seen from China
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seen from Japan
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from China
seen from China
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seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
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seen from United States
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seen from Spain
According to this graphic from Eccoamigo’s Instagram, The average person uses 96 plastic bags every 6 months. Since I’ve been using reusable grocery bags since college, I thought it would be fun to figure out how many bags I’ve saved over the years. I started using reusable bags regularly when I was 21. That’s 8 years of plastic bag avoidance. 8 years = 1,536 plastic bags avoided. Granted, I end up with a plastic bag every now and again if I make an impromptu trip to the store.
Lip balm! What a conundrum, right? Nope! An easy choice is a tin! I love these little tins of Vaseline lip therapy! There are even tinted options, if you’re into that! I feel great every day when I use this little tin. Yay for reducing plastic!
Another day of co-op hopping! Well, I only went to one this time...so I didn’t quite hop, I guess. I had a specific recipe in mind, and it called for cauliflower. The cauliflower at Trader Joe’s as well as the cauliflower at Linden Hills Co-op was wrapped in plastic. No can do! Luckily, the co-op had romanesco, which is similar enough. I also filled up on cashews, but i was bummed because they didn’t have the pieces, just whole cashews. That means they’re more expensive, but they were on sale! I also snagged some agar agar powder for vegan cheese making experiments. I’ve been dying to try some sliceable recipes!
All of the jars I purchased are glass and the egg carton is recyclable.
I am also super stoked about the little mesh ball guy i got for making tea. I’ve already brewed two quarts of tea from one scoop of the loose leaf English Breakfast tea that I’m now hoarding in my pantry (never running out again!!)
I also picked up some compostable bags. Upon further examination, they are only compostable in industrial facilities. My apartment building doesn’t support the composting program in Minneapolis, so this was a blunder, but I feel better about using these for trash bags, I guess.
It’s still really hard to shop when I can’t buy plastic. The bulk bins are great, but if what you need isn’t offered, you’re SOL. I love that they have brown paper bags in addition to the plastic bags they offer, so if I forget jars or don’t have enough, I still have a non-plastic option.
Things that are still tough: bread and tortillas.
I eat Gluten free bread, typically the Trader Joe’s brand, and that comes in a plastic bag. It would be awesome if I could easily find a great option for fresh baked bread in an earth friendly vessel, but no luck thus far.
Corn tortillas are always in a plastic bag. I looked into recipes for making them before i went to the store, but couldn’t find masa harina at the store. So, i went home with the tortillas in a plastic bag.
I usually use bread bags for foraging in the spring and summer, but I have so many, it is unlikely that I’ll ever use them all!
Lent in Review: Veggies
If you want to talk about infuriating lessons, this one may be it. Walking into a store and struggling to find a vegetable that isn’t wrapped in plastic is a really annoying adventure. As we previously discussed, I also HATE the little stickers. SO MANY STICKERS!
Also, yes, I know. The hash browns. I had guests and I didn’t feel like shredding potatoes. Rest assured, I usually do shred them myself.
Zero Waste Breakfast/Lunch.
Two quarts of tea brewed from one scoop of loose leaf tea. Jars topped with repurposed coconut oil lids.
1/2 an avocado in a glass container w/ reusable lid.
2 slices of gluten free bread in a Stasher silicone bag.
Gluten free pasta salad in a pint jar.
Almond flour banana bread in a glass container w/ reusable lid.
Check it out! New purchase today at The Wedge Co-Op in Uptown, Minneapolis. I have a pretty ragged scrubber in my kitchen that’s been needing replacing. I’ve been holding off because it’s plastic and I wanted something more earth friendly. Enter, the walnut shell scour pad!
These little plant based babies require way less energy to produce than a regular sponge, and when you toss them, they break down completely. The pack that I purchased has three scouring pads, so I’m set for quite a while!
Extra bonus: they’re dishwasher safe. Hellooooo sanitation!
AND: the packaging is recyclable.
This month’s mighty fix! All Good Goop!
Have you heard of Mighty Fix from Mighty Nest? I love it! I’ve been getting them for nearly a year, and everything I’ve gotten has been magical.
This healing balm arrived yesterday and it’s a delight. It does take a minute for it to sink in, but my hands feel great already! It’s made in a solar powered community kitchen with organic herbs, including calendula grown on their own farm. And each jar is hand poured. All of these extra touches make it even better.
This can be used for everything from daily moisture to diaper rash.
Lent in Review: Meat
Lent has ended. What does that mean for me? Now it’s time to dig in the bulging bag of shame and see what my transgressions ended up being.
One of the absolute most difficult things to navigate for my personal budget and lifestyle was meat and meat substitutes. Co-ops often offer meat that can be packaged in butcher paper, but that often comes with slightly higher price tag than I can manage. I did my best to purchase less meat overall, and when I did purchase it I made sure I was buying more responsibly sourced meat. It may have come in a plastic package, but it wasn't jacked up on hormones. So we can call this a sort of win, maybe?
