8/9/2019 Plastic Free Challenge : 30 days of tips - Google Docs Plastic-Free Challenge : V.O.S. Selections 30 days of tips Day 1: Nb. 1 & 6 Carry your groceries in big reusable bags. Skip the produce bag and use a cloth bag for nuts, seeds, grains, small fruits and more. Skip the produce bag and use a mesh bag or big cotton bag for vegetables & fruits. Saves thousands of produce bags and shopping bags! You probably already have several bags at home you can use. Mesh and cotton bags can be found at the Container Store (pics below), natural food shops and stores for green living. Day 2: Nb 2 Get a reusable water bottle - 50 billion plastic water bottles were used in 2015 in the U.S. Refill it with tap water (safe to drink and neutral tasting in most places). S’well is great for their plastic-free design, cool colors, insulation, and partnership with the UNICEF to support access to clean water. Klean Canteen as well, B corp and gives back 1% for the planet. Since you’ll use it almost everyday, get one you love! More choices here: https://www.recycling.com/reusable-water-bottles/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ua0KPBBDwWjcurd7pSvZfgMU5uDv44XtY33yq7ex1Pw/edit 1/15 8/9/2019 Plastic Free Challenge : 30 days of tips - Google Docs Day 3: Nb 3 Get a travel mug/coffee thermos (it works for iced coffee and eliminates the need for a straw). Bonus points for picking in store locally (uses less packaging than shipping). Stores like REI in Soho (they have the Hydro Flask on sale), Paragon Sports, Bed Bath & Beyond offer a good selection. Zojirushi is great and totally leak proof, keeps coffee super hot/cold, but hard to find locally. 99.9% of coffee places will accept your cup & fill it up directly (not using an extra cup!). If they don’t, they’re not worth your money. Get a mug you’ll love carrying with you, keep it in your bag. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/travel-products/travel-coffee-mug-reviews/g785/best-travel-coffee-mugs/? slide=1 Day 4: Nb 5. If you’re going to a party, be prepared! bring your own silverware, rolled up in a kitchen towel. Or reusable bamboo cutlery ($10 at REI). bring a tumbler for wine/beer (try the “Cortado” cup from Zoetica, made is the USA by Karen Hoskins from Montanya Rum, or Swell, Hydro Flask, Corkcicle). Or any durable glass that won’t break. Bring your water bottle to refill with tap water through the evening. Skip the straw, or bring a stainless steel one (best durable option). And forgo balloons, including so called “biodegradable”, for more eco-friendly ways to celebrate. https://blog.padi.com/2019/04/24/eco-friendly-alternatives-to-balloon-releases-and-sky-lanterns/ Day 5: Nb 4. Ordering lunch to-go involves a lot of single use plastic and other single use materials. To avoid single use: Best option is bringing your own lunch to work, packed is a reusable container. A stainless steel (lasts forever, easy to recycle if needed), leak proof one is best - works for everything, from salads to sandwiches - Mason jars are good for a smoothie or juice. If you buy a lunch to go, the easiest option is bringing your own container (weigh it first) to a salad bar. Or asking the sandwich or salad place to put your lunch is your own container. Most places will accept, especially if you go a little before or after rush hour. Check the video below for tips. Refuse cutlery, single serving condiments (keep full size at work), napkins (keep a cloth napkin at work, that you wash every week). Don’t forget to bring your reusable bag, or skip the bag. If you forgot your container, a sandwich just wrapped in paper or aluminium is less waste than a salad in a plastic shell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgdNJHzWak0&feature=youtu.be Where to find containers? check Zoetica (ethical all around) and shop locally: the Container Store (practical, but not focused on ethical sourcing, try the Ecolunch box), and for one-stop shops for greener living: Green in Brooklyn (Clinton Hill), the Package Free Shop (Williamsburg). https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ua0KPBBDwWjcurd7pSvZfgMU5uDv44XtY33yq7ex1Pw/edit 2/15 8/9/2019 Plastic Free Challenge : 30 days of tips - Google Docs Day 6: It’s almost the end of week 1! Do you have all you need for next week? Do a quick checklist of what might be missing, or be ready to be creative:) h ttps://youtu.be/V0PC8Mn4yNQ Day 7: Learn more and check “United States of Plastic”, a series of articles from the Guardian. Upset about the plastic crisis? Stop trying so hard. We make good-faith efforts to help the planet by recycling, but what we really need to do is even simpler “the most effective technique for reducing our environmental impact is to produce or consume less. There is no greener packaging than no packaging. No trip is greener than the one we didn’t make. No product is greener than the one we didn’t buy.