Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Change the World Wednesday

So I decided to join the reducefootprints.blogspot.com challenge of using reusable cups for at least 7 days.

This week only use reusable mugs/glasses. Yep ... for seven whole days, refuse anything that isn't reusable. Bring your own mug to your favorite coffee shop ... haul your own glass to the soda dispenser at the corner convenience store ... carry your own mug/glass to fast-food restaurants. If a drink comes in something that will be tossed out ... either don't buy it or use your own vessel. 



 I figured this would be easy.  We really don't eat out much, if at all.  I'm not drinking coffee anymore, just tea and I have a reusable cup that I use all the time.  I very rarely get tea outside my house.  I was doing great up the til I needed milk for my 3 kids and was out at the mall.  I ended up getting 2 individual milks because I had to.  Not the best choice, but the kids needed milk and I didn't even have milk at the house so that I could have brought it with me.  I need to think ahead so that I have what I need in the house to reduce the amount of plastic that I use.  Then the other issues was the twins' birthday party.  We used cups that were way too big and they were plastic and then we had styrofoam cups for coffee.  I'm not sure how to deal with this when you have a lot of people and can't use glass or reusable cups.  I suppose there were ways that I could have recycled, but I just didn't think to do this.  Personally I used way too many plastic cups because I kept losing the one that I had.   It was at my house, and since I was doing this challenge you would think that I would have used a glass cup that I could have washed.

Even though I didn't succeed at this challenge, I am glad that I joined in.  It really made me evaluate howI use items in my life.  I will certainly think more about what I use, why, and how I can make better choices.

Amy

1 comment:

  1. For the birthday parties, what I've done get reusable straw cups for the kids to use, then have the kids take them home as part of their favor from the party.

    And now I just go for it with real glasses and coffee cups for adults at parties. What's the worst that happens...something gets broken? I have to spend an extra 10 minutes doing dishes? I guess this depends, though, on how many people will be there and how many glasses you own :)

    I failed at this challenge, too. I think I learn more from challenges that I struggle with!

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