It is safe to say the world has changed in the past few weeks. Yesterday was my first experience standing in line to enter a grocery store. I’ve restricted my own visit to once a week, when my husband is home, so I don’t have to bring my daughter with me. I want to take this time to pause and be more thoughtful about what I buy, how long it will last, how I store it, and its environmental impact.
Here are a few things I’ve been using and will start to use to improve shopping logistics, ensure clean packaging, and incorporate more sustainable choices into our family life.
We have all heard about the importance of hand washing with this virus. (The virus is completely deactivated by soap!) My increased soap purchasing (dish soap, laundry detergent, hand and body soap) has made me pause and think about a different approach. I’ve just ordered a dish soap bar, wood pot brush set, and copper dish scrubbers to replace the plastic bottles and green/yellow sponges I have been using to date. The copper scrubbers can be sanitized in the dishwasher and the soap bar reportedly lasts the equivalent of 3 plastic bottles of dish soap!
Beeswax food wrap: I’ve been using these for a while now, and I love them. Once they are warmed up (in your hand, near a sunny window etc) they mold well to a dish and replace plastic wrap. Just wash, dry and reuse.
Mesh and muslin shopping bags. I’ve been using mesh bags for produce for a while but just bought a set of muslin bags from Wild Minimalist.
They can be used to shop bulk grains, nuts, oats, etc from the bulk bins. I can then transfer to glass containers I have in my pantry for these items.
I often cut half an apple or half a lemon for a recipe or snack and use these Food Huggers to store the other half. These were given to me by a good friend (what a great hostess gift!)
I like these reusable plastic bags for snacks and storage. Easily wash (and dry)able
I hope these small ideas are useful, and they can all be washed with soap and water! If you have any favorite sustainable products please comment on Facebook or Instagram and share!
Stay well!
Andrea
