Sam Ssifton of the New York Times created this poem from six word phrases sent to him by readers reflecting on their gratitude.
The way my toddler says potstickers. Did scary things. Didn’t die. Encouraging. My backyard garden that feeds us. The cold side of the pillow. We celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary. I’m grateful for being fired.
*
The joy of a wedding dance. New beginnings and a playful Chihuahua. The crow that brings me rubbish. A July day at Wrigley Field. My little orange cat, Cinnamon. America’s compassion finding its voice.
*
Only momentarily a widow. Defibrillators rock! Sun on snow, white diamonds glistening. First house, fresh paint. Goodbye, gray! Family, sobriety, heavy metal, Cheddar cheese. Sun rising. Moon setting. Another day. It won’t always be like this.
*
A man I melt into nightly. I’m grateful for Spam. Comfort food. Hummingbirds. Photocorynus. Clouds. Pula. Haiku. Sprites. Sunny deck, soaring birds, hot coffee. Love, enough money, health, moist turkey. My one wild and precious life.
I hope you have a restorative and grateful holiday. Sam Sifton, NYT
Halloween is a day that is looked forward and cherished by many.
It is also a day that brings lots of extra waste- extra plastic and waste through costumes and decorations. What if we try to reduce so much waste and use what we have?
Instead of buying so much plastic waste maybe make ghosts out of old sheets or make a scarecrow out of old clothes and save money, too
Embrace Halloween as a day to be creative.
Halloween can be a creative time to decorate and create a costume. I look forward to the creative thinking that come to my door. Being creative is more fun!
The hardest part of a plastic-free holiday is finding plastic-free candy, How about apples or tangerines?
Here are some good candy tips tips from Beyond Plastic: Pick plastic-free packages. If you need to stick to packaged candies, there are some options that come wrapped in foil or small thin cardboard boxes. Candies like Dots, Milk Duds, and Junior Mints come in small cardboard boxes, Tootsie Rolls and other fruit chews and Dubble Bubble come wrapped in paper, and there are many small Halloween-themed chocolates that come wrapped in foil that, at least in theory, could be collected and recycled.
Instead of buying a new costume, consider setting up a costume swap party with friends (see some tips here) or creating a homemade costume where face paint replaces a plastic mask. Perhaps there is even the option to rent a costume for the night.
For decorations, look around your home and in nature to see what can be upcycled to help set the scene for Halloween. Cardboard boxes could easily be made into tombstone decorations. String or rope can create thick spider webs. If you are wanting to purchase decor, consider looking for items that will last for several Halloweens.
What about choosing real pumpkins over plastic versions? Not only can you carve how you want, you can roast the seeds. And when done, the pumpkin can be turned into soup or cut into pieces to decompose in a garden or composted.
I wanted to share an invite to Zero Waste Fest on Saturday, October 11 at Burroughs Community School in Minneapolis. It’s a free, all-day community event with panels, food, music, kid’s activities, and lots of hands-on ways to get involved in building a future without waste. Zero Waste Fest — MN Zero Waste Coalition
The day runs from 10am to 4pm and includes:
Inspiring panels on:
Building a Zero Waste Future in Minnesota
Plastic is a Justice Issue: Fighting Pollution from Production to Disposal
From Throwaway to Reuse: Reclaiming Culture, Creating Systems
Tabling from organizations around MN supporting zero waste
Clothing swaps and mending
Food, art, and music!
It’s free and open to everyone. I’d love for you to join us and help spread the word!
The last half of July is here. Remember it is Plastic Free July.
Beyond Plastic has a calendar of ideas to work on your Plastic free journey. I strongly suggest you visit a food coop where you can fill your own containers, day 16.
Reduce, reuse and refill are the only real solutions to the growing plastic pollution crisis outside of policy change so find and visit a refill store near you, and get to it!
Invite friends, family and neighbors over for a sewing party to create produce or shopping bags to donate to a co-op or food pantry, or to give customers outside of a larger grocery store before they enter.
Summer is a great time to host a postcard party and postcards are a great way to deliver a short note to your elected officials about a particular bill and how you’d like them to support it.
This summer, while the grill and air are hot, host a plastic-free BBQ or other event. Download our guide on Hosting a Plastic-Free, Low Waste Event to help you prepare.
