Thursday, March 31, 2011

March - Napkins No More

This month I committed to using only cloth napkins at home and at the office. I completely stopped using paper napkins and paper towels. I thought this would be I M P O S S I B L E. I was a napkin maniac, often taking a stack of napkins at each meal. In hindsight, why did I do that??

This was so much easier than I thought it would be. Once I had a stack of cloth napkins ready, it was simple. Now I have a separate laundry basket for my napkins and dishtowels, and it's EASY! I'm embarrassed I hadn't converted to cloth sooner.

2013 Update: I'm still completely on cloth napkins and dish towels at home and at the office. I haven't purchased paper napkins or paper towels since December of 2010! Love it!

Monday, February 28, 2011

Stop the Styrofoam!

February's challenge was to eliminate all use of styrofoam. This included expected items like restaurant to-go boxes, and some unexpected items like mushroom containers from the grocery store. The biggest challenge was remembering to bring my own tupperware container to restaurants to avoid using styrofoam.

They say it takes three weeks to create a habit. By week four, I had definitely created a habit to bring my own container...I committed to a larger purse and always putting a newcontainer in my purse immediately after using the prior one.

Biggest surprise: the servers were shocked, but pleased, at my bringing my own container. Many appreciated it, but clearly I am one of very few (or maybe the only one at some places) to do this.

2013 Update: I'm still doing this and I love thinking about how many containers have been diverted from the landfill as a result. That also means I eat out a lot... 

Try it out for a few weeks... you may be surprised! 

Monday, January 31, 2011

January - No disposables!

This month I committed to stopping all use of disposable paper plates and utensils. Why hadn't I done this sooner? I used to use paper plates at home out of convenience. After making this commitment, I can't even fathom returning to the use of paper plates. As a result, I haven't purchased paper plates or plastic utensils since December of 2010!