Sustainability Struggles

As part of our #sustainablestephs campaign during the month of Plastic Free July, Steph and I are talking about where we still struggle today and asking for recommendations if you have any. I've made a lot of changes over the past five years. Things I thought I could never change I have, and realized after my feelings of can't/impossible were rooted in laziness and lack of discipline. I have a long way to go to get to any type of zero waste situation but I'm feeling good about the things I do use regularly being reusable and dropping all single use plastics.

Food packaging. Many of my current struggles lie in how things I buy are packaged. So much unnecessary plastic, my God. I do not just complain about this to myself and the internet - I write to companies about their packaging. I'm hoping other people are doing that too so they might consider alternatives. So, anyone local to Northeast Philly/lower Bucks, do you buy from any stores that have bulk containers of food where you can fill your own?

Take out containers. I don't eat out often, but when I do I mean to bring my own tupperware to put leftovers in and always forget.

Plastic wrap alternative. I am still looking for a good alternative to plastic wrap that is NOT Bees Wrap. Yes I have it and have for years, it is not working for the one thing I still have plastic wrap for - breakfast burritos. I make, wrap, freeze. Does anyone have an alternative that might work?

Vitamin Water. I need to hunt down a recipe to make the Refresh one at home because it only comes in plastic bottles and I'm not doing it.

What about you? Where are you struggling in your quest for sustainability?

Thursday Thoughts: Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do

1. What is personal space?

2. Should we talk about the weather? Or just roast silently? Unless you're in my house, in which case you need blankets once MFD gets in front of the thermostat.

3. The kind people at Maple Holistics sent me their Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo to try in mid-June. You know I never report back on things until I've had them in circulation for at least a month. I like this one as much as I like the tea tree shampoo, and I used the ACV with the tea tree conditioner. The apple cider vinegar shampoo is of course free of sulfates and parabens and is great for color treated hair - it does a great job of clarifying without stripping your head of color. My hair and scalp feel super clean post-wash. And one of my favorite things about this company is their recycling program - for every six empty bottles you return by mail, you get a free shampoo or they make a donation to the environmentally friendly charity of your choice. The returned bottles are chipped, melted down, and re-formulated into new bottles for their products. This.is.how.you.do.it, beauty companies. Come on. Get with this.

4. Steph and I will post about ways we're struggling with sustainability on Wednesday, 7/24, and how we did overall for Plastic Free July on Wednesday, 7/31. If you post about those things on Instagram, use the hashtag #sustainablestephs and tag us! Steph is here and I'm here.

5. I love seeing a Mural Arts project in progress in Suburban Station.

6. Love this sticker I saw yesterday while running an errand at lunch.

7. I've gone back to using old school blue tub Noxema on my face a few nights a week. I slather it on and let it mostly sink in for 15 minutes before rubbing it in and washing the remaining off. Bruce and Ben are so confused when it's on.

8. The demonization of brown people by this administration and the lengths that GOP congresspeople will go to avoid it and regular citizens will go to ignore or excuse it is fucking vile. Go back to your own country...said by a President of the United States, to members of Congress with the implication that it trickles down...while trump holds a rally and American citizens high on hate and what they have been told is righteousness chant send her back. It is so fucking fascist I have no idea how Congress is standing for it and the American people are not alarmed by it. Ugly and un-American too.

9. Reminder:

10. Ecards:

What appears after the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts is a song lyric to whatever I'm listening to when I start to write the post. This week is Space Oddity by David Bowie

A Day in the Life trying to be free of single-use plastic

Steph and I are joining in on Plastic-Free July and I hope you are in some way as well, whether you're going whole hog or just making one small change in your life. If you haven't joined in and want to, please do - it is never too late to make a small change that makes the world a little less wasteful. We decided to share Day in the Life posts. Mine is coming at you from vacation, where I'm out of my routine and away from a lot of my things that make it easier to not be so throw away. I did bring some of them with me, as you'll see below. If you are sharing a Day in the Life blog post with this sustainable bent or are sharing your day on your Instagram account, please let me know so I can check it out.

