I'm excited to carry on what we've learned here!

Woohoo another successful Plastic Free July in the books! Ready to carry the momentum the rest of the year!

The beach cleanup & recycling facility tour are scheduled for August 12 & 13. Looking forward to connecting with friends for the cleanup & beautifying our community. Curious to hear from the recycling facility what exactly is happening to recycling in the U.S. since China isn’t taking it anymore. 

a lot of great habits started in July.  Keep up the great work

Last big push for third team NA

I declined the “goodie bag” at the dentist & chatted with the hygienist about plastic free living! Spreading awareness🙌🏼 #wcanallmakeadifference 

I've modified habits where it counts.  I'm alarmed at how many groceries on shelves and coolers are packed in multiple layers of plastic.

Last day of Plastic Free July – but the effort does NOT stop here - treating plastic like a drug habit that needs to be kicked can now be all of our lifestyle pledges.

What did we learn during this month to continue on this journey? (besides of course always carrying with you reusable items):

1.) Value plastic waste: sometimes you might still end up getting plastic bags (or other plastic items), despite your best intentions-- do not consider it as waste. Keep that plastic bag in your bike basket for when you need it. Or keep the plastic fork that you got by mistake in your purse for future use.

2.) The market is your friend: find goods at a Farmer’s Markets such as rice, veggies, eggs, fruits without plastic packaging; and 'market stores' such as MOMs have many items in bulk. 

3.) There are hundreds of websites to help on this journey – a google or FB search = Plastic Free Living Tips & Tricks / Plastic-Free Support Groups & more

3.) Perfection is not the aim. It’s about creating consistent alternative habits that you can regularly use in your routine life. To exist without plastic in this decade is NOT possible. (Medical procedures, Rx bottles and plastic water bottles for natural disasters are currently indispensable).  But you CAN make changes to reduce & refuse on a daily basis.

4.) Go step-by-step so you don’t get overwhelmed - rather than see it as a huge inconvenience, treat living plastic free as a fun game!   To navigate the consumer minefield, develop mental maps of places where you can shop for certain items. It may take months, but learn where to get milk in a glass bottle, or where to grind your own peanut butter. Fortune 500 companies, like P&G & Pepsi, now want a piece of the action and are currently testing products like OJ in glass bottles, shampoo in aluminum bottles and other items in refillable non-plastic containers.

5.) You don’t need to be rich to avoid plastic: Some people can’t afford a bamboo kit, but take a fork from home; reuse sauce jars & use bread bags instead of buying ziplocks; reuse shipping (or any bags) instead of buying garbage bags; get free canvas bags at events; and cloth napkins/rags/bar mops + DIY cleaners save $ in the long run.

GOOD LUCK from here on out!!

Congratulations to everyone who participated this month! Let’s keep this going for the rest of the year!

Today is the last day! One of the things I loved most about this is how competitive it was and I hope everyone continues watching their plastic consumption like they're battling for a top spot in the rankings :)