Creating A Plastic Free July
Today is the start of July. That means, vacations, beaches, tanning, smoothies, running in the sun, yoga outdoors, hiking, cool cocktails and more - it is a time to celebrate!
But we were thinking, what makes the summertime so perfect for celebrating? Well, there’s one theme in the list we rattled off, which is the warm, sunny amazing weather. With environmental issues threatening the state of our planet’s traditional seasonal beauty, we’re dedicating our July to be plastic free!
We're challenging ourselves to rid our routines of plastic for the entire month of July. To make it easy to support this cause, we'll be sharing a plastic-free tips every day! Join us in our plastic free journey and tag us in your posts
@aqua.vida when you celebrate with a plastic-free pic.
The full month's tips are posted below.
- Bring a reusable cup EVERYWHERE. Wash it and have it with you at all times
- Use reusable grocery bags when food shopping.
- Say no to a bag if necessary (retail stores, convenient stores, to-go items)
- Skip plastic utensils. Keep your own bamboo set with you at all times!
- Bring your own produce bags to the market.
- Pack your own lunch in glass and reusable containers.
- Always have a reusable water bottle with you. A little preparation saves a lot of single use plastic.
- Use sustainably packaged bar soap instead of liquid soap that comes in plastic.
- Use shampoo bars.
- Make your own cleaner out of water, vinegar, and essential oils. Stop buying harmful cleaners in plastic bottles.
- Use bamboo toothbrushes instead of plastic.
- Use a reusable razor instead of disposable.
- Be a conscious consumer. Look for minimal or zero packaging on products like clothing and goods.
- Opt for produce without any type of plastic packaging .
- Make your own food.
- Buy in bulk with reusable containers
- If you have to buy a drink in a single use container, opt for glass, aluminum cans, or cardboard
- If you are buying takeout, bring your own containers
- Opt to purchase products with responsible packaging. For example, eggs can come in plastic or cardboard cases. Choose the Cardboard
- K cups are convenient, but really wasteful. Buy a reusable pod and your favorite coffee!
- Look for makeup, cosmetics, and skincare to come in glass or cardboard compacts
- So many toys are plastic and will be quickly discarded. Look for toys made from wood or other materials. Less is also more. Don’t turn your kids into mini consumers
- Upcycle things that you or your kids grow out of. There are so many websites and marketplaces to sell used goods instead of throwing them away
- Look for used items before buying new. Slow the consumer cycle down and save yourself some money on those same sites
- Repurpose, restore, and refurbish items. A lot of things that were once made out of solid materials are being replaced with flimsy plastic items that are not made to last. Older items were built to last and sometimes with a good sanding and paint are made to look better than new. Think old dressers, couches, chairs, and tables
- Take inventory of your daily plastic use. Where can you cut back and eliminate? How can you be more mindful moving forward?
- Skip the straw or bring your own stainless steel one
- Use toothpaste tablets or powder in glass containers. Skip the tube
- Buy bamboo diapers. Diapers are typically made out of plastic and will never biodegrade. Bamboo diapers are extra soft and will biodegrade
- Be a conscious consumer. Anything with stretch has plastic and will never biodegrade. That’s right-anything that stretches. Fabrics made out of recycled plastics are great. Biodegradable fabrics made by responsibly sourced mills with closed production cycles are the one exception and that's why we use them in our eco-friendly activewear!
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