Reducing Plastic Consumption

[knitlove]

I inherited some aluminum containers called "speedefreeze" they are great! They are all AL no gaskets, but they freeze things fine. I wouldn't think twice about freezing in ss containers with ss lids.

This is what I have https://www.etsy.com/listing/2622543...nardin-speedy#

[bananacake]

You're doing an amazing job

[Aerynne]

Wooden golf clubs and some kind of cloth or wood ball?

ring toss

Tree stumps to be tables, chairs, skip from stump to stump, etc

I thought this was cute

http://buggyandbuddy.com/make-wooden-toy-car-ramp/

wooden block stilts or tin can stilts

[HadassahSukkot]

there's also giant jenga. http://www.instructables.com/id/Giant-Jenga-Diy/

Croquet? That's usu. wood and metal.

Badminton? Though the birdies could be plastic.

Mud Kitchen sounds good for really littles.

[MidnightCafe]

I really appreciate conversation with others who are thinking about their plastic consumption! Thank you for the great ideas!

So...here's another issue that crossed my path just this morning. An organization that I care about very much just had a balloon release yesterday. I saw the video footage on facebook. I've participated in balloon releases with this organization before, and I know the emotion that comes with such an event. Buuuuut...the balloons just become trash in neighboring fields, ponds, trees, and yards. Animals get sick from them. They don't decompose as some manufacturers insist. Non-latex balloons (which are becoming more popular) are essentially plastic. I found balloonsblow.org, and I see that they have a ton of alternate suggestions. Anyone else have suggestions for what can be a powerful, group event...visually demonstrating the impact something has on a large group of people and allowing for some kind of "release"?

[greengirl19]

butterflies? bubbles? paper lanterns?

[knitlove]

At night paper lanterns balloons assuming things aren't too windy or dry.

If you were near a lake or something you could do watermelon boats.

[HadassahSukkot]

I would think butterflies or bubbles would be the more ethical option as paper lanterns are discouraged due to the fire risk.

Balloon releases make me terribly uneasy.

[Dandelion]

This thread has got me thinking more and more about this topic again. Today I decided to take my own bottles to the local farm where we get milk. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense - no plastic, they give a discount if your bring your own, and the milk will be fresher. All around a win. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner.

I am trying to think of other ways to reduce plastic, but the hardest part is food. How do you buy less when almost every grocery item is encased in plastic? I already buy in bulk and try to really limit the normal processed stuff, but there is no way to buy most items without buying some kind of plastic that goes with it.

[knitlove]

Will your bulk places let you bring in your own containers. One of the ones here will.

[MidnightCafe]

Originally Posted by Dandelion

This thread has got me thinking more and more about this topic again. Today I decided to take my own bottles to the local farm where we get milk. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense - no plastic, they give a discount if your bring your own, and the milk will be fresher. All around a win. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner.

I am trying to think of other ways to reduce plastic, but the hardest part is food. How do you buy less when almost every grocery item is encased in plastic? I already buy in bulk and try to really limit the normal processed stuff, but there is no way to buy most items without buying some kind of plastic that goes with it.

We haven't found a way to get everything we *want* without plastic, but we do a couple of things:
- We buy from bulk bins & bring our own containers. (Beans, rice, shampoo, conditioner, nuts, nut butters...)
- We do not use produce bags from the grocery store. We just put loose veggies in our reusable shopping bags & take them home.
- We actively choose brands that use less packaging...and we're drafting a letter that we (and others) could send to companies requesting less packaging.
- We choose brands that use paper or glass packaging over plastic.
- We buy bulk meats from our co-op (when we can afford it). They wrap everything in waxed paper.

It's hard. I'm realizing that I'll have to make some things myself, rather than purchasing if I want to go the next step. For example, we buy big containers of hummus from Costco. We reuse the containers...but they *are* plastic containers. I could totally make my own hummus. I just don't. Same with mayo, salad dressings, salsa... It's probably cheaper to make my own, too. But a time investment.

I'm balking at making yogurt, sour cream, and cheese. I *can* and have made yogurt. But we don't like it as well as the stuff we buy. Sour cream and cheese seem out of my league. ...but I'm reading.

[Dandelion]

I already make most of our food from scratch, but the things that I don't make I don't really want to make either. At some point my sanity has to come before saving money and reducing waste and all that