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July is officially Plastic-free Month, and millions of people around the world are joining in and taking positive steps to decrease plastic pollution. Of course, we should all be cutting down on plastic use, not only in July, but permanently!
Here is a visual on how plastic pollution affects us:
Image from https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/
And here's another sobering chart:
Image from www.ciel.org
Well, the bright side is that we can all take action NOW! And here are a few easy ways to do so:
1. Join the Plastic-free July 2023 movement, and then do it every month, every day permanently. This is a nifty 31-day action calendar from Plastic Free July.
2. Here are our three favorite books on how to go plastic-free:
Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too
by Beth Terry
Say Good-bye to Plastic: A Survival Guide for Plastic-Free Living
by Sandra Ann Harris
Home Detox: Make Your Home a Healthier Place for Everyone Who Lives There
by Daniella Chase
3. Growing your own food is one of the primary ways in which we can reply
less on commercialized farming and food production, which is a major source of plastic pollution due to single-use plastic packaging and the entire
manufacturing/transportation process.
4. Cook, ferment, & party at home! Although dining out is a socially popular thing to do, the fact is that when we cook more at home, we not only save money, but we can also help to lessen the plastic burden. And of course, when you make your own sauerkraut, or pickles, or kimchi, or kombucha, or yogurt at home, you are dramatically cutting down on single-use plastics, as well as other environmental factors, such as not driving to a restaurant, etc.
5. Store your food in re-usable glass containers. Doing this will not only help to reduce plastic pollution, but it will also reduce your exposure to micro-plastic particles that may negatively affect your endocrine system, and overall health as shown in the image above.
And here are our favorite glass containers for food storage, which are also compatible with our ChouAmi Fermentation tops, too. These beautiful, and sturdy jars have a straight, or "terrine" style design making it easy to get ingredients in and out of the jars, and come in a variety of sizes.
References
https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-facts-and-figures/
https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution#how-does-plastic-impact-wildlife-and-human-health
Ullah, Sana, et al. “A Review of the Endocrine Disrupting Effects of Micro and Nano Plastic and Their Associated Chemicals in Mammals.” Frontiers in Endocrinology, vol. 13, Frontiers Media, Jan. 2023, https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2022.1084236.
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