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Plastic Free July: 3 Years On
Plastic Free July: Background Plastic Free July is a month long event that encourages people to examine their plastic use and minimize plastic in everyday life. Plastic Free July started with a small group of people in Western Australia and has since become a part of the Plastic Free Foundation. Events are held worldwide with millions of people participating. The great thing about Plastic Free July is that anyone can participate and that you can join in at your own pace. You don’t have to ditch 100% of your plastic right from July 1st – small, continuous changes over a period of time make a huge difference. To get started, simply…
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Plastic Free July: Personal Care Products
So many of the personal care products we use are wrapped in plastic, stored in plastic, and even contain chemicals toxic to ourselves and our environment. However many of these products – such as foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick – are wrapped up in our identities. They help us to look how we want to look and we have long associations with brands, colours, and scents that make us feel ourselves. I (Krista) don’t wear a lot of makeup, but still have had a difficult time getting around transitioning from traditional eyeliner and mascara. However, as noted above, there are compelling reasons to consider alternatives that are better for us and…
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Plastic Free Bathroom
So Much Plastic Once you start looking, there is plastic everywhere! Shampoo and conditioner bottles, medicine bottles, make up containers, packaging, toilet paper packaging, toothpaste, toothbrushes… It can feel overwhelming to look at an extensive list of items that include plastic! My plastic free bathroom journey is still a work in progress. Things like pill or vitamin containers and even my hair comb are items that don’t look to be replaced in the short term. What matters most to me in this process is continuing to take steps forward. So here are some things I’ve been doing so far. Feminine Hygiene The Swap: Disposable Sanitary Pads for Reusable Cotton Pads…
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Bluebird Pads – A Plastic Free Period
When we were gifted some products from Blushing Bluebird Essentials, we were hopeful but skeptical about whether we were going to like using a reusable, cotton sanitary pad. (Spoiler alert: we loved them so much that Krista has already purchased more with her own money and I have plans to.) Even though we were skeptical, we were motivated by the reality of period waste. Plastic Free July has had us examining areas of our lives that we don’t necessarily look that closely at and a plastic free period was one of them. According to the Huff Post, “On average, a woman has her period from three to seven days and the…
