|
We can see the finish line!
|
|
|
|
|
|
There’s just over a week to go until the end of Plastic Free July. However many mistakes you've made (and believe it when we say - we all make them) throughout the challenge, you've still said 'no' to single-use plastic and stood up to plastic waste. And we suspect that you will have learned a lot about your habits, too.
Be proud that you’ve contributed towards this global movement to help end plastic waste - and know that July is just the first step on this journey!
|
|
QUICK TIPS
- Gift wrapping - there’s no way to avoid using sticky tape, right? Actually, there is. Consider switching gift bags, or, if you want something more personal, you can tie with string or ribbon. Or perhaps you can learn the art of furoshiki and wrap gifts in fabric?
- Decorations - celebrations don't need single-use plastic party decorations. We've put together this guide with ideas for refusing balloons and other plastic at parties and events.
- Gift giving - start being more aware of the gifts you’re giving and whether they contribute to our world’s growing waste problem. That might mean making a gift yourself, buying an experience rather than an item, or even dedicating a donation to a cause your gift recipient will appreciate.
- Make your own - whether you bake, grow vegetables, write a letter or draw a card, sew, make simple beauty products, or can pick some flowers from the garden, there are plenty of ways to give others something that doesn't come in plastic.
|
|
TWO FREE ONLINE EVENTS
Sustainable menstruation workshop (online webinar) - 26 July, 12.30PM IST, 3PM AWST, 5PM AEST
We are thrilled to host a sustainable menstruation workshop all about reducing plastic waste and empowerment with our friends from India: Rajasi Kulkarni Diwakar and Kathy and Jessamijn from Eco Femme. If you are thing about switching to reusable menstrual products to reduce your waste and how to promote change but aren’t sure where to start, this workshop is for you.
Book your spot here.
|
|
Waste Free Families: Celebrate Plastic Free July (Facebook Live) - 31st July, 9AM AWST, 11AM AEST
Join Lauren & Oberon Carter and their kids, for a fun, family-friendly workshop, as we celebrate Plastic Free July.
We’ll have some fun with a science experiment or two, make and grow our own food, and get creative, making gifts for family and friends, using things found in your home, and all plastic-free! Join us as we share some simple recipes and tips to help you live plastic-free into the future.
Register your interest here.
|
|
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Don from Canada asks: "One of my big problems during Covid-19 is that I cannot buy bulk items at the grocery store with my own reusable cotton bags. I now have to buy the same products in plastic containers. Perhaps we could ask what others are doing around the world?"
This is one of our most frequently asked questions this year, as many of us grapple with the changes brought in by the pandemic. We've shared a few ideas that our participants have shared with us, but if you have any great tips, we'd love to hear from you too!
Some people are finding swaps by buying more loose fruits and vegetables, choosing items in tins or glass, and packaged in cardboard or paper. We've heard from lots of people happy they've been able to find staples like pasta and oats in cardboard at their local supermarket.
Many participants who aren’t able to use their reusable shopping bags have discovered they can put their shopping back into the trolley and unloading directly into the car.
Others have decided to support their local bulk stores, even though they cannot buy all their groceries without plastic, because they want these stores to still be standing when the rules are relaxed again.
Some people have decided to boycott the products they can't find without plastic for July!
And others have tried making a few things from scratch. (We've been seeing a lot of crackers and dips being made these last few weeks.)
Finally, some people have decided to accept that the grocery shopping is going to be plastic-wrapped this July, and are focusing on the bathroom and the laundry instead.
Here at Plastic Free July HQ, we don't think there's a single right answer. Navigating Covid-19 is a challenge in itself, even without Plastic Free July! We believe that health is of utmost importance. We also think that any plastic refused is a success - so just keep focusing on those wins, no matter how small.
|
|
|
PLASTIC FREE JULY IN THE NEWS
|
|
Domain wrote an excellent article about the Plastic Free July campagn, with a really positive, practical approach that we love, and lots of ideas and tips. You can read the article here: Five easy ways to be more sustainable at home. |
|
YOUR STORIES
You've been sharing your Stories with us via our website, and we love reading about Plastic Free July happening all over the world in all sorts of different ways.
Hannah from Canada writes:
I am a single mother of a toddler who is nearly 3 years old, and an environmental scientist working full time. I use cloth diapers at home, bake our own bread and use cloth bags for groceries. I grow as much garden vegetables as I can and jar whatever we don't eat right away. I reuse yogurt containers for food containers, spice shakers and any other bottle or container to make water toys and other things for him to play with. I try my best.
