Yesterday's news prompted today's action. Over the years, I have trained myself into a way of thinking that is always curious about the next step...the way toward better. I know that perfection isn't a possibility for me, but there is usually room for better. 

As I read that article, a mental list was forming of things I need to think through with this new insight. Most of the items on the list are used with the intention of reducing waste, but the realizations that:

1. plastic breaks down with time + use
2. opening a plastic lid can sprinkle microplastics into our food
3. using furniture made of plastic fibers makes microplastics we inhale

offer motivation to make changes. 

I prioritized skipping plastic with each of these purchases, but was bound by what was on offer in the marketplace. I ended up making compromises based on what I knew at the time. Now I'm thinking a little bit differently about how plastic is evidently ending up in our bodies. Obviously, I want to decrease what I can.

A few of the things I'm thinking through today:

• plastic sippy lids I like to use for smoothies :: I bought our sippy lids as a way to avoid single use plastic cups + straws when the plastic version was the only one on the market. There are now stainless steel lids. I just hadn't totally seen the need to move on from ours until now. 
• tea bags. While I prefer loose tea, I sometimes end up with gifted tea bags. I'm going through everything to double check for plastic tea bags.
• lunch containers. I've long tried to find wide, squat jars for our lunches, but our glass containers with their plastic lids were the compromise I made when that didn't happen.
• the water bottle I've been using most lately. Again, this bottle was a compromise. It's size makes it easier to track my hydration. It is glass with a silicone sleeve, and I planned to trade the silicone straw for a glass straw. I decided to make this one exception for silicone, but now it feels like a dubious allowance.
• our couches + ottoman. Durability + style influence longevity. I bought these with slipcovering in mind. Just more motivation to begin. 
• a renewed commitment to skip grocery packaging. The pandemic required some changes (as did some diet + life shifts). There is now room for reassessment.
• spatula. I just did the dishes + had totally forgotten about my mostly plastic spatula. Time for a wooden one.

A few of the things I'm thinking through as I consider shifts:

• making waste. Simply discarding these things makes more waste. If I think they are bad for my people + the planet, then donating them will be bad for other people + the planet. They might help others reduce their use of single use plastics, however. This feels tricky.
• creative use. Rather than transferring the ill effects of plastic teabags (if I'd found any) to others, they could be cut open + the tea could be used to dye a stained shirt.
• replacements. Do I need to replace things, or can I shift habits instead. For example, I use my sippy lids mostly to avoid my smoothies coming unstuck from the bottom of my cup + ending up on my shirt. Considering how I feel about the silicone gasket on the stainless steel version, I could just make my smoothies a bit more watery. 

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New knowledge presents us with opportunities to create new inflection points + to embrace shifting priorities with creativity and curiosity. I see opportunities for increased wellness here, and so can other members of the caring, thinking, voting, consuming society...and so can manufacturers + policy makers. How exciting!

There are simple reasons to get moving, but if anyone needs some motivation, here's what I find true:

• Taking action keeps me from becoming blind to the problem. The everyday nature of drinks coming in plastic cups + groceries coming in plastic bags can lull us into complicity. Tuning in + shifting my habits wakes me up to seeing things that I've stopped seeing. This is a practice...a constant reawakening!
• Taking action keeps me from hopelessness. Hope feels better than despair.
• The best motivation for me is love. I can't keep microplastics out of the people I love, out of all of us, out of our waterways or air or land. They are already in us. I can try to reduce the amount of microplastics my choices add. 
• With imagination, better is almost always possible. 

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Let's keep trying.
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I love you all,
Jane

We've been talking about microplastics in our drinking water, blood + breastmilk for years. Mainstream news is just starting to catch up. This article from the New York Times might be the first I've seen about how to minimize exposure to microplastics. Since their site doesn't allow unlimited access, and since this is information all of us deserve to have...I'm going to include the article's advice here:

• ​The less processed our food is, the better. 
• The less plastic packaging on our food, the better.
• Skip plastics in the kitchen.
• Use wooden cutting boards rather than plastic ones.
• Store food in glass rather than plastic.
• Microwaves + dishwashers cause plastics to break down. Warm baby formula + breast milk in glass rather than in plastic.
• Skip plastic tea bags.
• Skip drinks in plastic bottles. Even opening and closing the cap can release microplastics.
• There are some home, water filters certified to remove microplastics from drinking water.
• Skip synthetic clothing. Friction from wear causes microfibers to be released + breathed in.
• Choose furniture + bedding made of natural fibers.
• Keep furniture made with plastic fibers out of direct sunlight.
• Vacuuming regularly (with a HEPA filter) can remove some microplastics from household air.

Honestly, most of these offerings are just common sense, when we really think about it. The ubiquitous nature of items like plastic baby bottles + fleece jackets, however, have probably dulled the alarm bells somewhat.

I think many will learn about this + simply shrug + say that we (Americans especially) will never stop eating chicken nuggets (the meat with the highest number of plastic microfibers per gram). But some of us remember when we found out about BPA in plastics, and manufacturers scurried to make the switch to non-BPA plastics. If we just shrug + continue on, manufacturers will be happy to continue to churn out recycled plastic e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. for our consumption, both literally + figuratively. 

Let's keep learning + growing + doing + moving + inviting others to join us...individuals + government + industry. We can do better for ourselves, our children + each other. We can.

Love,
Jane

Made from deadstock clothing in New York City, Proche skillfully makes minimally reworked pieces new + super cool. I really appreciate how time consuming, original, sewn details like button plackets, cuffs + collars are preserved on button down shirts + jeans. As fashion moves toward more oversized silhouettes, these styles offer real inspiration toward stitching new life into existing clothing + keeping it out of the landfill. Bravo, Proche!

All lovely photos via links. Find this + many other ethical brands on our ethical brands page.

I love the way good shops display their wares. Each piece looks like a treasure. There are color stories. There are hints toward origins + use. Intriguing lighting, transporting music, inviting scent, and charming people vibes draw us in + make us want to take a piece of it with us when we leave.

On the way home, my thoughts often turn toward my own treasures + the ability I have to display my own pieces in ways that call me to appreciate their beauty + inspire me to reach for them with eagerness.

I'd love for my closet to work this way. It's a small space with a big calling, so I did a little dreaming today with all of this in mind. I'd love some warm wood shelves with sweet little cubbies that let each stack shine.

A few ways we could move toward this dreamy set-up:

• DIY shelving. (but...skillz, toolz...blah, blah...)
• A Rugosa or two. (but hiding that splurge in the closet might feel odd...)
• An Ivar combination. We could have narrower shelves (more like the cubbies I envision) or longer shelves (which would allow us to have our laundry baskets in the closet)
• Baskets. Corral little bits + out of season items while bringing some warm tones in.

I can imagine a closet set up like this giving us a little extra incentive to:

• lean into "enough" + "less" (to keep it from looking overstuffed)
• lean into personal style (to keep the space somewhat visually cohesive)

Sounds good to me!  :)

All inspiring photos via links.

Love,
​Jane