can.
If you have tried to cut out single-use plastic at the grocery store, you know that it is very difficult and so easy to give up or feel discouraged. When I walk into the grocery story I continue to be surprised (I don’t know why – I guess I’m hopeful) by the amount of plastic. It seems that nearly all the aisles in the grocery stores are filled with plastic containers - the condiments, rice, meat, frozen foods, cheese, shampoo, detergent, and on and on. You can barely get a loaf of bread that is not wrapped in plastic.
So, what can we do? What we do is do our best to limit our use of single-use plastic and we try not to beat ourselves up when we do get the food wrapped in plastic. When I shop, I think about and choose the products that are not packaged in plastic. There are many items available in glass or metal containers. Nearly all the condiments are available in glass. You can bring your reusable bags for fruits and vegetables. At some stores the bakery section has bread in paper bags instead of plastic. You can ask the butcher at the meat counter to package your meat in paper, not plastic. You may even consider finding a different store that provides options. I recently began shopping in our local food cooperative more often because most of the produce is not wrapped in plastic and the store provides easily accessible paper bags. I was delighted to find out that Target and Costco are starting to sell some plastic free alternatives, such as Blueland toilet bowl cleaner and Grove Co. plastic free cleaning products. It’s fun to be creative.
What can you do?
Don’t beat yourself up! Just choose one alternative at a time.
Choose a low plastic store.
Plan your outings and shopping experiences. What can I bring that is reusable? A reusable water bottle is an easy place to start and the metal bottles come in so many beautiful colors and designs.
And, what else can you do?
Urge the United States delegation to push for a powerful plastic treaty to reduce production. The Center for Biological Diversity makes it easy using this link:
And here is one more very powerful action:
Write letters using these templates. You just need to add the details! We are listing just one of the many easy to use templates and action plans available at https://www.beyondplastics.org.