One Small Change At Home: Reusable Bags
Knowing that you need to make changes to your household consumption and waste is one thing, but knowing where to start is another thing entirely. If you are busy with little ones at home, struggling to keep things organized, working full time, or living on a lower income, many of the changes that you might see recommended can feel overwhelming and expensive to implement all at once. My hope is to set my family up with one achievable intention each month, master it, then move on to to a new challenge. (I share the monthly challenge over in my Gentle Family Journal and we use #onesmallchangeathome to show our progress and ideas to support each other in the community on instagram.)
For September, our family is making the FULL commitment to no plastic bags. I'm sure many of you are in the same boat as us - we've had piles of cloth/reusable bags for years and in terms of grocery shopping plastic free, we're *almost* nailing it. However, those plastic bags still sneak in to our house! When you run to the drugstore just for a few things on your way home from work, or you're out doing clothes or gift shopping but don't have the bags with you (because you're not grocery shopping) those plastic bags add up.
So our big/simple plan this month is to make sure we always have bags in both cars (usually we just keep them in the front hall closet) which means intentionally putting them back after shopping. I've also been stuffing a small, rolled up cotton bag in my diaper bag or purse as a backup. Borrowing an idea from my university days when I ALWAYS forgot my keys, I've put a sticky note right at the front door that just says BAGS. It does the trick!
The one purchase we'll make this month is reusable produce bags which are meant to replace the plastic bags we pull from the massive rolls in the fruit and veggie department. Most of the ones I've come across are mesh, however The Green Mum over on Instagram recommended a set from Low Waste Living and we ordered them - they are handmade in Toronto from recycled fabric, and because they're not mesh you can use them for dry goods (at Bulk Barn for example). So much winning!
The biggest challenge I think we'll face is on the days we forget. If we are out and we have purchased something and we do NOT have our own bag; we still have to say no to the plastic! It would be easy to buy yet another reusable bag, but there's a point where that also becomes over-consumption of an item - we already have so many!
I would hope that a few trips to the car juggling multiple items will be enough to remember the bags next time.
For September, our family is making the FULL commitment to no plastic bags. I'm sure many of you are in the same boat as us - we've had piles of cloth/reusable bags for years and in terms of grocery shopping plastic free, we're *almost* nailing it. However, those plastic bags still sneak in to our house! When you run to the drugstore just for a few things on your way home from work, or you're out doing clothes or gift shopping but don't have the bags with you (because you're not grocery shopping) those plastic bags add up.
So our big/simple plan this month is to make sure we always have bags in both cars (usually we just keep them in the front hall closet) which means intentionally putting them back after shopping. I've also been stuffing a small, rolled up cotton bag in my diaper bag or purse as a backup. Borrowing an idea from my university days when I ALWAYS forgot my keys, I've put a sticky note right at the front door that just says BAGS. It does the trick!
The one purchase we'll make this month is reusable produce bags which are meant to replace the plastic bags we pull from the massive rolls in the fruit and veggie department. Most of the ones I've come across are mesh, however The Green Mum over on Instagram recommended a set from Low Waste Living and we ordered them - they are handmade in Toronto from recycled fabric, and because they're not mesh you can use them for dry goods (at Bulk Barn for example). So much winning!The biggest challenge I think we'll face is on the days we forget. If we are out and we have purchased something and we do NOT have our own bag; we still have to say no to the plastic! It would be easy to buy yet another reusable bag, but there's a point where that also becomes over-consumption of an item - we already have so many!
I would hope that a few trips to the car juggling multiple items will be enough to remember the bags next time.
*Gentle Reminder: I will not be ridiculous on the expectations of myself when I'm out with children. Pushing a buggy/carrying a baby/holding a hand in a busy parking lot are more important than my intentions if there is an occasion where I forget the bags. If a bag makes it home, we'll make sure to find another use for it. Grace to yourself first, this is not a challenge meant to stress you out in any way - know your limits!*
Good luck! And use the hashtag to share with us any tips or tricks on how things are going for you this month. Also feel free to share ideas for next month's intention!
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