After sunrise on the beach, I take a bike ride, Swell bottle in tow. I go nowhere without water including down the street to my grocery store at home. I'd like to get some coffee on the ride but I forgot my reusable cup so I nix it.

Speaking of grocery store runs, Debbie and I had to make a little run. My reusable bags are always in my trunk so that was no thing. While we were in Food Lion, an announcement came over the store PA system about using reusable bags because they are a coastal community that cares. Check and check. Now can we get supermarkets to stop overusing plastic? Does every piece of fruit need a sticker? Packaging in general...don't get me started.

I did buy a drink at the store. When I buy drinks, I try to buy them in cans or glass bottles, which really cuts down the options, but I'm at the point where I feel so fucking wasteful with a single use plastic bottle that I end up not enjoying it so if I do buy it, in addition to a waste of resources it feels like a waste of money too since guilt ruins it. My standard beach setup is a full Swell bottle of water and a 30 oz faux yeti with ice and a metal straw.

We ran out to get a few things in two stores and I didn't bring a reusable bag with me so I just carried my stuff out. Debbie did the same.

I am super proud of my family this week. Not one freaking single use plastic water bottle in the house all week (there were some red solo cups). Debbie brought metal straws for everyone and those were used too.

We used and washed the reusable sandwich bags I brought with me - these were six for $12 and they are seriously great. You wash them and dry them upside down over a cup. Easy and a great replacement for ziplocs. Perfect to tote sandwiches and snacks to the beach and they seal well and easily.

 My brother delivered my drink to the beach in glass. 

Carol brought tupperware and tins with her that we washed and re-used, and it's a good thing, because the house lacked that. That was our biggest obstacle this week - we ended up using a lot of tin foil because there was no tupperware and a lack of dishes in general. 

I wasn't sure how I'd do this week - I'm a little looser out of my routine than I am at home, but I remained conscious of what I was using and I'm pleased. 

I want you to commit to participating in Plastic Free July

Happy Tuesday! Coming in hot and late five days before Plastic Free July.

As you know I am committed to my journey of reducing single use plastics and living more sustainably in general (see Discipline Over Convenience, Weaning Myself off Fast Fashion, and Sustainable Switches to start). Steph at Not Entirely Perfect is as well. Please check out her post today.

I am asking every single damn person in my life - that includes you - to commit to doing something for Plastic Free July, whether that's absolutely no single use plastics or making one small change or somewhere in between. Please. Commit to participating in some way that requires you to make a change to how you are operating in your life right now.

And if I can be so bold, if you are struggling with which change to make, might I suggest two easy switches: giving up single use plastic water bottles and single use coffee cups? Every person I know can do this and already has the tools to replace those things in their homes. If you have a water problem, how about a Brita or at least a gallon jug of water in lieu of the single use plastics?

For Plastic Free July, we're planning a number of things and would love if you'd join us, whether you blog or not:
1 - Sometime in the first two weeks of July, post a day in the life post on your blog or a series of photos on your Instagram account specifically focused on what you're doing to reduce single-use plastics or ways you're struggling/when you forget.

2 - Help! Looking for alternatives to...(insert single use plastic item here). In the third week of July, post on your blog or Instagram asking for alternatives to whatever you're looking to replace.

3 - How we did. In the last week of July, post on your blog or Instagram sharing how you did on whatever you chose to change in Plastic Free July and hopefully report in that you have made this change permanently. Last year I started taking a reusable coffee cup when I bought coffee out and never looked back. I can't believe it took me that long to make that change. If you want to buy the single use cup from Starbucks so it's instagrammable, I'm calling bullshit on that.

If bloggers are interested, we're happy to do link ups, so let one of us know.

On Instagram I am here and Steph is here, and we're going to use the hashtag #sustainablestephs and ask that you do the same and tag us in your posts. We're going to do a Swell bottle giveaway and I think Betsy is kicking in some metal straws too.

What do you think? Are you in? Can you commit to making a small change to reduce your single use plastic use?

Sustainable Switches

Last week (the week before? I don't know) I asked if people would be interested in the actual products I use at home that are more sustainable/less waste. People said yes and here we are. Amazon links are affiliate links - I earn pennies if you buy through them, it costs you nothing, and it goes to keeping this site running.

