Missouri Botanical Garden Staff and Volunteers

I love this challenge! I will continue to minimize using plastic wraps and water bottles and maximize reusable containers.

What I have noticed is that women's razors cost more than men's  razor. As far as disposable razors, I think it was a matter of convenience for travel but now it's just a way to sell more expensive products.

This was extremely hard. I had no idea how much I used single use plastics. I have been trying to watch what I buy now.

I wanted to see what I could learn about different things. I love gardening and using fresh produce. It was very had to avoid some plastic things as we are in the middle of remodeling our kitchen and have been using paper plates, etc. We decide to just use our everyday flatware instead of plastic forks, etc. A bit more work. 

Eating out with whole group on family visit made it hard to impossible to avoid some plastic: a water bottle, straws already in drinks, plastic drink containers.

I started looking at deodorants and other products when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I now look for more natural products with fewer chemicals. I have also been doing more research in making my own personal products.

Just wrote a Facebook message to a chain restaurant in St. Louis to urge them to consider having straws available on demand! Great service last night but all beverages came with plastic straws (some had multiple). Hoping to hear back. Have others reached out to restaurants in this manner? What type of responses have you gotten? 

I'm signed up for the "Watch a Documentary" Lifestyle challenge. Any recs? 

I've been pretty careful all along about how I spend. I don't get paid enough to just buy too many impulse items. With this commitment though I think harder about little things, like whether or not to toss in a pre-made (plastic wrapped) sandwich when I'm at the grocery store. Long term I don't think a lot will change because I already buy so...

I'm finding this challenge especially hard at the farmers market. BUT yesterday, I made some reusable cloth bags (out of an old tablecloth) to use a the market and the grocery store. I'll try to remember to post some pictures of the bags. And i'm super excited to try these out next weekend at the market.