Living without Plastic: Day One

Today I’ve done a plastic sweep of the house and hidden away all the plastic things I can – which in itself has been an interesting exercise!  I’m sure there will be more that I will come across, but the house is now looking a little bit less plastic. Below is just from one kitchen drawer!

Stationery is a plastic category I hadn't really considered – and I’ve used today as a good excuse to clear out the kids craft cupboard.  Will they miss the pens and notice they only have wax crayons and pencils this week? (edit: they did not) It's really highlighted an entirely unnecessary  household item.  Just look at all the dried up pens and random lids that as part of the clear out are good for nothing but the bin! Non recyclable, practically single-use plastic (unless the kids look after them perfectly and a quick Google shows I can buy 100 felt tips for £5! No one could really be expected to value them too highly? They will have been overwhelmed by pens at some point)

In further preparation for the week I’ve really enjoyed researching (and purchasing) some plastic free alternatives – so we’ve switched the kids’ toothbrushes for bamboo, invested in some reusable food wraps and swapped our teabags (you can find a full list of plastic free teabags here: https://www.countryliving.com/uk/create/food-and-drink/news/a3291/plastic-tea-bags-environment/)

And we’re ready!  Day one is my day at home with the kids – the quandary of lunch for the children is solved simply with waffles, fishfingers and baked beans!  Who knew that living without plastic could be so simple?  Yet not necessarily that healthy!  Thinking about the plastic packaging that we’ll be trying to avoid, the equivalent "healthy" meal for the children that I cook often – salmon, mashed potato and green beans, suddenly doesn’t look so healthy for the planet (plastic vacupak, plastic bags for the veg....)

Today we’re taking a trip to the local health food shop to investigate some plastic alternatives – and I’m surprised – I thought this would be my plastic free haven – but again, I’m finding that plastic free isn’t necessarily healthy!  I was hoping we might find some pasta or pulses that didn’t come in plastic bags but unfortunately not.  And the unpackaged soap bar that I was happy to find was then helpfully put into a plastic bag without me realising.

Tea for the kids resulted in another unhealthy experience – a sausage roll from Greggs!  I’m sure it’s been in plastic at some point in its journey, but for us the end users, just a paper bag.  The kids basically love being plastic free.  We had some leftover carrots and green beans in the house, so that assuages my mum guilt a little.

Having failed on sourcing plastic free pasta, I’m cheating on dinner – we have glass jars of pulses on the shelf in the kitchen so technically there’s no plastic this week (although there will have been when it was purchased) with some leftover tomatoes and a jar of pesto.  I would ordinarily make my own pesto – but rather than buying plastic bags of basil, a mesh of garlic, wrapped parmesan and a bag of pine nuts, the "unhealthy" shop ought jar fits with our plastic free living. #mindblown

Today has been harder, and make me think more than I ever would have thought. Only 6 days to go..... 

Living without Plastic: Preparation

As part of our CSR initiative for World Environment Day to #BeatPlasticPollution Horwich Farrelly will be asking employees to take a plastic free challenge - eliminating as much plastic from their lives as possible and documenting their journey in a creative way.

The prize is spectacular - a week volunteering on a beach conservation project in Belize for 2 people. Unfortunately I can't enter the competition or win, but I was excited to experiment with the concept and see whether we as a family could go plastic free for a week.

As sustainability professional, I've been aware of the plastic challenge for over a decade and as a family we've done a small amount to avoid plastic where possible - we don't purchase many plastic toys for the children, we never buy plastic carrier bags, we re-use old plastic tubs to store toys/ use for crafting, we avoid providing the classic plastic party bags full of cheap plastic toys, we use paper straws and cups for parties, we take packed lunches to avoid pricey over packaged shop bought lunches, we cook from scratch where possible and we grow some of our own fruit and vegetables.

Conscious that we're still not doing enough, since the beginning of 2018, we're been been making a monthly plastic pledge to eliminate one unnecessary plastic thing each month - hand soap dispensers in plastic bottles, switching to washing powder in a box rather than liquid in a bottle, swapping shop bought body scrubs (with potential micro beads) for home made salt scrubs and investing in some plastic free chewing gum.

But we both work, we have three children under the age of 5, we shop for convenience, we used disposable nappies for all the kids, we still have a wet wipe dependence we can't shake and we know we could do better.  So when the opportunity to trial this challenge came up, we jumped at the chance.  It should be challenging and we can't get rid of plastics completely but bringing the issue to the forefront of our minds will be a great way to think about the changes we can make day to day.

My first step in preparation was to look at a typical trolley after "popping to the supermarket for a few bits" and categorising into plastic and non plastic (plastic on the left, non plastic on the right)

So straight away, one small trolley load and I'm gob smacked by how much plastic we consume without even really thinking about it.

