2019 Challenge – Clearing My Kitchen of Plastic

Yep, for 2019 I am making a concerted effort to clear my kitchen of plastic! Plastic! Yikes – this stuff is bad, bad for our environment and at TOB I aim to make a difference in my plastic usage this year.  Even my man, Dan is onboard – in fact he spearheaded the idea.  We were having a convo with respect to what we could do differently in our lives this year.  Of course you know the usual suspects, loose weight, exercise more, show more gratitude……Interestingly none of those ideas were discussed during our discussion.

Greenpeace together with the #breakfreefromplastic coalition conduct a beach cleanup activity and brand audit on Freedom Island, Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The activity aims to name the brands most responsible for the plastic pollution happening in our oceans.
A banner reads “Polluted by Single-use Plastic”.
Freedom island is an ecotourism area which contains a mangrove forest and swamps providing a habitat for many migratory bird species from different countries such as China, Japan and Siberia.

When I asked him what he was considering or reflecting on during a long walk through the Guilford Military Park, one of our fav places to get outdoors and be in nature, the first thing out of his mouth was, “pay off credit cards”.  That’s a good one – we did this once before and will bring them down to zero balances before the end of 2019.  His next comment was ” get rid of plastic”!  We had recently seen a news story about how severely plastics are affecting our environment and truthfully it broke our hearts and made us sick.  I immediately concurred with both of his comments.

Will doing away with plastic be easy?  I doubt it.  Do I think if every household in the USA made some effort or steps towards eliminating plastic from their homes we could make a difference?  Dang right I do.  Here is how we are beginning the process.

1. No more Zip-Lock baggies for leftovers or lunch boxes.
2. No more grabbing plastic bags in the produce section of our grocery stores.  I am looking for the best reusable produce bags to carry along on shopping trips.  Anyone have a tried and true one?
3. No more plastic straws – ever!
4. Never use plastic bags in any store – always carry the reusable ones.  We have been doing this for a few years now.  I simply keep a bag of reusable bags in all of our cars and remember to carry them in and use them.  If I find myself inside without my bags it’s a walk back to the car to grab them – I look at it as added steps for the day and good for me and the environment.
5. No plastic utensils when hiking or picnicking.  No plastic cups, plates or bowls.  This is another area where we’ve been on board for quite some time.
6. No one-time use water bottles.  I will use my stainless or glass bottles on a daily basis and when traveling!  This ought to save money at the airport on those one-time use water bottles we all grab once we’ve cleared security.

The bigger challenge comes when purchasing products that are over-packaged with plastic. I will be more cognizant of those types of purchases and access the need before purchasing. I will try my best to avoid these but when I cannot I will dispose of the plastic packaging by recycling.

The challenge is real for me but the challenge is substantially bigger for the environment I love so much. Our oceans, rivers, wildlife, sea life, forests, mountain trails and even the city I live in.  My man, Dan and I will be doing our part – consciously – what will you do?