Tuesday, November 9, 2010

313: Airing my dirty laundry (or buy this, not that) (or let me get on my soapbox for a moment)

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A few months ago I stumbled on a blog called Fake Plastic Fish. It made me very conscious of all the plastic my family discards. Almost everything comes in plastic. My shampoo. My body wash. My face soap. My moisturizer. My produce. My milk. My juice. My cereal. My printer paper. My household cleaners. Pens are made of plastic. My cheese slices come in a plastic package AND are each individually wrapped in plastic!!! Slowly I have been trying to buy things that do not come in plastic. Some things are easy to switch if I just take the time to notice, but for some other things it's been really hard. And with the holidays coming up...well, so many toys are made of plastic. If Star Wars Legos came in wood, I would buy them. So, in my efforts to single-handedly save the planet, I have switched laundry detergent to one that: #1 doesn't come in a plastic bottle; #2 is safer for the environment; and #3 is safer for my family (and #4 the box design is cuter). While I do enjoy taking a big whiff of "fresh rain" freshly laundered towels, I couldn't find this boxed detergent in a scented version and I didn't want to settle for Tide in a box. But I'm adjusting and no one else in the family seems to have noticed. Score one for the planet. I'm thankful there's one less plastic thing going to the landfill.

4 comments:

Carolyn (Dragon) said...

We all need to be more environmentally conscience than we are. I would really like to have a house that didn't need to depend on the electricity suppliers, the water company, the gas company, or the grocery store. Then I wouldn't have to worry about all the bills every month. So that when the powers that be, collapse, I'll still have to live comfortably in my own little heaven.

Arlene said...

Good for you. That is a cute box!

A while back I switched from my Swiffer Wet Jet cleaner to a green one that doesn't use the plastic bottles and has a washable pad instead of the throwaway ones. I keep meaning to take a picture of it. Thanks for the reminder. :) (Bonus is no batteries AND it works better!)

Merry said...

Does your city do recycling? I have been thinking more about all the stuff we throw away too. I'm glad we have recycling.

Clammy said...

I agree!! A couple Christmas's ago I started buying toys that were not plastic....instead I bought wood toys and things made out of cloth or another fiber. And I won't buy things that need batteries.