I've never previously questioned the plastic window on fresh bread before - but that seems very unnecessary!  The soup cartons sit on the plastic side based on their lids, and tetra-pak is recyclable, but it still contains plastic lining similarly to coffee cups.  The fruit and veg seems to be the biggest issue here - as a family we eat pretty healthily, but fruit punnets, salad bags, bags of apples etc are all packaged for convenience.

Our environmentally sound house cleaning products still come in plastic bottles, although Method have considered the plastic life cycle of their products and the bottles are all made from recycled plastic and fully recyclable.

On closer inspection, I've incorrectly categorised my multi pack tins. Again, something I've never even thought about. The multi packs work out cheaper to buy - but are covered in plastic to keep them together.

A big plastic purchase here is the dustpan and brush. I wasn't thinking at all - you can buy metal dustpan easily. BUT even if I had been thinking, some online research shows a price tag of £15-£20 - as opposed to my plastic traitor that came in at £3.

So my trolley load started me thinking about the terms of this plastic free challenge. How seriously are we going to take it? Could we cut out all plastic? What do we mean by single use? Are the plastics recyclable?  Are they reusable?

The terms of our challenge

1. Try to eliminate entirely all pointless plastic: plastic straws, coffee cups, fruit and veg wrapped in plastic (especially if they have their own skin), single use bottles or packaging, wet wipes(gah!)

2. Consider all plastics that aren't "single-use" but that have a short use phase: shampoo, toothbrushes, food containers like ice cream tubs.

3. Try and replace plastics that have alternatives: plastic bags, cotton buds, make up and beauty products, chewing gum

4. Don't throw anything away!  For the duration of our plastic free challenge, I'll be hiding some of the bottles and products that we use daily to give us an idea of what we're aiming for, but I'll use them up once the challenge is over.

5. Think more about reusing plastics - a drinks bottle might be designed for a single use, but can we use them again and extend their life span?

There are some really useful resources online to help thinking about plastic consumption and what can be done to reduce your footprint - I'll be reading up on these and getting some ideas this week in advance of the challenge!

http://globalgoodawards.co.uk/pointlessplastics/
https://myplasticfreelife.com/plasticfreeguide/
http://www.pfree.co.uk/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/17/is-it-possible-to-live-without-plastic-readers-tips-for-for-tip-free-living

Two years, no blog....

Failed blogger alert! I think I started blogging as a way to find a voice, when being a Mum of twins was pretty tough, and I wasn't working, and I needed something to do that wasn't just changing nappies.  And maybe it stopped being so tough.  Or I went back to work and ran out of time, Or I ran out of things to say.

But I've found myself thing about my blog and wondering if I might have a few thoughts left in me....

So I'll kick it off again for a bit and see how I feel.  No pressure, no desire to be a famous Mummy blogger (that market seems a little overcrowded all of a sudden), just a little note from me to the Internet to remind myself in the future how I felt today. 

It's 2018. The world has changed a lot in 2 years. Our lives have changed a lot in 2 years. But this little note is still here, and I'm back on the horse now, so I'll fill the pages with my day to day, and a few pictures. And maybe one day the kids will read it, or I'll read it when I'm old. And I'll be glad that I bothered. And give future me a little peek into what it was like to be me way back when....

What just happened?!

NOT blogging about the EU Referendum and our decision to Brexit would probably be a lot more interesting, but I can't help myself.

These views are entirely my own and are based on what I've gleaned from conversation and the news. I don't pretend to fully understand the issues.  But here's what I believe.

I'm an environmentalist, a parent, a mortgage holder, a holiday maker a professional whose company works with Europe, and most importantly, a wine drinker. So this affects me.

It affects me a lot more than it affects my Gran. She voted to leave and of the list above, the only shared label is parent.

She believes that she'll soon be dead and that her legacy to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren is a free Britain.

I'm astonished at my Gran's vote as she's been a staunch Labour supporter and socialist her whole life. Her main reason for voting to leave is that she can no longer tolerate the hypocrisy and beurocracy of the European Union. Given a voice, she chose to say that she does not want to remain part of a flawed system.  I understand that.

But what frightens me most about our decision to Brexit is that the entire campaign has been led by a far right movement. The Daily Mail are taking credit for the win today, Nigel Forage has more influence than anyone could have credited and Boris Johnson will likely be the next Prime Minister.

And suddenly, the referendum wasn't about trade laws, or migration, or beurocracy and the European elite. I think the reason that the majority of Britain woke up shocked yesterday morning was that we voted 'yes' to a far right campaign.

And if history has taught us anything, the far right don't tend to care about too much about the poor, or the arts, or National health, or security, or the environment, or the elderly.

And to my mind, the campaign that talked about protecting the British, actually translates to protecting wealthy, white, male Brits.