Disclaimer - this is stuff I use in replacement of things that are single use (mostly plastic or paper products) - but to live more sustainably, you don't have to buy a lot. We throw out jars food come in every day and they can be used for so many other things! Think about what you want to improve in your waste making, and change a little at a time. If you feel the need to buy something, first look and see if you have anything that would work in its place. 

This also goes beyond what you own and use to what you consume and the trash you are personally responsible for creating. Yes, things can be recycled, but we should be in the mind of reducing as well. Reducing even the amount of waste you that can be recycled. Before I buy anything I think about the packaging. Convenience has spoiled us. I need to be filling and bringing my own water bottle, not buying a plastic one with a plastic lid, neither of which decompose. We need to be asking supermarkets why they are wrapping bananas in styrofoam and plastic to sell when bananas are self contained. I also think a lot like is this a need or a convenience? Mostly a convenience and lack of preparation.

Reusable bags instead of plastic bags. I do not take plastic bags anymore, period. I have my own bag or I carry whatever I got out and if I'm not self bagging I say right away, "I don't need a bag." There is no need to take a plastic bag. I keep mine in the trunk and if I forget them in the trunk I march out and get them. If I forget them at home I go to the store another day or carry everything out by hand or cart. I don't like the grocery store bags because they split along the seams quickly but will use them in a pinch. I got this foldup box bag, I forget where. I have two green ones from a Food Lion in the south too and I love them. I also love canvas bags because they're sturdy and easy to clean, I just throw them in the wash. 

Mesh produce bags instead of thin plastic store bags. I have these Flip and Tumble bags. If I forget them, I don't bag my produce or I get it at another time. I also use these as shell collectors and to hold my face cloths. They're machine washable. 

Stainless steel cups instead of getting the logo single use plastic cup. I don't do the Yeti. I use Members Mark brand and they keep things cold almost as long as the Yeti - ice lasts overnight, etc. You can get them on Amazon ranging from $19-30 for a two pack of the 30 oz cups depending on the color. I haven't seen them in Sam's in a while but then again I haven't looked. They are probably cheaper in store. I've been using the same four for years. I mainly use the 30 ounces because a large iced coffee fits in there. I take these (clean, come on now) to every coffee shop and ask them to fill it with my order. If for some reason you ever want to get rid of them, you can google stainless steel recycling and drop them off somewhere. 

Stainless steel straws instead of single use plastic straws. I use these longer ones or these shorter ones because they're rainbow and who doesn't like rainbows? I loathe paper straws. Glass straws rock too, I have one from here that I got as a gift. I am not for banning plastic straws, some people with disabilities need those. I am for those of us who don't need them refusing them and bringing our own. When the demand is less, less will be produced, and they will be used as they should - by people who need them. 

Stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic bottles. We have two big Swell bottles and I have two little ones as well as some I don't know what brand they are little ones. You can get the Swell brand on Amazon, Nordstrom, lots o'places. I cart these to the beach and they keep my drinks cold as long as I'm there. They take a licking and keep on ticking. I don't ever leave home without one, even to go to the grocery store. I'm deathly afraid of being thirsty and having no water. I must have died crawling across a desert in another life. 

Huge recyclable water gallons instead of single water bottles - If you can't drink your tap water and don't have a filter on your faucet, think about a water cooler with those big ass recyclable jugs (we have one at the shore). If that's out of your price range (they're about $150 for the cooler), what about the gallon jugs of water instead of the single plastic cases of little bottles with all the little caps, none of which break down?

Utensils in a pack instead of single use plastic utensils. I throw a pack in my bag for use on the beach. We carry everything else in our bags, why not a little pouch? I always say no thanks to single use plastic utensils. I have a bamboo set and a stainless steel set.

Reusable food storage bags instead of ziplocs - I use these full circle gallon bags or stasher silicone bags in smaller sizes when I need a good seal on something (chips, sandwiches, etc). You don't need a lot of them because you're going to wash and reuse. I have two of the gallon size and two of the quart size. I still have a box of ziplocs and I re-wash those too LOL. 

Reusable bags instead of paper gift bags - Functional like an extra little gift and beyond single use. I got a green and red set to use last Christmas. 

