A few years ago I read a wonderful article in Red magazine about a family that completely gave up all plastic in their family. Cold turkey, no exceptions. They had very young children when they made their choice and reading about how those choices impacted their family was incredibly interesting. The magnitude of what giving up plastic really means, and how deeply ingrained it is in our lives was something that I hadn't stopped to really appreciate. And while there were so many positives from these choices (cheaper food bill, doing the right thing, ect) there was also the startling realisation of how much it had alienated their children from their peers, right down to the simple act of not having the snacks widely available to everyone else, because of the packaging.
While we endeavour to make more and more changes for the better it is easy to feel like your choices aren't making a difference. Local writer Jen Gale, author of Sustainableish, addresses the idea of starting somewhere and keeping choices manageable is a step in the right direction. You can read more about her fantastic journey here. And if you are simply looking for a place to start then Plastic Free July has a wonderful range of resources, quizzes and ideas.
At the shop we are so proud to support wonderful companies such as Hedgewild, The Organic Company, Bookspeed, Cupsmith, Emma Bridgewater, Pelegrims and many others, that are committed to a brighter future, through ethicals choices, living wages, B corps status and plastic free packaging. We reuse shipping boxes and packing products and are always taking care to make our business as sustainable as possible. By working together and making as many small changes as we can we hope to make a much larger impact on the current global environmental crisis. Please share with us your top tips and small changes this plastic free July.