15 Ways to Detox Plastic from Your Life
In this day and age, we’re surrounded by plastic. It’s nearly impossible to live without it; our food and other consumables are packed in plastic, many products are made of plastic, we use plastic cups, cutlery and plates for “convenience.” While many food products tout themselves as organic, they still have plastic packaging. Some plastic is obvious, other plastic is disguised; for example, we have micro-plastics in our personal care products, like exfoliating scrubs or tooth paste, which end up in the rivers and oceans, as sewage treatment facilities are not designed to filter micro-plastic beads.
Why should we start to de-plasticize our lives? Plastic lasts nearly forever and only a tiny little part gets recycled. Animals and sea life get entangled in plastic bags. Its additives mimic hormones like phthalates and BPA, both of which are well-known to cause serious health problems, like infertility, cancer and brain damage.
It is time to take action and decrease our plastic consumption. Even the small things count! Ready to decrease your plastic footprint? Here are 15 ways you can reduce your daily use of plastic:
Shopping? Plan ahead.
Take reusable bags to the supermarket and other shops (I always have some bags in the car) or use cardboard boxes for your shopping. Forget your bags? Think twice about using the store’s one-use plastic bags. Opt for paper instead, and be sure to recycle it.
Cookware & Housekeeping
Use wooden spoons and other kitchen gadgets. Clean your home with wooden brushes.
Skip the Straw
Take you coffee mug with you to the coffee shop, and do not use straws.
Watering Plants
A metal watering is so much more attractive and decorative than the ones made of plastic.
Eat with Your Hands!
Prepare your party with finger food and say no to plastic plates, cutlery and cups. If you need cutlery, buy wooden cutlery you can personalize and decorate with masking tape.
Wear All-Natural
Buy clothes made of natural fibers (preferably organic), like cotton, wool, silk and hemp.
Buy in Bulk
Buy bulk and try to avoid individually wrapped products and snacks.
Baby Toys
Wooden toys are much more attractive than plastic toys and teething babies will not ingest all the unhealthy ingredients.
Drink It Up
Use glass or stainless steel bottles and drink filtered tap water, avoid beverages in PET bottles.
Mind the Produce
Forego the plastic produce bags and purchase fruit and vegetables in cardboard boxes. Need to weigh them individually? Use paper bags.
Refill It!
Some stores offer refills on products like detergents and household cleaners. Even better, use homemade household cleaners, like vinegar, baking soda and lemon.
Haircare
Use a comb made of horn or wood.
Skincare
Check the ingredients of your personal care products and avoid micro-plastics in scrubs, tooth paste and other cosmetics.
Make-Your-Own
Make your own yogurt and store it in glass jars.
Mindful Snacking
Need a nibble? Take your snacks in a metal or wooden lunch box.
BONUS FACT
Did you know that Bisphenol A and phthalates are obesogens, hormone disruptors that make you and the generations to come fat? Another well-know obesogen is nicotine. By detoxing your body, you’re helping to detox the environment!
About the Author
How Cryptocurrencies Like Bitcoin Can Democratize Money and Society
As cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin break new records seemingly every day, could this lead to a financial and cultural revolution? Or are we not quite there yet?
Cryptocurrencies have recently gained popularity as an alternative to conventional monetary systems. Blockchain is a system in which a record of transactions made in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are maintained across multiple computers that are linked in a peer-to-peer network. Cryptocurrency has no centralized bank controlling the flow of money, but rather a decentralized system controlled by algorithms.
Crypto has been hailed as a way to democratize finances for all, not just wealthy elites. But with the rise in popularity, what are the potential pitfalls of these online currencies?
“Blockchain is a way of digitally marking the development and moving around of this money—you’re making sure that it can’t be counterfeited. They do it in such a way that it’s anonymous and decentralized, but secure,” Zeus Yiamouyiannis, author of Transforming Economy, said.
“The current monetary system can be manipulated; the supply can be manipulated to benefit very few people over the many. As we’ve been seeing over the past few decades, the same pattern keeps emerging and it’s growing, and that is greater and greater gambling by the big boys, to the point where they inherently fail through their greed. And guess who bails them out 100 percent of the time? The little guy who had absolutely nothing to do with it,” Yiamouyiannis said.