Boie body scrubbers and toothbrush instead of loofahs and nylon bristle brushes - I checked these out for a full six months before I bought them. Full disclosure I hate using washcloths on my body. Face fine, body no. The body scrubber is great: lathers well, exfoliating, BPA-free, antimicrobial, lasts about six months, and when you're finished it's fully recyclable. The toothbrush is also BPA-free, antimicrobial, lasts about six months, and when you're finished it's fully recyclable. The head lasts twice as long as a typical nylon bristle brush and you can buy replacements. I thought it would feel weird, but it doesn't. I switched from a bamboo recyclable toothbrush but I had to pull the bristles out and it was a mess. The toothbrush body is recycling code 5, and the scrubber and toothbrush head are recycling code 7. If your recycling system does not support that, you can send them back and they will recycle them. Both products are made in the USA.

Flannel face cloths instead of makeup wipes or cotton balls - Imagine if you had to discard your single use makeup wipe onto a pile and keep them in your house and live with them for many years. Would you still use them once and throw them out then? No need. What did women do for hundreds of years without makeup wipes? Take their damn makeup off without so much freaking waste. I buy these flannel cloths from Etsy. They sell versions on Amazon. You can make them out of things you have. I don't buy makeup wipes, cotton balls, etc. I use these or washcloths and they just get washed with the towels. 

Cloth napkins, dishcloths, + Swedish dishcloths instead of paper napkins and paper towels and counter wipes - To wipe counters and clean: washcloths. To mop up spills: towels or swedish dishcloths - they are machine washable (that's where mine are so you get the stock pic), compostable biodegradable, super absorbent. They're sort of magic in a mundane household way.. Napkins: washable cloth over paper, I buy on the cheap at Marshalls and they last an eternity. Why throw out what you can wash? 

Try to revive instead of buying new - I always try to save something before getting rid of it. I just repainted our night tables in our room. I was going to get lighter ones and then was like WTF paint the ones you have you lazy, frivolous ass. So I did. The rolling cart at the shore rusted so I cleaned it, painted it with Rustoleum, put a sealer on it, and it'll last a little longer. I think we're conditioned today to buy new new new. And some things definitely need replacing, but I always try to save something or reuse it elsewhere first. I also shop for a lot of wood furniture second hand. 

Big-ticket change wise, at the shore we have a tankless water heater, and I love that it conserves energy without me even thinking about it. We have a while before ours goes here, but I'm already doing research on brands thanks to articles like these. I want solar paneled everything too so the next home we buy will definitely be keeping that in mind. And I'm hoping electric cars are more of a thing in the near future. 

When I am out in stores, particularly where you get food, I always let them know I appreciate if they use recyclable materials or encourage you to bring your own cup or food transport container. Feedback is important. Let's let the businesses we patronize know we're interested in less waste. 

The above is about what I can think of swap-wise, I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff because the beauty is once you make a change that is less wasteful, it is so seamless that you forget that you used to throw more shit out. I've made small changes over the years and they've added up to a lot less waste. I'm always looking for ways to do more though and I love when people share how they live daily with less waste on blogs, instagram, in facebook posts, etc. It's inspiring and it gets me thinking about other ways I can cut down on waste. So if that's you, share! Please! 

Oh! And I am finally going to start composting. People who do it, I am looking for a composter that has a turner but I don't want it to be huge and I don't want to go poor buying it. Does anyone have any recommendations? 

Discipline over convenience

I don't need plastic grocery bags from the store. I remember reusable bags or I carry stuff out by hand. 

I don't need to take the straw that is given to me, I say thanks no straw and go without or use my own stainless steel straw.

I don’t need a single use coffee cup with a logo on it, I bring my own clean refillable cup and hand it to them when I order. I’ve never had anyone refuse to fill it and if I did I’d be finding a new coffee shop to patronize.

I don't need individual plastic water bottles. I bring a reusable one everywhere. 

I don't need to eat off of paper plates at home. I wash dishes. 

I don't need to take single use plastic utensils, I say thanks, no utensils because I carry a little reusable pack in my bag. 

