Switching over from plastic

By now most of us have heard plenty about the evils of plastic. It’s flooding many of our waterways including our oceans, beaches, garbage dumps, etc., mainly due to the fact that the majority of our plastic trash isn’t being recycled.

What about the public’s demand for bottled water! What a disgrace. The most effective way is to switch from bottled water to filtered tap water at home and carry a reusable bottle. It’s what we do at our house. Stop being a water snob! Stop contributing to our trash problems! Another alternative? An artesian water cooler.

Take a look at For Love of Water’s website!

Getting Off the Bottle is more than a slogan, it’s a necessity for the earth and for retaining water as a public resource. In buying bottled water, consumers are inadvertently legitimizing the capture of water that belongs to all of us by private, for-profit companies who reap unearned, enormous riches.

And excess packaging? Over-packaging refers to any product being covered in multiple unnecessary layers. Industries that over package are the food, cosmetic, medical, clothing, and tech industries just for starters. Some of these extra layers have a purpose, but some products, such as, individually wrapped vegetables or fruits tend to go overboard. Then of course, we as consumers are left with all this garbage. That’s a nightmare in and of itself. So, imagine my recent surprise when I opened my Flonase package to discover, voila, no plastic. So, three cheers to them. Let’s get more of these companies on board.

When I was young, our milk and other products came in glass bottles. For instance, our milkman would pick up the empties, every week, when he brought fresh product. Any soda pop we drank came in glass bottles with metal caps. When we shopped for meat and deli items, it was packaged in front of us, and there was no plastic involved. When we bought other groceries, items were given to us in paper bags. So, yes, we recycled, and our garbage haul was minimal.

Of course, like anything else, change does not come easy, overnight, or without cost. I’m aware of that and certainly not naive. However, we have to start somewhere, so try and buy from companies who are already trying their best to preserve the Earth. Bottom line? I’m here to make you think about your everyday decisions. There are all kinds of alternatives out there, and yes, you can send messages to companies by what you’re buying and NOT buying. You as a consumer can make a difference.