Like with any relationship, it takes time and effort to develop a good one. How do you "meet" the perfect reusable for your lifestyle or the more intelligent multi-purpose products? Like with any hook up, ask your friends, colleagues and family to be "set up" or browse websites and visit stores that offer reusables and eco-intelligent products.
Singles are littering our world at mind boggling rates, and our collective goal should be to get rid of them all! Singles have no long term purpose -- they are not admired, considered, or respected. They are not well taken care of, they do not share in experiences with their partners, and they are disposed of repeatedly and constantly for the next best "thing." You would never tolerate that in life, why would you stand for it with your products? It's time to meet your perfect match and stay faithful before it's too late.
If you open yourself up to all of the possibility that a reusable has to offer, you'll find yourself saving money, time, your health and our world.
Here are my four basic single categories to avoid when obliterating singlehood from your life: Always remember that if you don't buy it, they won't make it...simple supply and demand, and we control the demand collectively!
Single-Use Disposables
Reducing and reusing are the more important "R"s - recycling does not justify using or buying single-use disposables. Most of the following examples (there are so many more than listed below!) of unacceptable waste products have phenomenal (and accessible) reusable counterparts to suit everyone and every lifestyle. Other single-use items are just plain ridiculous and shouldn't exist, like, um, that green plastic piece of sushi grass in your plastic takeout container with the individual packet of soy sauce.
Take Out Containers: Join the campaign to reduce restaurant waste for free. The US population alone tosses out paper bags & plastic cups, forks & spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times.
Cameras: The Flip video and your cell phone take better shots than their expensive cardboard counterparts that require your shots to be processed and printed.
Batteries: Rechargeables are better (and single-use need to be disposed of in hazardous waste)
Diapers: Cloth may be an option, but otherwise a fully compostable, toxic-free alternative will do.
Ice Packs: Is it so difficult to put an ice pack (or better yet a bag of frozen organic peas) back in the freezer for re-use instead of the crack-and-cool-then-chuck options?
Single Servings
This category really appears to be convenient. Until of course, you pay attention to what you are doing, spending and supporting (and using!). We could all do with a little (or a lot) less plastic packaging in our lives and in our bodies. I've even spotted plastic glasses of wine in single servings! Stop the madness!
Snack Packs of cookies, yogurt, and even, carrot sticks?! - Buy "full" size bags or make your own and throw a handful or two into a reusable container, or reusable snack bag (gets rid of single use plastic zipper bags too!) You CAN afford the organic version if you stop paying for all of that extra packaging!
Kraft Cheese Slices: why are they even allowed to be made and sold?! I think many parents actually refer to this as "plastic" chesse! (can't believe how many of these I ate once upon a time!)
Tea Bags: try steeping some loose leaf. As healthy as tea can be, those individual bags can be grossly overpackaged, plus did you want to add the chems that the string, staple and bleached bag add to your cup?
Travel and trial size personal care items: leave hotel room items untouched. If you don't use them, they will stop needing to order them. Imagine how many of those soaps and shampoos are gone through (not even fully used) each day, without care, worldwide?
Single Purpose Gadgets
You know that drawer in your kitchen filled with utensils that serve one single purpose that aggravate you more than serve you? Simplify your purchases. And it'll be easier to find everything you are looking for when you need it.
Kitchen stuff: seems to be the worst offenders - pickle grabber, banana saver, banana slicer, banana hanger?! If you want to cut the crusts off a sandwich, use a knife, you don't need a separate appliance to accomplish it, right?!
Vegetable and fruit savers: these are ridiculous - you can use any container you have in your kitchen. I hardly believe that you need a container for your lemon that is yellow and looks like a lemon!
Gift Wrap Cutter: are your scissors not special enough to cut that wasteful paper?
Diaper Genie: a big plastic container that encourages incessant plastic bag use and fragrance to allow you to keep dirty diapers IN your baby's room? Really?!
Single Moment Thrills
Please do not purchase or accept (even if free!) anything that breaks after a few minutes or that offers but a few moments of (often toxic) happiness/use. Main offenders include:
Loot Bags: small choking hazards, mini sized junk food, made in china crap are over-packaged are no way to celebrate a child's birthday
Treat of the week: these should be easy to avoid, if you avoid going anywhere they give these out
Napkins + Paper Towels To make one ton of paper towels, 17 trees and 20,000 gallons of water are polluted. I think it's time you invested in a set of cloth napkins and some microfiber cloths.
When you've found your eco-responsible products to help obliterate singles, celebrate! Connecting with your "mate" is an exciting, and wonderful occurrence! If you've found "The One", be glad! You can be an inspiration to others, and just remember to hold on tight and never let that good thing go.
The purpose of life is a life of purpose. ~Robert Byrne