Gratituesday 7.2.19 - Wrapped in Plastic
Grocery shopping used to be so easy. Now decisions on what to buy are made largely around what's wrapped in plastic, and what's not. It used to be an easy drive to the market, grab anything off the shelves that looked good and was in budget, bag it up and then drive home. Easy. When I moved back to New York City 7 years ago, there were tons of changes in habit. A shift in work, transportation, and of course, shopping at the grocery store. I now used one of the baskets and when it got too heavy, I headed to check out. If I continued, it would be too difficult to take on the subway.
A year later I took on my first #nonewplastics challenge. I read some things on social media about how bad plastic was and I challenged myself to not buy anything wrapped in plastic or use any singe use plastic for a month. Those habits continued and the #zerowsaste movement has only gained popularity and momentum. It's certainly been easier to follow, but I continually butt up against the desire of convenience and the constraints of my budget.
This month is Plastic Free July. A number of eco-friendly organizations support it and so do I. I invite you to join along. Here are the "rules" from my original 2013 challenge.
The No New Plastics Challenge Rules
1. No purchasing any items in plastic containers or wrapped in plastic
2. You can store and cook using plastic items, but cannot purchase any NEW plastic products
3. You need to think creatively - which may including making items from scratch
4. No beating yourself up if you cannot do the above fully, but that doesn't mean you take the easy road out
While the challenge largely falls under DESIRES, it's important to stay positive. And in fact, the celebrations were the easiest for me to complete this week. Check out my weekly lists below and feel free to add your own. And follow along on all of my social media accounts (@PerfectUnionNY) for all things #plasticfreejuly! Here's to a great week!
GRATITUDES
1. My floor fan
2. My ability to create decent meals from random things in my pantry!
3. My physical and mental health
4. Cold brew & white wine
5. The amazing support of my parents
CELEBRATIONS
1. Receiving the drawings from the architect, now I just need approval from the building and board
2. A full week of an almost empty kitchen sink each and every day!
3. Sending out my first newsletter of 2019, yeah I know, 6 months in!
4. Six new counseling inquiries and two for weddings
5. For creating and sticking to my to-do list today
DESIRES
1. For Maxie to stop biting my legs & face
2. To find more relevant networking events
3. To be more community engaged
4. For my current landlord to receive some reciprocal karma for the crap they've given me - or for them to not serve me with another unwarranted eviction notice (it's a tie!)
5. A date