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Download of my Plastic Free July 2018

Hello peers!

Yes, I realize this is super late- but better than never!

This year, I participated in Plastic Free July with about a dozen people from my former office. I made a pledge to do my best to reduce the amount of single-use plastics I used throughout the entire month.

July snuck up on me, but I made a few immediate changes:

  1. Get a bigger purse- It may feel like you're saving space to have a compact bag where nothing else fits, but having a larger purse allowed me to refuse a plastic bag and place things directly in my handbag like: fruit, convenience store groceries, etc.
  2. Carry a reusable tote-You'd be surprised how many times people use a plastic bag because they forgot their bags at home. Best way to avoid that? Carry one in your now larger purse, leave a couple in the car, an one in your work desk- voila! You've always remembered now!
  3. Carry a reusable straw- I am very excited about my Final Straw (image below) that I ordered- but they won't be fabricated until November- so I grabbed a straw out of one of my reusable tumblers and have been carrying that around.
Some of my observations:

  • You need to note that you want no straw or no bag right when you start interacting with someone, or they will bring you one, assuming.
  • If you bring your own dish/plate/cup to restaurants/cafes, less people stare than you might think!


 Some of my challenges:

  • Airports (work travel)
  • Coffee cup lids
  • Snacks (packaging!)

What small changes could you make to make a big difference?

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