Is Plastic-Free Possible? Involve Your Kids so They Understand

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If you read my first self-assessment of the Plastic-Free Challenge, you could see I have far to go. One thing I didn’t do last week is to involve my family in the challenge. Between starting school and my new job here, I thought we had enough change in our lives. So I asked Issy Dickson, the Strategic Partnerships Coordinator at Roots & Shoots, to give us some pointers for the last stretch of the plastic-free challenge, and beyond. Her suggestions are in bold and my ideas follow:

Plan Ahead (Even More So Than Usual)

Dickson elaborates, “Plastic creeps into our lives without us even noticing, so really try and think about each day and what obstacles you will face.” I had a lot of reflection last week on where I could reduce my use and how I might eliminate plastic in some parts of my life. I did purchase a reusable coffee mug and now I keep it in my bag or always washed at home. The hardest thing to combat is definitely how it creeps into our lives: how I grab a water bottle from the table at our school’s orientation without even thinking, or how I open one for my youngest before realizing that I am taking advantage of one-use plastic, again. I appreciate it when a restaurant wants to accommodate our masks and keep them germ-free as possible, but I just stare at the plastic bag they give me for storage. Is there a better way?

How to face the challenge? This week I plan to practice saying, “No thank you. I brought my own.”

A friend in the US posted a good idea she saw in her shift as a waitress. Little heart pins or clips that hold the elastic from a mask. Now how do you stop crumbs from getting into them?

Explain to Your Children Why You Are Doing the Challenge

“Excite them about getting involved rather than simply telling them that they will take part,” Dickson says.

I can’t start with the concept of plastic and reducing it, however. I know from experience that if our kids understand why we want to reduce plastic use in our lives. Two years ago I  organized a lake clean up day with local families for Earth Day. It worked well, but almost too well since my son will still stop in the middle of crossing the street or a parking lot to pick up trash he sees on the ground. We then added safety and germs into the equation, but to this day he will find a way to clean up any trash he sees. Now if only he can have the same mentality about his toys.

Our future is in our and our children’s hands.

I pulled out the atlas and told stories on how much we as humans depend on the earth and what we’ve slowly been doing to it. I showed them videos and graphs so they can really spot the damage of plastic visually. They get it within the larger context of taking care of our earth, so we’re off to a good start.

The challenge after that? Empower them to call me out on our plastic use.

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Create a Star Chart for the Family

It took me a while to decide what each star would represent. I settled on a star for any time my kids recognize plastic and find a way to replace it or reuse it. We’ll see how that goes!

Have Fun With It and Let Your Kids Take the Lead (They Are the Ones Who Will Think Outside of the Box)

Do you see plastic everywhere you go? Once you alert your brain to its prevalence, you can’t go back. I am currently typing on a plastic keyboard. My phone, easily the most essential tool to a parent’s day, is mostly plastic. 80% of my Tupperware is plastic, but they’re reusable so I give myself a pass on that. And last weekend, I discreetly walked through our apartment and threw any ridiculous little toys that are plastic into a donation bag. If I wait until they’re inevitably broken, they’ll just be trash. This way someone else can find joy in a dinosaur toy before their parent steps and breaks its leg.

When we order takeout, I notice who uses recyclable materials and who overloads on the plastic and make notes for next time. Luckily, the challenge is made easier by our support systems with each other and also companies. Jinshisong, for instance, announced they’re moving to no plastic bags! We’ll have more information on that at a later time, but for now, I have to find more plastic to toss from around our home.

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Photos: Unsplash, giphy

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