There is privilege wrapped up in each of these, but most people reading here can afford the reusable bottle, bag, straw, and utensils and most of us have access to clean tap or filtered water. Not using any of the above mentioned single use items is not a sacrifice and it’s not difficult. It's being mindful of creating less trash.

Our desire to never be inconvenienced or have to think ahead is contributing to the pollution of the planet. If you use a set of throw away silverware every day and everyone else does too, where do you think the fork + knife wrapped in plastic x 365 days goes? It doesn't break down. And that’s just your trash from one encounter of single use plastic, no one else’s. 

For most of us, there is absolutely zero reason for the use of single use anything. Single use items place our individual desire for convenience over the collective need for a livable planet. When we lack discipline about what we eat or drink or how little we exercise or almost anything else, that impacts us and very few other people. When we assert our right to make as much trash as we want to, we impact the world at large. 

Because at the end of the day, that’s what we’re doing when we push back against more sustainable living or forget or make excuses about why we need the throw away item  - we are asserting our right to use something once and throw it away. We are essentially demanding to be able to make more trash. Do we realize how ridiculous that is? Most of us hate trash: it smells, litter is terrible, we don’t want to take it out...yet we excuse ourselves into being able to create as much of it as we want because it’s more convenient to use something and throw it away. That’s wild.

I'm not perfect in regards to sustainability. I never have been and I never will be. I used to excuse myself, which allowed me to act like I felt so bad while still allowing myself to be comfortable and avoid inconvenience. Oh, I forgot my bag! I hate to do it, but I'll just take the bag one time. Nope. Now if I forget the bag, I carry it out by hand or I don't go to the store. If I forget the reusable coffee cup, I don’t buy coffee out. There are consequences to actions, and we shouldn’t be letting ourselves off the hook at the expense of the planet. I got sick of my own shit so I stopped making excuses for myself. I wasn’t doing my best and it was time to stop telling myself I was. Seeing all the plastic trash washing in from the ocean every weekend for more than eight months out of the year has sent me to a more militant place on single use plastics. 

Is this coming off as preachy? I used to try to avoid doing that when discussing living more sustainably, but at this point I seriously don't give a fuck. We all know how much plastic waste is being generated. Have we not seen photos of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Are we ignoring that fish are swallowing microplastics so they're now in our food chain? At what point will we stop excusing ourselves from our part in consumption and actually stop consuming so mindlessly? And yes, I know corporations should clean their shit up before people, but we have to do something, and we should be pushing corporations to be better ecological citizens as well. If we stop taking the bags and the straws and the utensils, they’ll eventually stop making them. 

Before everything was takeaway food, people did eat and survive without all the packaging that makes our to go world run today. There are ways around mindlessly taking what we’re given. Living a life less throw away requires mindfulness and discipline. 

Is it convenient? Not always. But it’s worth it. 

Weaning myself off of fast fashion

Since last fall, my brain's been swirling around the concept of consumption in different areas of my life. Sometimes when I'm mulling over things in my head figuring out a new way forward, I don't write about them or feel the urge to write about anything, because I'm busy thinking. But I always reach a point where I'm just spinning my wheels in there because no thoughts are leaving my head, so I'll just pick a point and start.

Fast fashion - inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass market retailers in response to the latest trends - is contributing to a huge environmental problem of too much shit with nowhere for it to go (read more on that here, article is old but the cycle of clothes is still relevant). I pride myself on being pretty environmentally friendly in my home, but when I started following Aja Barber on Instagram last year, I realized a huge part of my identity as a consumer was wasteful as fuck: my clothes buying.

I wanted to learn more, so I subscribed to Aja's Patreon (if sustainable, ethical fashion or anti-racism work interests you, you are missing out if you have an extra $5 or $10 a month and are not following her work - knowledge is power and we must be willing to pay our teachers). So much of the work she's doing in writing about sustainable fashion struck a chord in me every time I read a piece of hers. I started really examining my habits clothes-wise and was absolutely disgusted with myself. I have been way too flippant with the privilege of purchasing. I was embarrassed that I was coming to this so late in life and had barely thought about my footprint in regards to clothes up until now.

