Two years ago, I posted this photo on Facebook with the caption: People ask me what I do for hair elastics since they are plastic. Â The truth is, I’ve never had to buy them because there are a gazillion on the ground every day. Â Parking lots, sidewalks, the floor of the gym… How do they […]
For ten years, I’ve been searching for the perfect plastic-free dental floss.  Back when I wrote my first dental floss post, the greenest choices were either biodegradable silk floss in rigid plastic containers (I’m looking at you, Radius) or non-biodegradable Eco-Dent nylon floss in a cardboard box.  (Some brands like Tom’s of Maine or Radius seemed […]
I’ve been away from blogging and social media for a few months, needing time to recuperate from the onslaught of attention-grabbing, anxiety-inducing posts that had hijacked my “news” feeds. Taking a break to be in silence for a while helps. So do walks along the red dirt trails or the rocky coastline of Moloka’i, Hawaii. […]
A month ago, a reader named Ida left the following comment in the “100 Steps” section of this website: For your Clothes section you never mention that the plastic clothes we have release high levels of plastic microfibers in every wash! This is pretty new knowledge, but hugely important as we cannot as of today […]
I first wrote about plastic in chewing gum in January of 2010. At that time, there really was no brand of gum available that didn’t either contain plastic in the packaging or in the gum itself. And as I wrote back then, even Glee Gum, one of the most natural brands in town, was combining plastic […]
A question I get frequently is how to buy and store loose leaf greens like lettuce or spinach without plastic.  I thought I had the perfect solution back in October 2015, when I posted about Lovely Naked Lettuce.  But recently, Stacy from Vejibag contacted me with an even better idea.  So I thought I would post […]
Confession: Â I really hate writing about politics. Â I’d much rather write fun posts about personal strategies to avoid plastic or profiles of companies offering plastic-free alternatives. Â But these are not normal times, and nothing less than the health of all living beings on planet Earth is at stake. Â So, just as I did before the […]
So, you’ve been reading about ways to reduce your plastic use, including bringing back empty bottles and containers of personal care and cleaning products to refill, and you think, “I’ve got to try that sometime.” Â (The BULK mobile site can help you find refill locations.) But that means planning ahead and remembering to bring your […]
Hannah Testa, a 14-year-old student in the state of Georgia, has joined the ranks of other influential kids raising awareness of the plastic pollution problem.  In fact, she’s managed to get the State of Georgia to declare February 15, 2017, Plastic Pollution Awareness Day.  Here’s her story, in her own words. People always ask me how […]
Last year, I was trying really hard to buy nothing new, and while I fell short several times (more on that in a future post), I did pretty well in the shoe department.  Nearly all shoes have at least some plastic components.  Buying them secondhand or repairing the shoes you already have are great ways to […]