After years spent on holiday in Florida at my parent’s beach house I witnessed cases of plastic water bottles brought into the house and consumed. In silence, I filled up a glass of water from the fridge, or brought my dented, metal water bottle to the beach, yet sometimes I found myself grabbing for a plastic bottle. After all I was on vacation and on vacation all rules are justly void (as my son would happily pile cocoa puffs in his cereal bowl for breakfast). Still, vacation or not, this did not feel right for me. Look, most of us have heard about how many times plastic water bottles could circle our astonishingly exquisite planet and the offense they cause to our remarkable ecosystems (for me it is the sea, always the sea, what if a plastic water bottle cap lodged into a dolphins blow hole and how many more plastic whales are out there?). Last year I went for an entire year without buying any plastic bags. It was remarkable how easy it was to reuse the plastic-packed bags (i.e. bread bags) that we bring home from the grocery store. There were times I had to become more creative, but I welcomed the challenge. And so, I began this simple eco-challenge, which could be as easy as choosing not to buy a plastic water bottle on Tuesday. Perhaps in making this choice over time your sensitivities will increase to more than just one day a week, to perhaps learning to live your best plastic-free life.

You are on your way if you chose to:

• Not use a plastic lid on your coffee cup or even better bring your own coffee container

• Not use a plastic straw

• Buy a bamboo toothbrush

• Buy produce not wrapped in plastic

• Reuse glass jars or invest in glass food containers for food storage

• Always carry your water bottle & reusable bags

Stay true world,
MaggyGrace