I recently talked about Imperfect Produce, but reducing my environmental impact has been really important to me since I moved to the Pacific NorthWest. I came from a company/apartment complex that didn't recycle, I went through many, many bottles of water/gatorade/tea, and I never was aware of other ways to help the environment. I think the only environmentally friendly thing I knew to do was recycle paper and plastic bottles... which my parents do, and I didn't unless I was with them, drive a car with decent mileage (outside of tesla or hybrids, smart cars just aren't that cool where I'm from... sorry) , and try to use a reusable bottle.
My last company had no recycling bins, styrofoam cups galore, plastic straws and plastic utensils galore, and no charging stations for any hybrid/electric cars. You can bet my current job has in 2018, gone plastic free. We have all wooden utensils so I keep a metal set in my drawer that I wash every meal. Reusable cups/bottles are encouraged (HELLO I DEVELOP A SHIT TON EVERY SEASON IN ALL STORES, BUY THEM), and sorted recycling and compost bins! Sometimes you spend more time at work than at home, so being around just a sustainable practice, it makes you aware and it really rubs off. It's really a PNW culture thing, but I will adopt it. In the city, plastic bags are illegal and its common to get paper bags for everything which is so perfect if you are extra like me. You can actually recycle plastic bags if you do have any here. What other ways can you recycle or impact the environment?
Did you know that 850 million toothbrushes are thrown away every year IN THE UNITED STATES ALONE? None of a toothbrush is biodegradable and if we burn them it releases a toxic gas. Lucky for us, amazon (my go-to in this small/expensive city) sells packs of bamboo toothbrushes. It is an affordable chic alternative and due to the sustainability of bamboo deforestation is not a concern.
This is something I am about to start using. SC Johnson the owner of ziplock is getting closer to making ziplock bags recyclable, but until then, they make reusable ziplock bags. I might be a freak by how many of these I use, but I typically meal prep my own portions from larger containers or packages and upfront I am being impactful without the "extra packaging" but I am creating another problem with all my ziplock bags.
Straws. Disney recently banned plastic straws which is so amazing. Straws are totally fine but single use plastic ones are such a waste. They do make grab and go drinks a million times easier but for at home smoothies, etc, a metal one or reusable plastic is the way to go. Sadly most of this trash ends up in the ocean, it takes hundreds or thousands of years to fully breakdown naturally, and animals eat them thinking its food. It is disgusting to see whales and birds with stomachs full of plastic.
Go paperless! Mail, books, and magazines. Mail is easy to recycle, I know you can call and tell them to stop sending you things but lets be real sometimes that's harder to do. Magazines and books are so easy to collect with the kindle app. Its a bit of a change, and I do buy some books because aesthetically I like having them, but sometimes it's just better to have the kindle version. When I am done with magazines if I haven't created a vision board or anything I will recycle them.
That's it. Its pretty short and sweet. These are a few things that I am doing so far. I also have been trying Imperfect produce all month. Look out next week for my thoughts on how that food delivery service has been and if I will keep doing it.
Have you heard of imperfect produce before? Well, stay tuned!
LOVE, MARA
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