Here's today's challenges:
Avoid buying products that have lots of packaging. About a third of the waste we generate is from packaging to get items to our homes. Choose loose products and buy refillable containers when possible (food co-ops and health food stores usually offer these options.)
Until tomorrow ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!
This is a VIP task for everyone! Not just recyclable, but FREE OF packaging is *so* important. I will make one correction though, it's not just co-ops and healthfood stores that sell loose/refillable (i.e. bulk). Whole Foods, Fred Meyer (Kroger), WinCo, and other giant grocers have bulk aisles to get your dry goods in, and not only is it better environmentally, but often half to 75% cheaper(I'll never buy spice out of a jar again!).
ReplyDeleteMy challenge personally is learning to live without some products that one just can't find in non-plastic - i.e., cottage cheese and yogurt. for now, i'm treating plastic packaged items as 'exotics' - same thing i do with tropical fruit like bananas that are shipped thousands of miles for our convenience.
Again, buying in bulk really reduces the amount of packaging we bring into the house which reduces the number of trash bags we take to the landfill. We also keep small containers for cleaning liquid and detergent and buy the larger bottles when needed. This limits the amount of bottles we throw away and also saves money because the larger bottles last much longer.
ReplyDeleteThis reminded me how much I like buying my oatmeal in bulk, and then at home storing it in the traditional cardboard Quaker Oats boxes: Nothing Is Better For Thee!
ReplyDeleteEcoGirl - have you tried to make your own yogurt? I haven't yet, but I'm interested in it. I know I've seen several very positive reviews for a yogurt making machine..but haven't looked into the cost of it yet. It would still allow you to have yogurt regularly without the waste of plastic etc. of course, after the initial purchase of the machine.
ReplyDeleteI've got mine up on my blog. I try to buy all my trail mix items in bulk, my lettuce and fresh fruit/veggies loose too. I plan to get sugar and flour in the bulk area as soon as I need more and I'm going to try the peanut butter machine at Whole Foods soon.
http://outwardlypleasant.blogspot.com/2011/03/change-world-wednesday-daily-challenge.html
After living on the third floor of an apartment complex I found that I looked hard at the packaging when purchasing items. I also took all boxes and tore them apart to make less bulk in the bags. Milk jugs and other plastic items can be squashed to fit more in. I even stomped on cans to flatten them as much as I could. (Don't do this on your nice kitchen floor but on concrete or brickwork.)
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I try are hardest to stay away from too much packaging, especially plastic packaging.
ReplyDeleteWe definitely love the bulk area in any grocery store. I started making my own cloth bulk and produce bags. They were so easy! So far, I am loving the cloth bags....making them and using them. Check out my tutorial here...http://peacefulmamma.blogspot.com/2011/03/reusable-produce-bulk-bags-and-beauty.html
I am loving the daily ideas. Thank you!
Alyson @ www.peacefulmamma.blogspot.com
I agree. And buying in bulk has other advantages aside from eliminating packaging waste. My friends and I have organized ourselves into a group so we can buy in bulk and split the cost. This saves us money, storage and time, while significantly reducing packaging waste. Since we use an online tool called SplitStuff (http://splitstuff.com), it's super easy to organize and communicate with group members. This also works best for smaller families for whom bulk buying without splitting maybe too costly and space consuming.
ReplyDelete