Exhibit A: this simple black logo tote. This spacious tote comes with me on every Trader Joe’s run. One note: The bag doesn’t close, but because it’s so deep, you don’t run the risk of your valuables falling out. Also, there’s something so satisfying about drinking out of a african straw bags, is there not? There are only a few reasons one might need to use a plastic straw. Within a few weeks, the entire country’s plastic bag use was reduced by around 94 percent. I love the idea of lining the bag with fused plastic, which we we showed you how to make in our fused plastic sandwich wraps tutorial. The regulations apply to plates, which are made entirely from plastic, as well as those made partially from plastic, such as paper plates with a plastic lining. If you can remember to bring your shopping bags to the supermarket, go ahead and throw a few reusable bags and jars in there as well. There are so many different varieties of herbs that we can’t begin to describe them all. Although your plants will probably provide you with herbs without using fertilizer, you won’t be getting their best effort.

If you live in the U.S., the U.K., Canada or New Zealand, the manufacture and sale of these tiny plastic pellets has already been banned where you live, but microbeads, which are still used in cosmetic cleansers and toothpastes all over the rest of the world, slip down the drain and through wastewater treatment plants to the oceans, where they present themselves as potentially toxic snacks to marine life. Purchase plants that are native to your area. Are you thirsty and far from home without a reusable water bottle? The necropsy report released in April revealed the cause of death was a belly full of plastic – dozens of plastic bags, netting, rope and even a large plastic water container. These days many grocery stores have a bulk section – a place where you can buy unpackaged rice, beans, pasta, nuts, and even personal care and household items like shampoo, laundry detergent and bar soap. Rather than buying chemical household cleaners, make your own with effective and easily procured stuff like baking soda, vinegar, borax and lemon juice. Smooth the foil with your fingers to make sure it’s all stuck down.

Much of that has been broken down to around the size of a grain of rice, which is a size that reads “snack” to a lot of marine life. Research suggests 8.3 million metric tons (9.15 million tons) of virgin plastic has been manufactured to date, and 79 percent of that is now sitting in landfills or loose in the natural environment – much of it in the world’s oceans. A single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to break down in the environment. Furthermore, we all understand what it’s like to order food in a rush and scarf it down with a plastic fork that came in a small plastic bag with a plastic knife you’ll never use. But they’re so tiny they end up in the oceans, where they’re eaten by sea creatures and often end up back in the food chain. Practicing yoga is good for physical and mental health. We get it, it’s tough to find a blender that doesn’t have plastic parts, but the secondhand store in your town probably has six perfectly good blenders sitting on its shelves.

OK, you get a pass. Rather than buying yogurt in a plastic cup, Google a recipe and get to work – it’s way cheaper and takes approximately 10 minutes of your time, all told. On your mark, get set, let’s get out there and stop using plastic already! There are other zippers out there, and if you can’t repair it yourself, there’s probably a crafty person at an alterations shop near you who would be willing to fix it for cheaper than the cost of a new backpack. Did the zipper on your favorite nylon backpack break? Nobody in Ireland was injured or even irrevocably inconvenienced because of the ban – in fact, everybody just got used to it and eventually started remembering to bring reusable grocery bags with them to the store, which they continue to do today. In 2016, California issued a statewide ban on stores handing out single-use plastic bags to their customers. Try contacting them via Messages to find out!