7 Things I Learned from Plastic Free July

Hey earth muffins! Happy August – wow, July sure flew by! Early last month I posted about 10 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Plastic Consumption as a way for me to share that I would be participating in Plastic Free July (read more about the challenge on their website!). As that post got a lot of page views, I figured you all would enjoy a debrief on what I learned through this challenge since we have entered into a new month. 🙂

~Plastic is in more places than you think. Before starting the challenge, I had already been avoiding a lot of plastics due to my journey towards living a lower waste lifestyle. However, being conscious that I was participating in the challenge, I seemed to notice more plastic around me. It is honestly pretty scary about how “throw-awayable” our culture is.

~It definitely takes time to find alternatives to plastic and to switch your habits. I don’t think I really expected otherwise in the beginning of July, but it is something to be aware of. Habit change does take time!

~You’ll feel better for sure when you don’t eat things in plastic. I have completely avoided snack foods in plastic bags by shopping the bulk bins, and I find better quality in local produce at the farmers market than the stuff at a grocery store wrapped in unnecessary plastic. My journey to lower waste living and being plastic free in July definitely forced me to change my eating habits, and I have felt so much healthier!!!

~You will actually save a bunch of money. Think about all of the unnecessary products you buy that are plastic, like the bags of chips or the Starbucks coffees each morning. I have definitely noticed more money in my wallet, which allows me to spend it on better things 🙂

~You will screw up. I definitely used plastic last month; no one is perfect! Sometimes you just can’t avoid it or you are feeling lazy. But don’t give yourself crap for it, just use it as leverage to do better next time.

~A challenge like this will raise awareness with those around you. For example, I have gotten so many compliments for bringing my own bags to clothing stores! This leads to conversation about what you are doing, which will hopefully inspire others to do the same. I know I impacted my family and friends for sure… My mom now only uses reusable bags and always tells me when she thought of me saying “It’s Plastic Free July!” when faced with plastic.

~It will change your life because you will feel better about your choices and your impact on the planet. At least it did for me haha. Plus, the habits I formed during July will definitely be sticking around, so I would recommend for you all to also try something like this!

 

Would you ever try Plastic Free July?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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Comments

  1. I try to reduce my plastic use as well. Simple things like buying cucumbers, I don't buy English cucumbers because they're always wrapped in plastic, instead I go for the garden cucumbers which are not wrapped in anything. Things like that. Sometimes it's tough, but the little things add up.
    https://ChantalsCorner.ca

  2. Chantal – I agree with you! It actually has started to annoy me whenever I go to grocery stores that so much fresh vegetables and fruit are wrapped in plastic… So I have started to shop at my local farmer's market to avoid it all 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
    -Jenna <3
    The Chic Cupcake

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