Give out this one-page handout on reducing plastic to your favorite restaurants, cafes, and bars. If you want extra credit, you can offer to conduct a plastic audit for the establishment using the template from our guide, “Hold the Plastic Please, A Restaurant’s Guide to Reducing Plastic”.
Are you part of a faith community? Download the Beyond Plastics Toolkit for Houses of Worship, share it with the leadership, and offer to help them take the practical steps it lays out.
We hope you’ve made some progress toward your plastic-free goals and would love for you to share them with us. Follow Beyond Plastics on your favorite social media platforms, post a photo of your action and tag us!
Join the growing grassroots movement of people working to reduce plastic pollution in their own towns and cities! Check out our map to see if there is a Beyond Plastics Local Group or Affiliate near you. If not, find 2-3 people who want to start one.
Take today to assemble your plastic bag monster from the bags or single-use items you collected all month long. Snap a photo, post on social media and tag both @beyondplastics and @plasticfreejuly.
I was surprised to hear about No Buy July. Surprised, but also pleased. As a zero-waste person, I worry about the harm consumerism does to our planet. Our air and water suffer from production, transportation and the disposal of so many purchases that are not necessary. We are passing a way of life of consumerism on to our children when we already have a planet that can’t support our American lifestyles.
We all need clean air and water. Less consumerism and less trash make a difference in protecting our planet.
Michelle Singletary has good suggestions to participate in No Buy July
Shopping shouldn’t be thought of as entertainment.
Don’t define yourself as a consumer.
Stop spemding to save
Start saving by having a plan and a purpose for how you spend your money. Read her column here:
In honor of Plastic-free July, buy yourself a wooden cutting board.
Plastic cutting boards (made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels) are a staple in many of our kitchens. But did you know that they have actually been found to be a significant source of microplastics in our food? This study estimated that a person, on average, consumes between 7.4g-50.7g of microplastics from a polyethylene cutting board each year, and 49.5g from a polypropylene one. These microplastics have many potential health risks such as increased risk of disease, artery blockage and inflammation.
In this NBC News article, Victoria Fulfer, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Rhode Island, gives a demonstration to show how easily microplastics can end up in food and water. After cutting two slices of a white onion and rinsing the slices, she filtered the water used in the rinse. When the filter was placed under a microscope it revealed small pieces of plastic that had transferred from the cutting board to the onion.
All cutting boards, including plastic ones, should be replaced when there is evidence of excessive wear and tear, such as deep grooves in the surface. These grooves can make it harder to properly clean the board, and it makes it easier for microplastics to transfer from plastic cutting boards. This article talks about how damage to the surface of plastics further increases the release of microplastics, and goes more in depth on possible health risks associated with them.
Maybe replacing your plastic cutting boards with wooden or bamboo ones could be your first step to reducing plastic use in your daily life, or maybe you have already started the process and this is another step in your journey. Above is from The Carbon Almanac
For the health of your family, switch to a wooden cutting board
How can you use less plastic? #BeatPlasticPollution
June 5th is World Environment Day Today is World Environment Day, an international observance that began in 1973 and held annually ever since.This year’s theme continues to focus on plastic and the goal is to #BeatPlasticPollution. Did you know that:Less than 10% of plastic is recycled? The rest end up in landfills or waterways.There are more microplastics (plastic less than 5mm in diameter) in our waterways than there are stars in our galaxy?We ingest microplastics from the food we eat and the air we breathe?A global treaty to end plastic pollution is currently being negotiated, with the second round of discussions happening in August. Consider taking a count of the number of single use plastic items you use in a day or a week. And then consider what alternatives exist to help reduce that number or eliminate your single plastic use altogether. We can all take action. Together.
Reducing your use of single-use plastic makes a big difference!
Small acts adding up to more Below is from the Carbon Almanac! “We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” – Howard Zinn Consider what you buy. Everything we purchase has made an impact on the environment through carbon emissions. Some more than others. Is your item available second-hand?Our actions matter. We can make a difference before it’s too late. Small actions when coordinated with others can lead to systemic change.What are things you can do?Get engaged in your local government. Listen to a meeting, reach out to your representative, sign a petition. Local environmental policies have a direct impact on our lives and our voices can make a difference.Involve your community. Bring people together to enjoy conversations and spark ideas on what actions to take. Consider what your buy. Everything we purchase has made an impact on the environment through carbon emissions. Some more than others. Is your item available second-hand?Our actions matter. We can make a difference before it’s too late.
Health4earth 