Is #PlasticFreeJuly BS?
It’s gimmicky (and impossible), but I think it’s worth trying. Let me tell you why.
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July 4, 2018 was a real scorcher.
My husband and I had taken our almost three year old to the New York Botanical Garden. In the shade of the trees, the heat and humidity were bearable, but out in the direct sun it was pretty unpleasant. We were muscling through, but after coming out of the cool air-conditioned galleries of the Georgia O’Keefe exhibit, the day felt even more oppressive.
We had gotten a good distance away from the building when I realized that our water bottle was empty—and my toddler was thirsty. There was a farmer’s market taking place at the garden, so a cold drink was just a few steps and dollars away. But there was a problem: I was on Day Four of trying not to purchase anything in single-use plastic packaging.
I debated climbing back up the hill to the building that probably had a water fountain, which would mean making my kid wait at least fifteen minutes for refreshment, or just buying the damn lemonade in the plastic cup. I caved to the plastic cup (in fact, if I remember correctly, we bought two).
This was my second attempt at Plastic Free July. The year prior I didn’t even make it past Day Two before breaking down and buying something packaged in disposable plastic. If you haven’t heard of it before, Plastic Free July is a challenge to refuse single-use plastics in July. The goal is not to avoid every single plastic thing, which would be basically impossible (although one reporter tried it). Through participating, I discovered that just avoiding disposable plastics is a herculean task.
If you’re here reading Living Small, I assume you think it’s worth aspiring to reduce our plastic consumption, but if you need a refresher, we make about 300 million tons of plastic waste a year–and between five million and 14 million tons of that ends up in the ocean to disastrous effect (and PS plastic is made of fossil fuels, so a climate problem too). Plastic is everywhere—from the top of Mount Everest to our human lungs—and it doesn’t go away. (If you want to take a deeper dive, The Guardian did a great series called the United States of Plastic that’s worth reading)
Even though I “failed” at going plastic free for even one week, I think there’s great value in attempting Plastic Free July. Here’s why:
It’s a gateway to bigger things
Some people say that Plastic Free July and similar eco challenges are insignificant in the face of our climate concerns (some critics even say that instead of focussing on individual choices, we should be focused on the companies who make all this packaging, which I wholeheartedly agree with). However, there is nothing like first-hand experience to galvanize you to advocate for change, and I think Plastic Free July brings more people into the fold of climate action.
The challenge sharpens your awareness
Participating in Plastic Free July made me stop and pay attention to all the things I bought in single-use plastic containers and consider what the alternatives might be. I didn’t realize how much plastic packaging we were consuming until I participated in the challenge. If you decide to try it, you too will realize how pervasive single-use plastics are. Now when I am at the grocery store, I see it through plastic-avoiding lenses.
It can prompt big changes
As a new mom, I didn’t summon the courage to cloth diaper (and no diapering services came to our neighborhood at the time). So when we did Plastic Free July the first time, we started potty training. Of course it took more than a month to kick the diaper habit, but Plastic Free July helped us do it sooner than we might have otherwise. The second time I tried Plastic Free July, we made the push to jettison the overnight diapers. As a result of the challenge, my son was fully out of diapers before many of his peers, which reduced our plastic waste but also greatly improved our lives as parents.
You’ll probably eat better
When you aspire to refuse single-use plastics, you basically have to forgo processed foods. We cook most meals at home and we don’t rely on many packaged foods, but most of our garbage is still plastic food packaging. Yet even with whole foods, Plastic Free July forced shifts that led to cheaper, more flavorful ingredients. For example, I used to buy cherry tomatoes in a plastic clamshell container almost every week. I started buying loose tomatoes or ones packed into cardboard instead (and often skipping them in winter). Plastic Free July freed me of the habit of buying pre-washed lettuce mixes, which had a pernicious tendency to go bad before I could eat them. Now I am apt to buy whole heads of lettuce, which last much longer and often taste better. Loose leaf tea is plastic free and a thousand times more delicious than its plastic-bagged cousin (yes, there’s likely plastic in your tea bag). Of course, some healthy staples are either impossible to find without plastic (hello, tofu) or are prohibitively expensive in plastic-free packaging (yogurt), but overall I found that eschewing single-use plastics made for nutritious, delicious, and less costly food choices.
It gets you to experiment
In the name of Plastic Free July I tried all sorts of things that I never would have otherwise. I brought my own bags to the bulk aisle, I hauled my own containers to a restaurant we get takeout from, I made my own nut milk, I tried those toothpaste tablets, I discovered a delicious brand of cooked beans sold in glass and a bunch of cool products I’ll share below. Not all of these became regular habits, but in my book, trying new things and making discoveries are wins all on their own.
Participating changes the status quo
All those experiments also help normalize different more sustainable ways of doing things: The first time I showed up asking for takeout it took a little explaining, but hopefully there’ll be less friction for the next person who has the same request. All those small conversations in shops and at events contribute to the anti-plastic zeitgeist and will help make bigger changes down the road.
The changes it inspires have longevity
Plastic Free July got me to change my habits in a dozen tiny ways–and for the most part, they have persisted years after the challenge ended. I knew single-use plastic was bad before, but action of participating made an impact on how I behave long term.
It’s an annual reminder
I try not to beat myself up when plastic is unavoidable, but this year I am recommitting to a less plastic-y July. We’ve let quite a lot of single-use plastic slip back into our lives, and I’d love to try to whittle it back again, but I’m not going to call it Plastic Free July because I can already picture plastics that I will still buy: Our go-to camping meal of vegan sausages and hot dog buns, for example, or the yogurt and frozen berries that go into our smoothies. Not to mention: Sunscreen and bug spray.
Would you ever try Plastic Free July? Have you had any successes ditching single-use plastic that you’d like to share with the community? Please comment below.
Further reading.
Shouting out The Guardian’s United States of Plastic series again: It’s really great. If you want to know more about plastic and recycling, I recommend the ‘Recycling! Is it BS?’ episode of How to Save a Planet. I made a list of books that offer Plastic Free July inspiration; you can find it here on Bookshop.org. It includes lots of how-to books for grown-ups, but also a few picture books for kids.
Over the years, I have found a few things that made ditching the single-use plastics infinitely easier. I’ve included links to a few favorites for the paid subscribers below, and I’m giving away one of my faves! All paid subscribers will be automatically entered and the winner will be chosen on July 6. (If you’d like to be eligible for this and future giveaways, you can join the paid tier right here.)
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