Happy 54th Earth Day! According to Earthday.org, the official site for Earth Day, this year’s theme is Planet vs Plastics. From the website:
For Earth Day 2024 on April 22nd, EARTHDAY.ORG is unwavering in our commitment to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health, demanding a 60% reduction in the production of ALL plastics by 2040.
We all know we’re drowning in plastic. It is unbelievably hard to avoid plastic in day-to-day life. From the food we eat to the containers we store leftovers in, from toys to tools to medical instruments and packaging to the computer I’m typing this on… the list goes on. Ocean Conservatory states that “Plastic has been found in more than 60% of all seabirds and in 100% of sea turtles species, that mistake plastic for food. ”
It is easy to throw up our hands in frustration, believing that any small efforts we make as individuals to reduce our plastic use makes no difference. And yet it is my belief that it’s incumbent on me, at least, to do what I can. If enough people like me do what we can, perhaps we can make corporations take notice.
So in that spirit, I want to share some of what Casa Brillig does to keep our plastic use to a minimum, and then I am hoping each and every one of you reading this will share your own strategies, tips and tricks. I know that I can do better, and I’m hoping you’ll be able to help me do so!
Things I/my household do to reduce our use of plastics:
- I avoid bottled water at all costs. I bring a water bottle when I travel and will only use bottled water if the local water supply is unsafe (the resort we stayed in in Cancun had its own water filtration system that it used for food, but we were warned the tap water was not necessarily safe, so we did use bottled water for our toothbrushing.
- The water bottles I use are generally metal. They keep temperature better AND aren’t plastic themselves!
- I either drink my bougie coffeeshop coffee in-huse in a mug, or I bring my own reuseable cup. I’ve been using my primary 16oz hot mug since 2006, and my iced coffee cup since 2009. They’ve more than paid for themselves.
- We switched our laundry detergent several years ago from liquid to sheets (Tru-Earth). They are delivered by mail in a cardboard mailer and our clothing comes out fantastic. I know my inlaws use a tablet instead of sheets, and next time I’m up will ask to try a few. We use wool dryer balls instead of fabric softener liquid or sheets.
- I have reuseable produce bags to avoid those flimsy ones at the grocery. But I bemoan the sheer amount of unavoidable plastic in the produce aisle… from salad to strawberries, and the grapes! (K2 inhales them, so until he leaves for college this fall I can’t avoid them!)
- I use a solid shampoo bar, and we use bar not liquid soap in the shower, but SO MUCH personal care product is packaged in plastic!
I look at this list and feel woefully inadequate. It is impossible to eliminate plastic when buying food and household goods. Have tips for me? Share them in the comments, after perusing tonight’s plastic-free Tops!
Here at Top Comments we welcome longtime as well as brand new Daily Kos readers to join us at 10pm Eastern. We strive to nourish community by rounding up some of the site's best, funniest, most mojo'd & most informative commentary, and we depend on your help!! If you see a comment by another Kossack that deserves wider recognition, please send it either to topcomments at gmail or to the Top Comments group mailbox by 9:30pm Eastern. Please please please include a few words about why you sent it in as well as your user name (even if you think we know it already :-)), so we can credit you with the find!
TOP COMMENTS
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down. Please remember that comment inclusion in Top Comments does not constitute support or endorsement by diarist, formatter, Top Comments writers or DailyKos. Questions, complaints or comments? Contact brillig.
From inkstainedwretch:
Nominating G2geek’s comment on Dratler's diary America is Baaack! I have tons of reservations about Speaker Johnson's other goals, but honoring our commitments is a huge part of "Truth, Justice, and the American Way".
TOP MOJO
Top Mojo for yesterday (Sunday), April 21st 2024, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo.
TOP PICTURES
Top Pictures for yesterday (Sunday), April 21st 2024. Click any picture to be taken to the full comment or picture. Thank you to the wonderful dKos staff who made it possible to continue this feature in memory of jotter!