Check Yourself: An Plastic-Free Checklist

Check Yourself: An Plastic-Free Checklist

By ELIZABETH SHEARER

At Green Action Centre, we know being green isn’t always easy. That’s why we wanted to give you a simple 5-point checklist to help you reduce the amount of plastic pollution in your life. If every person included this checklist in their everyday routine we could definitely curb our plastic pollution problem. Spread the word!

 

We need to find a way to stop the use of single-use and disposable plastics that are entering our environment everyday on a global scale. This is where you come in:

1. Skip the Straw

  • When giving your server your fav drink order always add “No straw Please” to this transaction.
  • Last year, plastic free peg championed this cause and got more than 30 restaurants to commit to only giving out straws upon request. Way to go, guys!

2. BYOB: bring your own reusable bag to the store instead of using those polluting single-use plastic ones. Need we say more?

3. Sign the Petition to Ban Plastic Bags in Winnipeg (and others) share with coworkers, family and friends 

  • This campaign was launched by local youth at West Kildonan Collegiate in Winnipeg just a few weeks ago. Please support their efforts to make plastic bags a things of the past from our little part of the prairies!

4. Make a Commitment to Buy Green

  • It’s time to deal with our problematic plastic habits and make important choices towards achieving a zero-waste life. On our blog we have a Zero-Waste Shopping Guide with practical tips and a list of business that support the consumer to reduce the amount of waste in their everyday lives. We encourage you to make a personal commitment to reduce your plastic consumption and educate others along the way.

5. Learn more about the impact that plastic has on our planet

  • The Earth Day Network has put together a great resource which includes stats, pictures, videos and actions you can take. Knowledge is power!
  • Green Action Centre will be participating in and promoting Plastic Free July again this year. We are looking forward to working alongside our community to live plastic-free wherever possible. We’ll all be putting our new habits to the test for this month-long challenge!

We encourage you to take this list and make it your own so that it works for you, spread the word to others and consider organizing your own Earth Day Action with friends – the date is April 22 every year!

Are you able to complete this checklist? Do you have any other easy plastic-free ideas you would add to this list? Let us know in the comments!

Editor’s note: this article originally appeared on the Green Action Centre’s blog at http://greenactioncentre.ca/reduce-your-waste/wastereduction_checklist/

With a passion for community and sustainability, Liz Shearer enjoys connecting people with the tools and information they need to incorporate green lifestyle habits into their daily lives. As the Commuter Challenge Coordinator, she is determined to get more people walking, busing or carpooling more often and especially during the annual week-long event! Since graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Winnipeg in 2014 she has lead two major projects in both the environmental and arts sectors working with the David Suzuki Foundation as the Blue Dot movement coordinator and as the Project Manager with Manitobans for the Arts. She looks forward to seeing you out on the street riding your bike, walking down the sidewalk or cruising in a carpool with your coworkers. Liz is also a volunteer director with Bike Winnipeg and organizes CycloFemme in Winnipeg, the annual Mothers’ Day group bike ride that celebrates women in cycling.

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