..the theory of small changes making a difference I have managed to tweak a couple of things we do today. I was flipping through a book which was discussing plastic bags, particularly how a Minke Whale had been found on a Scottish beach with 800kg of plastic bags in its stomach!
I know plastic bags are bad, I've known for a while, I've seen alternative reusable bags in the stores, and I've even seen people bring in their old plastic bags and reuse them. I however have never bothered, why? To be honest I don't know why, laziness, ignorance, head in the sand kind of mentality I guess. It comes back to the old 'what's one person using plastic bags going to do?' This is the exact attitude and way of thinking I am determined to change in myself.
I drove for the first time in over a week today, it felt weird and I dare say I didn't enjoy it. I have been walking everywhere but today was grocery day so I bit the bullet and got into the car. I made it a greener journey by planning my trip, figuring exactly where I was going and went there, and then straight home.
I struggled a little with the spending today, I wasn't having a good day at all, I'm tired, a tad run down and all in all not in the best mood. The snacks screamed at me through the shops, it was even tempting to go browse the clothing store. The checkout belt looked strange with its lack of 'treats' like juice or crackers. It even felt odd to inform the check out lady that the apple Lila was eating was from home and not some food I had grabbed for her from the shops whilst there. I did manage though, I survived a horrid day without buying anything but the bare essentials.
I also want to look into home-made sandwich cloth wraps. I've seen a few patterns around and they look like a wonderful alternative to aluminium foil or cling wrap. In the meantime we have stopped purchasing cling wrap all together and found suitable containers around the home for Luke's lunches and left over food storage.
I plan on making the dish washing liquid tomorrow in the hope that by doing so not only will it be better for the environment but better for my poor skin! It's not pretty, it has gotten so bad my knuckles have even bled from bending my fingers. I have taken a before picture as I hope and am curious to see whether making my own detergent, free from chemicals, will improve the situation.
After a hard day, and although I was tired, I couldn't help but smile carrying my new re-usable cloth bags into the kitchen. The absence of rustling plastic bags made for a lovely moment...
Hi Michele! Loving your blog! SA banned plastic shopping bags a couple of years ago, and you eventually get used to always taking your own bags to the shops. I have some that roll into small balls and I keep 3 in my handbag all the time for the times I forget my normal green bags. Your first week is almost over - keep it up! xx
ReplyDeletepretty much the only time cling wrap gets used in our house, is when someone else comes over and uses it! i have tupperware sandwich containers, reheatable meal containers, small and large containers for any leftovers or freezeable items.
ReplyDeleteand i love it - my freezer is so much more organised too with all those containers.
the main problem is that i have no idea what's in my fridge coz i can't see through a lot of the containers. whoops.
Hi Sarah! I didnt realise SA had those restrictions in place! That's really cool :)
ReplyDeleteBethanie - I hear you on the fridge full of containers! So worth it though right :)