It's Plastic Free July!
As herbalists, green witches, or just as people who like plants and herbs and nature, we're stewards of the environment. For everything nature gives us, it's important that we intentionally put in the work to reduce our negative impact on the earth we depend on. It's our responsibility to care for the plants that care for us.
This month is a great time for each of us to evaluate our use of plastic and make changes to reduce our dependence on these "forever materials". We call plastics "forever materials", because although many will eventually break down, some will take hundreds of years, and most won't ever fully break down. They just get smaller.
Plastics are made from fossil fuels, so they negatively affect our environment from the start. Then, even though much of plastic is recyclable, over 70% of plastic made ends up in landfills where it stays forever, or it ends up in places like The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, just one of the garbage islands floating in our ocean.
Plastic is inevitable in our modern society, and may even be better than alternatives in some cases, but single-use plastics (wrappers, straws, plastic bags, etc), especially single-use plastics made from virgin materials, are a huge and almost entirely avoidable burden on our environment. Just as substantial a problem are disposable household items made from plastic that are easily replaceable with plant-based compostable items or refillable items.
It's always best to use up what you have, and to reuse whatever you can (even plastic), but Plastic Free July is the perfect time to make intentional changes to reduce plastic use to keep it out of landfills and waterways. Most changes are so easy, you'll be able to make them a permanent part of your life without much effort.
Not all changes will work with all lifestyles and all budgets, but all small changes add up. Don't worry about making changes perfectly, just choose what you can do, and do it consistently. You might wonder what difference you can make as a single person when big businesses are doing so much damage, but you're not alone - we are all making changes together (plus, corporations only make what we keep buying, and we have a lot of power by choosing "not single use plastic" whenever possible). One of the biggest mistakes we make as humans is not realizing how impactful we are, and how much of a positive change we can make when we do it together.
Check out the official site of Plastic Free July (we're not affiliated, we just support the movement) and follow along with us on our Instagram or Facebook in July for eco-friendly replacement ideas for plastic products. Most of the items are eco-friendly and/or compostable items we have available in the shop, and some may be general ideas or items we don't carry but love.
Let us know on IG or FB, or comment below, about your personal Plastic Free July challenge you're giving yourself and what change(s) you're making!