In case you didn't catch my post last week on our plastic free week, it's over. I did it! Well, truth be told, I almost did it. Which is definitely better than not doing it at all because I am changed. Call me post-plastic.
What did I do? Survived seven days without buying anything made of or packaged in plastic. I used plenty of plastic we already own, mind you, that made the week a whole lot easier. I also roped my husband and live-in cousin to do it, too.
Why? Simple: the great Pacific garbage patch.
Was it hard? Not really. But we did go without a few things as a result: among them sliced sandwich bread, because it seems to go hand-in-hand with its signature plastic bag, yogurt, and bulk items when I brought too few reused plastic bags. And cauliflower. Because it's white, it gets wrapped in plastic so it doesn't get bumped and ugly in transit. Who knew? My sense is that it gets easier over time because you learn what stores have the things that make it easier: bulk pasta, local produce, and ceramic coffee mugs, to name a few.
Of course, seven days isn't long enough to bump into real denial. Need new Crocs, get 'em next week (they're made of a resin called 'croslite,' not rubber as I had hoped). But, the longer you do it, the more alternatives you find. They're out there, and thanks to Beth of Fake Plastic Fish, they're listed all in one convenient place!.