R and R… and R!
The “3 R’s“, Something we’re taught in elementary school.
I can honestly say there are a few areas that need some serious work in my life. I know that I could never be perfect, but the effort is what matters.
Our family is amazing at recycling. I truly believe that we actually get more recycling than we do garbage. Is this a good thing? I am unsure. The hard part of this, is I know it’s still mostly packaged plastic. A lot of the organic produce I buy still comes in plastic containers or packaging – cherry tomatoes, lettuce, greens and berries, but we make sure we recycle them. I have recently purchased the reusable mesh produce bags, and I LOVE THEM! They are so convenient and fold up super tiny so you can just keep them in your purse. Where I fail, is the reusable shopping bags. We actually re-use the plastic grocery bags to clean out the cat and bunny’s litter boxes, they work great for that. I know there is a better way, so maybe this is one area where I can work on it.
Reusable water bottles are something we are consistent at! We have about 10 sitting on our water cooler, the kids use them to take to school, and we also use them when we go on road trips. It’s rare when we purchase a bottle of water, but I won’t say it doesn’t happen. We also have a soda stream, to make homemade sparkling water. I use it every day, I actually prefer it over still. I do once and awhile buy the BUBLY, which is a nice treat, flavoured sparkling water, but we can recycle the can. I have the cute mason jar glasses at home that have a lid and reusable straw that we use for smoothies, or a drink on the go! We aren’t coffee shop people, we usually have our coffee in the morning at home, and bring our to-go cups with us, to be re-filled.
Our local restaurants no longer have straws, which to be honest I have never been a big fan of anyways. I would much rather sip from a glass. And really, when I go out it’s to have a glass of wine, and no straw is needed there!
For the kid’s lunches, I try to keep them litterless. But convenience takes over. We do purchase juice boxes, I know it’s not the best, another area to be worked on. The more I write this post the more I realize there’s work to be done! I use containers to package almost all their food, but Ziploc bags (SOOOO BAD!) have been one that I use for a go-to. This is the main area that I have decided to change is to no longer use Ziplocs. There is always an alternative for this, and I will find a good solution! The biggest one for me is a half cut avocado. I find with a Ziploc you can squeeze the air out and it helps from the avocado oxidizing, but maybe the beeswax wraps would help keep it fresh? Suggestions would be helpful!
I remember, when the kids were young, we went to a playdate. Most moms brought containers of fruit, applesauce packs, Ziplocs of goldfish crackers etc. One mom brought plain rice cakes… in a glass jar, dried fruit… in a glass jar, plain cheerios and raisins… in a glass jar. I thought to myself, I would love to be more aware like her, and here I am. This topic was such a great reminder to look at the areas in need of work, and appreciate the areas where we are resourceful.
I will continue to make better choices, to respect this beautiful planet and to help reduce plastics, and to teach my children to do the same <3 There is always room to be better, and to do more.
Written by: Krystle Rhea; Just Breathe Mama