The most difficult part of going all the way to be plastic free, is that I just don't have the time to make a lot of the little snacks and things a child needs between meals or as part of meals, or to go different stores to buy bulk or organic - not to mention the toys, which are pretty much all made of plastic. Nor can I afford a lot of these things.
I end up buying boxes of pre-wrapped snacks, salad dressings, spreads, etc... I find I'm just cooking all the time, and don't have as much time to spend with him to have fun and do all the wonderful creative things a 3 year old should be doing.
I joined this movement hoping to hear about similar stories, or get some tips, which I have learned about a few things on this site that I hadn't thought about. I wanted to share so that other single mothers know they're not alone, and that our circumstances are probably one of the most difficult to try and be environmentally responsible because with the much needed conveniences, comes negative environmental outcomes.
My friends, family and coworkers ask why I care at all, that being a single mother I have an excuse to not even bother being plastic-free, and that my child should be my main focus. My response is that my child needs to learn how to live responsibly to be a better person and live a responsible life - that for a single mother, there needs to be a balance between energy spent with your child and energy spent protecting the environment for your child's future.
It's definitely a challenge, though I believe its worth it - just hope that I can find some advice - and if anyone knows how to hit pause on life, I'd greatly appreciate tips on that too!
|
|
Terry from Scotland writes:
As part of Plastic Free July, Darkwood Crew - a local community group based in Paisley, Scotland - have organised an awareness campaign via their social media channels. The focus of this campaign has been to raise awareness of the environmental impact single-use plastic has on our community and our world, and how we can change our every day habits both as individuals and as a community.
Raising awareness of our own local authority colour-coded recycling scheme, suggestions for individual swap alternatives and statistics relating to the volume of single use plastic we use has formed the basis of our approach. As lockdown came to an end in Scotland it provided us with an opportunity to combine our support for the #PlasticFreeJuly campaign and #NationalPicnicMonth in the UK.
We hosted a #PlasticFreePicnic on Sunday 12th July with more than 50 people on attendance. All relevant social distancing measures were observed and a kids entertainer provided some energetic routines whilst the mums had their nails and make up done in our Wellbeing Gazebo. It was very difficult to avoid all plastic - however we had a fab time raising awareness of how to best avoid it and more importantly how to dispose of it correctly if you can't avoid it.
The minimal plastic used was collected and dislosed of correctly to be recycled. This was a great way to tackle a global problem at a community level and is underpinned with a firm belief that a greener world starts with greener communities.
|
|
|
If your employer, community group, church, school, favourite cafe or local business, or even your household is taking steps to refuse single-use plastic this July, we would love to hear about it! You can tell us your stories by filling in this form - and don't forget to include a picture! Share your story now.
|
|
JESS DISCOVERS
Jess our newest team member at Plastic Free July HQ (pictured here with Tina) is doing Plastic Free July for the first time herself this year, and every week she is telling us about something she discovered on the journey.
This week, Jess was telling us that she'd never thought about 'accidental littering'. Like all of us, Jess recycles responsibly and puts all her non-recycable plastic in the waste bin.
It had never occurred to Jess that some of the litter we see blowing down the streets, floating in waterways, and lodged in ditches and by the side of the street might not have been littered on purpose at all.
Something like a small sweetie/lolly/confectionery wrapper might have been popped in the bin. But it's easy for plastic to escape from the bin. A gust of wind or over-interested wildlife might cause the contents to escape. Sometimes plastic escapes the bin truck. After all, it's so small and lightweight, it's easy for it to get into the environment.
It's why here at Plastic Free July we are so focussed on stopping plastic at the source: by choosing to refuse it, we know that there's less chance of it escaping into the environment later on. Imagine if we didn't need to do beach and river clean-ups because there simply wasn't any plastic waste being created! (We know this isn't the case...yet. But that's our vision for the future: a world without plastic waste.)
|
|
Thank you so much for every piece of plastic you've refused so far. You're so close to the end of the month now, just buckle in and keep on trying - we're cheering you on as you head to the finish line!
Until next time, stay safe,
The Plastic Free July team
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2020 Plastic Free Foundation, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you have expressed interest in our Plastic Free July challenge.
Our mailing address is:
Plastic Free FoundationPO Box 168 South Fremantle Perth, WA 6162 Australia
|
|
|
|
|
