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At Dulse & Rugosa, our little bit of good is to switch our packaging to be as plastic free as possible.  Some of our products have always been there.  Our Maine Seaweed Shampoo bars are simply packaged in tissue paper that is made from recycled paper products.  The "plastic" bags we use for other products are actually biodegradable cellophane bags made from wood cellulose fibers sourced exclusively with sustainable forestry principles.  Our Shower Shots are packaged in these cool non-plastic bags.  They truly are a happy hour for your shower and the happy continues with compostable packaging.   

But the truth is a lot of our packaging has been cheap plastic jars.  There's a reason for this- cheap.  When you're a small business starting out your focus is on getting people to try your products.  There is a BIG difference between eco packaging and plastic in terms of price per container.  Plastic is so much cheaper- I know this because as a consumer I find myself standing in the grocery store comparing the price of items based on their packaging.   We've been going through the same process as a business.

One of the biggest changes we've made is with our popular Island Face Scrub.  Our $5.00 trial packs were packaged in a plastic/foil pouch.  Now they are repackaged in a kraft/plastic pouch combo.
 There still is some plastic but it's a lot less.  The same is true for our larger size.  We've replace the plastic jar and lid with the kraft/plastic pouch.  It's much less packaging and that's good for the environment.

That's our little bit of good.  What's your's?

I've put off writing about reducing plastic consumption and kids because it's so complicated.  Mostly because I've found in my grown up/no kids life that it takes quite a bit of planning and organization to reduce my plastic use.  I travel a lot to markets and on my occasional overnights I find I do great the first day but the next day is a challenge.  I'm tired, hungry, don't know the area and that's when I consume more products packed in plastic.

When my daughter Carly was young, I lived year round on a remote Maine island.  We were homesteaders, growing our own food and I worked from home.  I didn't have to organize backpacks, lunch boxes, snacks and extra clothes- not to mention homework, books and a few toys for the car.  And that's not even taking into account winter- with boots, hats, etc.  Our life's are filled with busy and "hurry-up" which is why plastic is so popular- it's convenience.  But because we have kids and grandkids and we want them to have a lovely future we each need to make small steps towards living a plastic free life.

The first thing you have to do is pick an area to focus on and the lunch box is a great place to start.  One of my favorite places to shop for reusable containers is Reuseit.   Especially if you are on a budget, you need to start small and keep adding because you want to buy high quality items that will last.  It's counterproductive to buy flimsy containers that won't last- it's a waste of money and makes trash.  

Start with a good, rather large lunch container.  I find in general, when you use reusable containers you need more room.  You might want to pack a couple of containers- one for lunch and one for snacks.  When you decide to replace plastic bags- there's a new product on the market, silicone reusable bags.  The bags are dishwasher and microwave safe but they are pricy.  One bag cost around $12.00- but will last and last.  Another great container in my opinion is the reusable juice box.  According to Reuseit, "juice boxes are one of the most wasteful parts of lunchtime".  A single box takes over " 300 years to decompose and nearly 4 billion are consumed annually."  At $9.95 per single box these are do-able, especially if you normally buy at least 8 juice pouches a week.  If juices are not on sale it will cost you around $5.00 per week.  Over the year you'll be spending over 250 dollars on single use juice boxes.  You can buy a lot of reusable juice boxes for that amount.  And you do need to buy more than one.  We're talking kids here- so one in the lunch box, one in the snack bag, one for the car, one left at school and one under the bed.  

Raising kids is complicated, reducing your plastic consumption is complicated.  The reason we change is For The Future.

The 3'R have changed into the 5R's.  Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and raise awareness.  My occasional blogs are a small contribution to helping raise awareness about plastic consumption.  It's a journey down a long and twisty road, not a quick zip down a super highway.

The cool thing is once you start to raise your awareness- you find yourself making small but significant steps.  Each week I find myself making better choices and feeling proud of the progress I have made.

Here are some great places to check out to raise your plastic awareness a bit higher.

On Facebook- 

Plastic Pollution Coalition - this is such a great site for info and tips, I love it!  And they have lots of great graphics to share.

Snapshots of Simplicity- this is a reflective page with thoughtful posts including "What's in my Grocery Bag" and "Hanging Out With Seagulls".

On Instagram-

Anita Horan has a #plasticfreeproduce campaign going on right now because really there is no reason to buy bananas wrapped in plastic.  Just saying!

Justgrabbits encourages folks to grab some trash, take a snap and post.  Here is your chance to find out about trash all over the globe.

