Making green choices
For quite some time I have thought about sharing a "top ten" list of ways to reduce plastic and other excess packaging. Not purchasing the trash in the first place is way better for our earth than recycling it.
With intentionality, it's easier than ever to make good choices. And some of these "green" items even make purposeful gifts, especially the hand soap glass pumps and pods. I gave those as Christmas gifts a couple years ago.
Try these out (and be assured I'm not representing any of these products or getting paid for suggesting them):
Trader Joe's sells a shampoo bar. Works great. Lasts a long time. No plastic!
In the summer I like peach iced tea, but not purchased in individual plastic bottles! Use an iced tea maker (or a pot of heated water) to make tea from tea bags. Then mix the iced tea with one can of Kern's peach nectar juice (comes in an aluminum can). No plastic bottles!
America's Test Kitchen rated Better Than Bullion chicken broth concentrate as their top choice, and it costs less overall than broth boxes.. Plus it comes in a glass jar, which will eliminate all of those chicken broth boxes.
For years I've had a bad paper towel habit. No longer. I cut up a bunch of old dish towels into 8"x10" cloths. They're easy to wash and reuse.
A bar of soap works OK but can be a sloppy mess. I like shower gel––but that means plastic trash... until now! Blueland makes a shower gel powder you mix in one plastic bottle and use that bottle over and over. It's surprisingly great.
Also try Blueland liquid hand soap foam. Buy their glass pump dispenser and make more with a tablet refill. Lots of nice scents. No plastic bottles.
Looks like we're on a Blueland roll here. Their three spray cleaners also work great, made from tablets that dissolve in your own water.
And more Blueland... dishwasher pods with zero plastic wrap or tubs! As a side note, the Blueland stuff is not cheap, but it's way more reasonable when you buy the refill packets in larger quantities. They often have holiday sales.
I like sparkling water... a lot! But I don't like all of the plastic bottles or aluminum cans. I love my Soda Stream that I've been using for around ten years. I'm on my second set of three plastic bottles. That's six plastic bottles in TEN YEARS! The "Bubly" flavorings come in small glass bottles as well.
What about laundry detergent? Must we use those huge plastic jugs? No! I bought a big BOX of Tide laundry detergent powder. (I'm sure there are better green alternatives that are not Procter & Gamble.)
This is just a starter list for thinking about how to reduce plastics and other trash. There are an increasing number of stores where you bring your own bottle to fill with bulk cleaning and personal products and many excellent products beyond these. I share these to make the point that we have choices to make to love and care for creation.
Finally, check out Vintage Green Review, a great store and website (a colleague’s daughter's store in New Orleans) filled with a wide variety of fantastic products and purposeful gifts.
THE ART OF LOVE AND LOSS
February 10, 2020, was the day my wife, Elizabeth Izant, entered the hospital. She and I were on a hopeful journey following her heart transplant five months prior. On March 1, she entered hospice and died March 11. A year later, from February 10 to March 11, 2021, I wrote a reflection on a piece of art we had collected together. This series is not about her medical journey. This is about sharing stories and reflections about our life together.
I invite you to read those reflections. (But scroll to the bottom for the first post.)