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SIMPLE TIPS TO DITCH PLASTIC // GUEST POST FROM SHE CHANGES EVERYTHING

Today we’re so excited to share a guest post from She Changes Everything, a blog that exists to empower all of us to make everyday shifts in nutrition, clothing, and fitness that inspire personal, local, and global impact. We love their mission so much and in honor of Plastic Free July, we tapped their expertise for how you can ditch plastic in your every day life. Enjoy and hop on over to her blog to read the full length original post and learn so much more about the simple shifts you and your someone can be making today.

FROM SHE CHANGES EVERYTHING

We love July… the fireworks, the warm summer nights, the fresh fruit… we’re glad it’s here and we hope you are too! One newfound thing we love about July is that millions of people around the world are now participating in “Plastic-Free July.” Plastic-Free July is primarily focused on cutting out single-use plastic. You can eliminate all single-use plastics, or just four of the biggest plastic offenders (and four of the easiest to switch out!): plastic bags, water bottles, straws, and coffee cups.

1. Host a plastic-free BBQ! Have everyone bring their own plates, cups and silverware. This also is a conversation segway into the dangers of plastic.

Image courtesy of Abby & Lauren

2. Cook more. There are so many amazing perks of cooking at home, and once is how much less plastic is used. No carry out containers, no plastic straws, no plastic utensils. Be sure when buying ingredients to try and buy some without plastic wrapping!

Image courtesy of Grit & Virtue

3. Buy in bulk. For instance, buy a large container of yogurt instead of snack sized yogurt cups. It’s often cheaper per ounce, and there’s significantly less plastic.

4. You can check out the official Plastic Free July handy guide of action steps for more! Also, “10 Easy Tips for Living a Life With Less Plastic” is a great resource from Life Without Plastic.

5. Be aware of the 4 single use plastic offenders and learn about alternatives. Bags, bottles, straws and coffee cup use are at an all time high. Here are a few suggested alternatives for you to consider:

BAGS // We’ve talked about plastic bags before! We love all of the bags The Tote Project has to offer, or this one from The Simply Co (check out their plastic free laundry detergent!). ECOBags also has a huge variety of bags, ranging from produce bags to canvas totes. Elisha C. also has a fun cross body bag that is perfect for hands free shopping at Farmer’s Markets. The burlap bag made by 2nd Story Goods is made from recycled burlap coffee bags in Haiti. It’s a double win! Using a reusable bag made from recycled goods! P.S. There is a convenient exterior cell phone pocket and it is lined with recycled fabric.

As a reminder, The Tote Projects’ bags are sewn in India by women who have made the journey out of the sex trade and into freedom. In addition, 20% of their profits are donated to Two Wings to help survivors of human trafficking in the United States pursue their dreams.

BOTTLES // Our favorite reusable, plastic-free water bottles here!

Pura Stainless are 100% plastic free! Most reusable water bottles have sneaky plastic lids or straws. Pure used only food-grade stainless steel and silicone.

STRAWS // Americans use enough plastic straws every day to fill up 127 school buses. They’re in the top 10 products most littered, and contain BPA that leaks into your drink. Gross. Definitely head over to Life Without Plastic, Simply Straws or Mulled Mind and pick some up today! They’re easy enough to keep stashed in your purse, glove compartment, or kitchen drawer.

COFFEE CUPS // We love a good cup of jo and if it’s in a plastic free mug? EVEN BETTER. In the search for plastic-free travel coffee cups, we found that most mugs are plastic-free… it’s the lids that are the problem! Most companies either use BPA-free plastic or trade plastic for silicone in their lids. While silicone isn’t plastic, it doesn’t decompose in landfills either. We have yet to find a completely plastic and silicone free travel mug, but we do absolutely love our BPA free to-go cup from KeepCup, this #BreakFreeFromPlastic tumbler from Kleen Kanteen, and this tumbler from Life Without Plastic! We’ll keep you updated on our search, please let us know if you’ve found one yet!

Again, we are so grateful for She Changes Everything and all the knowledge she shared with us today. If you want to learn so much more, take a peek at her more detailed original post and she is sure to share more and more tips as Plastic Free July continues.