Hello plastic-free people! It has been a while (quite a while) since our last post - 5 years. Some things have happened, including Bachelor's degrees, Master's degrees, and lots of time to continue to build our sustainable lifestyles. But we're happy to get back in the groove and keep promoting sustainable living!
I recently visited Portland, OR, to give a talk about my current research, and I was so inspired by some of the initiatives people here are taking to live plastic-free. For example, very few disposable items are made out of plastic, including grocery bags (although paper bags pose their own problems: see http://bit.ly/2srnKPQ or http://bit.ly/2sVEqCs for more), and the option to use 'disposable' items is fairly infrequent to begin with.
Another example is this great product I found in a grocery store - once I got to my hotel, I found myself without a razor (horror!). In need of smooth legs, I went on a hunt and found this razor made by a company called Preserve. What struck me is that their products are made entirely with recycled plastic, and contain at least 65% plastic yogurt cups! This really made me smile, as yogurt is one of the few products I have struggled with finding plastic-free alternatives for (short of making my own, but we can talk about that later).
I recently visited Portland, OR, to give a talk about my current research, and I was so inspired by some of the initiatives people here are taking to live plastic-free. For example, very few disposable items are made out of plastic, including grocery bags (although paper bags pose their own problems: see http://bit.ly/2srnKPQ or http://bit.ly/2sVEqCs for more), and the option to use 'disposable' items is fairly infrequent to begin with.
Another example is this great product I found in a grocery store - once I got to my hotel, I found myself without a razor (horror!). In need of smooth legs, I went on a hunt and found this razor made by a company called Preserve. What struck me is that their products are made entirely with recycled plastic, and contain at least 65% plastic yogurt cups! This really made me smile, as yogurt is one of the few products I have struggled with finding plastic-free alternatives for (short of making my own, but we can talk about that later).
The razor came with an extra blade, but there were also packs of replacement blades to accompany it...which of course I also had to get.
This purchase not only made me smile, but it also made me wonder about recycling plastic. How many times can it be recycled? Can plastic be recycled more than once? Does this ever happen? If not, then I think that recycled options like this razor may be more of a bandaid than a solution, but at least it's a step in the right direction. S/o to all of those users of metal razors!
In any case, it is always refreshing to be surrounded by people who also take sustainable living seriously. PLUS the food trucks here are amazing.
Ella
Smooth legs with recycled plastic! I love it. Yeah for tiny steps in the right direction. Glad Oregon was a good experience.
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