What do you think of a day off? Maybe next week? We do not want to encourage you to stay away from work or to annoy your employer.
Our idea is to insert a plastic-free - or rather a plastic reduced - day.
Usually, change is about taking their time to establish themselves - or even get used to them. And most of the time we're waiting for the circumstances to suit us ("If I have time, then ..."). But the right moment is just as much a master of pushing forward as we are and will take a long time to come.
If you want to go for a change towards more sustainability, but you do not know where to start, a plastic-free day can be an ideal way to get started.
Maybe you realize that it is not so hard to go through the everyday life and maybe you would like to schedule such a day regularly.
First of all, when researching this article, we came across a lot of testimonials from people who were disappointed with the result of their plastic-free self-experiment, who tortured themselves with a guilty conscience or drew a negative conclusion from it, that a plastic-free life too stressful, annoying, expensive or simply impossible.
From these reports, we have drawn a kind of cross-section to filter out the best and to give you optimal and realizable suggestions with which you feel well.
It's not necessarily about completely avoiding plastic. Because that's honest and straightforward, really hard work, since plastic surrounds us, like galaxies the earth. It is also not about getting a chronically bad conscience or being discouraged to realize that you can only make a small contribution in the fight for the environment.
That's why we give such days an improved name: plastic downsize day!
Use the lotion that you love so much on your plastic downsize day. Do not fret if you do not get noodles in a paper bag and do not give up all your favorite fruit or vegetables. We will not repeat things that are frightening us.
Jasmin Simmel owns the "Füllgut", an unpacked shop in Regensburg. Her advice is: "The most important thing is not to change everything at once. If you approach the project too radically, you can quickly skid in your stressful everyday life or the environment does not want to play along. "It is much easier to change small things first; "Consciously go through the world and the shops, consciously consume and consciously make decisions. Not as much as possible, but buy the best possible things. "
You'll see that your perception of plastic products is sharpened - and that's worth a lot. When we realize how dependent we are on plastic, we sharpen our consciousness and can stand up to the throwaway society. To lead a completely plastic-free life, is very praiseworthy, but not for everyone.
We think you've already achieved a lot if you can reduce plastic consumption by 50% on a plastic downsize day. Once you get the taste, you may want to keep it that way more often. Do you go shopping in the future, or do you always have a cloth bag with you, you have already won the first round. A blogger reports that "her conscience set up a plastic account for her after self-experiment, which happily rings and stops her whenever she holds plastic in her hand, if she really wants to buy it." a plastic conscience bookkeeping would have helped the environment a lot.
How could such a plastic downsize day look like?
Preparation is very important. Find out where plastic is all over and think about what you want to eat, buy, and where to get it. With some research, planning and perseverance you also have a sense of achievement. Of course, you can spontaneously put in such a day, but it could be a little more complicated.
The second advantage of the preparation is that you can get a bamboo toothbrush or a shower soap in advance and start the day in the morning with reduced plastic and good feeling.
While researching, we found a few more easy-to-implement tips:
- You could put in such a good day at the weekend because you're not stuck there in your everyday routine.
- When ordering latte macchiato or cocktail, just ask for the straw to be left out.
- Buy water in a glass bottle and fill it up with tap water when it is empty. So you do not have to drag heavy, buy the water just before work or before you get home. Drink them empty, before you go on the way. This saves you a lot of weight.
- Do you like yogurt or pudding? Just do it yourself today. This does not require a five-star experience.
- Visit an unpacked store or if you do not live in a city, shop at the farm shop or visit a market.
- If you have food left, do not use the cling film and cover the food with a plate.
- You dare! Use your own cup for coffee-to-go.
- Is there something about sustainability available in your place of residence or in the surrounding area? You could join a clean-up, attend an upcycling workshop, or repair a thing in a repair café.
- Deepen your knowledge about the use of plastic in our time. Watch a movie like "thrown away" or "Plastic Planet".
- Create your own rules! Something like this: The make-up may stay, but PET bottles are discontinued.
- Exchange with like-minded people. In the Facebook group "Plastic live - Tips and Tricks" are more than 30,000 members who can give you useful information and help you get started in a plastic reduced life.
So you'll definitely be having fun and maybe you even try a reduced plastic week - or a whole month. By the way, that even creates a whole continent! Australia has been using Plastic-Free July since 2011, a challenge launched by the Australian Western Metropolitan Regional Council. The goal is also to raise awareness of the masses of plastic waste and to encourage people to use less disposable plastic. Meanwhile over 14,000 people from 69 countries participate in the Challenge; also shops, schools and organizations. You can get an impression of this on plasticfreejuly.org .
With this in mind, we wholeheartedly wish you a happy plastic downsize day!