Enduring Plum (
enduringplum) wrote2009-05-16 06:35 pm
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The Day-to-Day and Plastic v. Glass
The last few days have been very busy, but not at all in a bad way. I got our passports (Miranda has the cutest passport I've ever seen!), bought every little thing I anticipate needing during our trip, became the head of "neighborhood beautification" for the Seabrook home owner's association, did a lot all around the house, and had lunch with my mom twice. Kat, aka Triple_Phoenix, helped me clean the house to a point that I don't feel like I'm going to lose my mind, which was a huge relief. I still need to clean up the lovely nail polish art the cats created especially for me all over the bathroom floor, walls, vanity, and bathtub, but if it must that can wait until I get back, because it's not getting any drier.
My endeavor to live life less plastic is going so-so. I wound up buying a bottle of shampoo, as well as two bottles of Bac-Out, a container of oxygen bleach, a spray bottle of enzymatic cleaner, and a small spray bottle of "natural" hand sanitizer (for the plane ride) over the last few days. All of it is recyclable and we do have supposedly reliable plastic recycling in the area, but I would prefer not to have purchased any of it in the first place. I also bought a shampoo bar by Burt's Bees, so I may return the bottle of shampoo I bought, but I think the neem oil in the liquid shampoo will be good for Carl's scalp, which tends to be oily and yet sometimes flakey. I also bought two small bottles of Dr. Bronner's soap, but I don't feel guilty about those, because the bottles are 100% recycled material and I will save them to use around the house until they fall apart (which will be never, since they're plastic) or I recycle them.
A detriment to avoiding plastic is the fact that there is exactly zero reliable glass recycling in the area, so I've been saving every glass baby food jar that I and my mother have purchased. They're handy for freezing small quantities of food, but that's really only good for home made baby food. I hate the idea of just discarding glass, so until I find a better solution for the things I purchase regularly- like meat-based baby food and jarred marinara sauce- I'm just going to have to keep stockpiling empty, glass jars; I don't want to purchase the same items in plastic, because I don't want to expose any of us to the chemicals found in plastic and I don't want to support companies that contribute to the production of plastic, so... a Catch 22.
Otherwise I've been doing pretty well with my anti-plastic lifestyle, although I have to admit today was a pretty major transgression. I haven't found alternatives to those choices yet and I have to admit I'm disappointed by the lack of plastic alternative packaging I've noticed at my local Whole Foods Market. For a chain that is supposed to be more environmentally friendly than a regular grocery store they are doing a very poor job, at least when it comes to items like laundry detergent and additives, hand and body lotion, shampoo, and sunscreen; the only one of those items I found available in plastic-free packaging was Burt's Bees Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bar. It's especially disappointing that they do not carry any plastic-free laundry products, because I know for a fact that Charlie's Soap comes packaged in a reusable cloth bag (albeit with a small, green plastic scoop inside, which I think they should no longer include) and soap nuts are available in both cloth and paper packaging. I love a lot of things about Whole Foods Market, but I'm also very disappointed with many of the changes they have made since very literally selling out and, unfortunately, I continue to be disappointed, but that's a topic for a whole other post.
So, that's it, really. It's amazing how much time so few things can take up, but I guess that's just relativity for you. I'm looking forward to the dream Magick meet-up tomorrow and then to departing Tuesday afternoon!
A detriment to avoiding plastic is the fact that there is exactly zero reliable glass recycling in the area, so I've been saving every glass baby food jar that I and my mother have purchased. They're handy for freezing small quantities of food, but that's really only good for home made baby food. I hate the idea of just discarding glass, so until I find a better solution for the things I purchase regularly- like meat-based baby food and jarred marinara sauce- I'm just going to have to keep stockpiling empty, glass jars; I don't want to purchase the same items in plastic, because I don't want to expose any of us to the chemicals found in plastic and I don't want to support companies that contribute to the production of plastic, so... a Catch 22.
Otherwise I've been doing pretty well with my anti-plastic lifestyle, although I have to admit today was a pretty major transgression. I haven't found alternatives to those choices yet and I have to admit I'm disappointed by the lack of plastic alternative packaging I've noticed at my local Whole Foods Market. For a chain that is supposed to be more environmentally friendly than a regular grocery store they are doing a very poor job, at least when it comes to items like laundry detergent and additives, hand and body lotion, shampoo, and sunscreen; the only one of those items I found available in plastic-free packaging was Burt's Bees Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bar. It's especially disappointing that they do not carry any plastic-free laundry products, because I know for a fact that Charlie's Soap comes packaged in a reusable cloth bag (albeit with a small, green plastic scoop inside, which I think they should no longer include) and soap nuts are available in both cloth and paper packaging. I love a lot of things about Whole Foods Market, but I'm also very disappointed with many of the changes they have made since very literally selling out and, unfortunately, I continue to be disappointed, but that's a topic for a whole other post.
So, that's it, really. It's amazing how much time so few things can take up, but I guess that's just relativity for you. I'm looking forward to the dream Magick meet-up tomorrow and then to departing Tuesday afternoon!
no subject
Or you can make some nifty candle holders from them for tea lights. I saw instructions at The Guardian once, but you can basically use jewelry wire around the tops to make hangers, and decorate the wires with beads and such as well as paint or etch the glass.
Ah hah! I found the link: http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/craft/story/0,,2002247,00.html
Also: oily yet flakey scalp sounds a bit like scalp eczema, which I have. It comes in plastic bottles and smells really funky, but the occasional use of Neutrogena T-Gel knocks mine right out for months.
no subject
That's a great suggestion about the university- I'll do that when I get back, thanks!
no subject