Plastic Free Mermaid-Kate Nelson is an Australian mermaid with lots of tips to switch out the plastic.

And finally on Pinterest

Monterey Bay Aquarium has an idea board for plastic free living.

Hope you are inspired and find some good online support for reducing your plastic consumption. 

The 3 R's- reduce, reuse, recycle have changed into the 5 R's.  Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Raise Awareness.  I'm feeling proud of my BYOB journey.  BYOB is "bring your own bag".  Lots and lots of folks BYOB for their big grocery trips.  That's the start of the BYOB journey.  

I realized that once I'm in the store there is a whole lot of plastic in packaging.  Even if you tend to buy fresh produce you have a bit of a quandary- do you put your veg right on the checkout counter?  Is that icky and full of germs?  Or do I use the plastic produce bags?  But I want to reduce my plastic.  Hmmmmmm

EcoBags to the rescue.   I decided to purchase produce bags  because I noticed when I used my larger shopping bags for loose veggies, they added weight to the price per pound.  Or I held up the line as I rummaged through everything jumbled together in my basket.  It reminded me a bit of looking for my keys or phone in my purse.  It was getting to be awkward.  I'm completely satisfied with my EcoBags purchase.  It's recommended that you prewash before using- this is a good idea.  First, there's a whole bunch of sizing in the fabric and also they shrink a lot.  Even the largest bag seems a bit small after washing for a really big head of lettuce.

When you start your plastic free journey you not only become aware of how prevalent plastic is but you have to make some economic decisions.  Plastic is so popular because it is cheap.  The price of plastic is hidden in environmental damage and loss of habitat.  Living on a budget means you need to take small steps.  Think of plastic free as a marathon not a sprint.  Each month you can go a bit further.  The good news is once you make a purchase you're done.  My produce bags are reusable for years and years.

Of course if you are handy and have some time you can make your own.  I've seen lots of creative reuses including those mesh bags fruits come in, old T-shirts- just remember the fabric needs to be light because what's inside gets weighed.  If you don't feel like making a casing at the top close it up with a wooden clothes pin. Homemade produce bags make nice gifts.

If you don't have time to sew but still want a bit of personality, after all you will have these bags for years there are lots of ways to dress up your bags.  Fabric stamping, embroidery or applique are some quick and fun ways to add your unique personality. 

At farm markets I talk to a lot of customers about making changing in their skincare routines.  Usually someone is drawn to our products because they have a skin problem and are looking for a solution. Itchy scalp draws people to our Maine Seaweed rich shampoo bars.  Our Seaweed rich Island Face Scrub is appealing to women sick of breaking out way past their teenage years.  There is so much information that making skincare changes can be confusing.  

If you’re wanting to bring nature into your skincare routine here are three tips to follow-

• Listen to your body
• Give it time
• Don’t be afraid to experiment

Be the Boss of Your Body

You need to know and pay attention to your body so you can decide if a product works for you.  Everybody’s different and our bodies don’t react or respond in the same way.  Think about it like this- there can be a wide variety of factors that cause a skin ailment and even if a particular plant is known to have healing properties it might not be for you.  Perhaps you are allergic to an ingredient or you don’t like how it feels.  Then that product is not for you.  You have to be the judge.  It might be a great product but just not the right fit.  Very similar to falling in love with an outfit only to try it on and “Ugh”- great look just not on you.

Also as our bodies change, our skincare routine needs to change too.  As we age we often find we need more moisture to stop our skin from feeling so dry. This mean we need to find lotions and cremes that contain super moisturizing oils.  Seasons can also signal it’s time to alter our routine.  Summer skin needs to be exfoliated and in winter we definitely need to be making sure we are putting on lots of nourishing oils.

Time is on Your Side

Natural products can take awhile to work.  When someone is buying a shampoo bar I always talk about giving their hair time to detox.  It often can take two weeks for a new products nourishing effects to be fully noticed.  This is why you have to “know your body” so you can judge if a products is working for you.

Be Goldilocks to Find What’s Right For You

The great benefit of using natural skin products is how flexible they can be.  If your products are plant and natural oil based- that means no toxic ingredients then you can use them in a variety of different ways.  One example, when traveling I pack our Seaweed Shampoo Bar- it’s my shampoo, soap and I find it’s great to shave my legs with.  Another example, I use our Sweet Island Face Oil as a face cleaner, a friend mixes it with our Rose Petal Face Creme because she wants just a bit more moisture and a customer keeps her face happy by using it as a night creme on her face.  Another way to experiment is to play around with how often you use a product.  Maybe once a day is too much but once a week is just right.