Also inspired by Aja's commentary, I started thinking about the changes I could make or at least work towards making: investing in clothes that are going to last - clothes that are going to be easier on the planet, clothes that allow the workers making them to bring home a livable wage and not $1 a day in a shitty unsafe factory. This is not to say that all cheaper clothes don't last - I have sweaters from Old Navy that are eight years old - but in general, I had been cycling through a lot of stuff, quickly. For no reason. How many $5 t-shirts have I bought on a whim and gotten rid of in under two years that are now in a landfill somewhere, and two years later the woman who made them is still in that shitty unsafe factory making nothing in terrible conditions while I just buy more shit?

In the blogging world alone, how many times are we urged to buy buy buy? Everywhere, constantly. I'm not one to post my outfits because I am quite far from a fashion lady, but I swear I'm going to start calling out how old things I'm wearing are when I remember to. For the health of the planet and our wallets, I want keeping things to be cooler than the allure of shiny new things we don't need and won't still own two years from now. I don't begrudge one person making money off of affiliate links because we've all got to eat, but when you have to keep buying new to show new, it's a vicious cycle of waste. How much new shit are we buying that we don't need? How many resources are we consuming? How much money are we wasting? Why are we doing this?

As my stuff wears out, I'll be looking to make purchases more in line with my views on environmental sustainability, ethics, representation, the liberation of all women being bound up together, and all workers all over the world making a living wage. I want to know how a company who is producing my clothes operates before I buy from them. I can't be pro-conservation and equal opportunity for women - especially representation of marginalized black/indigenous/women of color in all industries - and continue to consume clothing the way I've been consuming clothing. The head and the actions are not lining up in my clothing life and that's a problem for me now. The fact that it hasn't been up until now is straight white privilege.

I'm late to the game on ethical fashion, way late. So I'm trying to catch up and learn. Instagram has been great for following a lot of people having conversations about ethical, sustainable fashion, and I'm doing a hell of a lot of listening and not talking in those spaces. I'm talking here after ruminating on it for a few months, because if you're out there considering being more sustainable and ethical in what you wear and consume, I want you to know I'm doing the same. Or maybe you haven't thought about it, but you're thinking about it now. Maybe you don't know where to start, like I didn't. Along with Aja I'm following BuyfromBIPOC on Instagram, which highlights BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) makers with a focus on slow, ethical, and sustainable fashion. I've started reading the Clothed in Abundance blog. Following Dominque Drakeford. Keila Leist.  Little Koto's Closet. There are a lot of BIPOC women out there who have been leading this for years and I am getting in line behind them and learning as much as I can.

Will I refuse to buy something from Old Navy again? No. My relationship with retail isn't going to end overnight, and I don't have a wallet wide enough to invest in higher priced items all the time. That's why the title of this post is weaning myself, not ridding myself. I am typically an all or nothing person when I look to change something, but making some small changes in what, why, when, and from where I buy will make a huge difference in my impact on the environment as well as my mindset on consumption. I've got to start somewhere with textile waste. We all do if we want a planet that will remain.

Thursday Thoughts - Little angels hang above my head and read me like an open book

1. Happiness is a drawer full of fruit.

2. Happiness is dogs in the sun.

3. Happiness is justice, albeit late and with conditions that should not apply..

4. Happiness is feeling represented by women who did not come to play. Happiness is also street art (by Hystericalmen, 5th & Bainbridge in Philly).

5. Happiness is getting back to some technical writing about travel - I've almost forgotten how to write about something I don't know much about, haven't experienced personally, or don't feel deeply about.

6. Happiness is washing and reusing flannel pieces instead of throwing out single use face wipes and cotton balls.

7. Happiness is another weekend of no plans, but definite plans to see my niece and nephew tonight.

8. Happiness is being open to possibility instead of saying no outright to things we have told ourselves can't be done or convinced ourselves must wait.

9.  Happiness is reminding each other that we should not surrender all joy for an idea we used to have about ourselves that just isn't true anymore.

10. Happiness is all lounge attire, all the time.

What's your happiness this week, big, small, or in between?

What appears after the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts is a song lyric to whatever I'm listening to when I start to write the post. This week is Angels of the Silences by Counting Crows.