Green Living
music11
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Plastic Free July
in Green Living
Is anyone else participating in Plastic Free July? Am I the only crazy one? 
Here's the website, if anyone's interested: www.plasticfreejuly.org
Re: Plastic Free July
No more single use plastics...so I have to make sure to always remember my own shopping bags, not just for groceries, but department stores as well. I had to find milk in glass bottles. I buy dry staples in bulk (oats, dried fruit, nuts, etc.) I sent my poor husband for ice cream with a Pyrex container
Just a lot of little things like that. It's been really eye opening so far about how pervasive disposable plastic is, and how we throw it away so easily.
I visited their website, and the overall idea is great. Buying and using reusable items is always a fantastic idea. Cutting down packaging by buying in bulk, or even making your own is wonderful. Just be careful that you're not avoiding a single use plastic item that can be recycled in favor of a single use item that can't be.
As an example, if making your own juice is not an option, it might actually be better to buy a plastic bottle that is recyclable than a cardboard juice box that has a wax coating, or aluminum lining that can't be (the coating/lining can't be separated, and most recycling centers won't accept it, and there isn't much room for reusing them). Plus, my city doesn't recycle glass, and I have more bottles and jars than I know what to do with. I literally can't give them away (I tried!)! Some of them will likely go to a landfill, so they're doing more harm than good.
Avoiding one use items altogether is great, but when it cant be avoided, in some situations, it might actually be better to get the product in the plastic container that can be recycled. Just a thought.... But I'm sure most people have already figured it out. :-)
I was just going to say the same thing. "Cardboard" containers would generally not be used for those practicing the strictest form of plastic-free living since they are coated not only outside but inside with plastic. As music11 said, it's not wax.
Just wanted to mention for people who are trying to reduce plastic as much as possible, that my website and book can help. The site is http://myplasticfreelife.com (click the link for Plastic-Free Guide for a long list of ideas.) The book is Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too (http://myplasticfreelife.com/book/), and if you don't want to buy it, it's available to borrow from public libraries everywhere. I've been doing this plastic-free thing for the past 6 years, and my mission is to help people see what alternatives are out there and understand that reducing -- even if you don't want to completely eliminate plastic-- is really doable and fun.