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/23/upset-about-the-plastic-crisis-stop-trying-so-hard Day 8: Welcome to week 2 of the challenge! We are progressing with more “advanced” plastic-free tips. Cut out sodas, juices, and other plastic-bottled beverages. It eliminates plastic, saves money, and is healthier! Don’t forget to use a stainless steel straw:) Some recipes here for inspiration: https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/best-summertime-lemonade-recipes/ https://www.marthastewart.com/274641/iced-tea-recipes https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ua0KPBBDwWjcurd7pSvZfgMU5uDv44XtY33yq7ex1Pw/edit 3/15 8/9/2019 Plastic Free Challenge : 30 days of tips - Google Docs Day 9: Favor farmer’s markets & coops (4th street coop in E.V. is open to non-members) for unpackaged produce - fruits & veggies also have less stickers and ties around them. Remember to bring your own bags, small and big - if you only have one or two of something, it can go straight into your big bag. For small fruits like berries and cherry tomatoes, use your own container or bag and give the plastic container back to the vendor. Or chose instead the ones coming in cardboard containers, and bring them back to the vendor (they do reuse them). For herbs, salads, and green leaf veggies, just throw them on top of your bag. Bonus points for local (reduces carbon footprint) and seasonal. Now you have a plastic-free, beautiful harvest! Day 10: Pasta, grains, beans, nuts, dry fruits, seeds, cereals, granola, flour, sugar: they all come in bags that create tons of waste - and are not recyclable. The solution? Shop in the bulk section. Remember to bring your cotton bags (no need to weigh them as they are very light) or reusable containers/bottles (weigh them before). Bulk sections available at Whole Foods, some health food stores (LifeThyme and Integral Yoga, both in the West Village), and zero waste shops like Precycle in Bushwick or Plant Base in Jersey City. The 4th street coop in East Village is great for items typically hard to find in bulk: algae, olive oil, maple syrup, herbal teas and more. This week, look for your local bulk store. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ua0KPBBDwWjcurd7pSvZfgMU5uDv44XtY33yq7ex1Pw/edit 4/15 8/9/2019 Plastic Free Challenge : 30 days of tips - Google Docs Day 11: O ne step further, from bulk stations to refill stations! Yesterday’s post mentioned the 4th street coop in East Village, that has both. You can refill bottles or jars (weigh them first) with olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup (though these often come in glass bottles, reusing them is best!) For detergent and dish product, a refill station reduces plastic (reuse the container you already have), but some brands offering refillable do not recycle their own bottles! that’s the case for Common Goods. Making your own detergent (many recipes online) is the best solution. If you’re out of NYC, “ecosia” (the eco-friendly motor search) “refill stations” for your location - Princeton, NJ for example, has Whole Earth Center, which is great. For a large choice of higher ends olive oils, vinegars and salts, head to THE Filling Station at the Chelsea Market: h ttps://www.tfsnyc.com/oils Calculate now how many plastic/glass bottles a year that step will save. Be proud! Day 12: We all love bread, and it’s even better plastic-free! Skip the plastic bag, and the little plastic clip that closes it: Buy your bread at the farmer’s market, or at a bread counter. Even better, bring a cotton bag to avoid a paper bag (why waste a disposable when you have a reusable?) At home, keep the bread in a cotton bag or rolled in a kitchen towel. Day 13: Tonight is movie night! Watch “A Plastic Ocean”, following the adventures of a filmmaker and a world record free-diver: https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Ocean-Craig-Leeson/dp/B01N215LVC https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ua0KPBBDwWjcurd7pSvZfgMU5uDv44XtY33yq7ex1Pw/edit 5/15 8/9/2019 Plastic Free Challenge : 30 days of tips - Google Docs Day 14: A day without tip? Not quite, not quite. On the last day of week 2, “how-to-avoid-cling wrap-in-the-kitchen”? No need to buy any fancy replacement. In most cases you can use what you already have: leave leftovers in bowl, pot or pan, covered with lid. transfer leftovers to a reusable container.