Which is terrifying.

And so I'm ashamed that my Gran abandoned her ideals and can't see that she's effectively paved the way towards a further right wing government where hatred and racism prevail.

I can't see tolerance and understanding in Brexit, I can't see unity or positivity, I can't see peace and I can't see stability.

I can't see how we've let this happen. And in the eyes of the world, we've behaved like spoilt children and I can't see why they would want to play with us anymore.

So I'm sad today. I'm sad for my children and the future we've imposed on them. I'm sad for the thousands of people who may lose jobs and benefits and their homes. I'm sad for my Gran who can't see what she's been part of.

But I'm hopeful that I'm wrong, that we'll get a sensible leader who will guide us through this unscathed. I'm hopeful that the promises of more money and a better quality of life will be fulfilled. I'm hopeful that my children will be happy and protected. I'm hopeful that we will negotiate fairly and appropriately to maintain strong relationships with all our global partners. I'm hopeful I can forgive my Gran.

But mostly, I'm hopeful the price of wine won't be affected too much.

It's probably just teething.....

I'm saying it's probably teething because I can help you if you're teething. I give you a cold flannel to chew on. I freeze cubes of pear puree like when you were weaning. I administer Calpol.

But I really know that it's this other thing - what people call "separation anxiety". And I know that it's real because I feel it too. And I know that it can't be cured with Calpol or cold pear.

And I can't do anything but teach you that we are separate, which is the very last thing I want to do.

You're nearly one, I'm back at work, time moves on. We can't snuggle all day, or spend hours gazing in each other's eyes, or play countless games of peekaboo or blow unlimited raspberries.

That time is done now. You no longer live inside me, you no longer feed from me, you can sleep all night without me. We are separating.

And part of me is pleased. I can feel the fog lifting, I spend all day with adults, people value my opinion, I don't watch as much Cbeebies. I can feel 'me' coming back.

You're gaining independence and I'm  regaining mine.

But it's certainly making us both anxious. The only difference is that I'm an adult and I've learnt to contain my howls.

But facing up to it feels too real, too raw, too final. I'm not ready to leave these heady days behind. I'm not ready to be separate and I'm so glad you feel the same.

But let's call it teething. And I'll hold you tight, and stroke your cheek, and rock you gently back to sleep.

Why I love/hate/love running

"Where mummy going?" asks Z.

"I'm going running" I reply.

 

And the look on his face is the absolute reason that I run (or jog). His two-year-old brain cannot believe that "going running" is actually a thing. He loves to run everywhere and can't comprehend that it's yet another grown-up pastime he's excluded from.  Like eating biscuits and staying up late.

 

I'd wish I thought running was as much fun as eating biscuits and staying up late.

 

My relationship with running is complex. I want to be a positive role model for my children. I'm a bit lazy and I love food so exercise is basically obesity prevention.  I hate the afternoon before a scheduled long run.  I love to clear my head at the end of the day and running has got me through some stressful times.  I'm a miserable runner and I certainly don't like to chat.  I love knowing I accomplished something.  I hate spending money on running gear.  I love reading running magazines...

 

I've never been sporty, I did my first 10k (in fact, ran my first mile) when I was 28. And in the 5 years inbetween I've travelled the world and had two pregnancies.  I don't think that my story is any different from most runners.  It tends to be a bit of a love/hate relationship, perhaps founded on times of glory/ stress/ injury and often includes major set-backs, minor victories and lots of internal and external motivators.

 

I'm running a half marathon in 3 weeks and I'm well behind on my training. It's going to be slow and painful. But I'm aiming to get round and raise some money for Dementia UK in memory of my Grandad who passed away in January.

 

 

I did my first half marathon in 2010 and in an okay time. I ran my last 10k race when I was 3 months pregnant with Z. I'm going to complete a half marathon before my twins are 1.  So I'm also hoping to start taking myself a bit more seriously as a runner.  I bought some sports socks at the weekend so I think that's a step in the right direction.

 

So this is the last push - 3 weeks of taking it seriously, drinking less wine, training every other day, wearing my new socks, doing what I can to make it slightly less painful.

 

And I'll think about how I'll feel once it's done.  And the fact my daughter will grow up with a biscuit loving runner as a role model to help her on her way to being fit not thin.   And I'll wonder what Grandad Jim might think of my determination.

 

And I'll imagine Z's face as I cross the finish line.  And then I might do a couple of fist pumps.

 

Watch this space......

 

https://www.justgiving.com/eloanddadgorunningagain/

 

I am a Mum.

Being a Mum, is falling asleep in the dentists, while she's drilling your teeth, because it's the most relaxed you've been in weeks.

Being a Mum is spending hours traipsing round the house with a wailing toddler looking for 'his tow twuck' before you remember you confiscated it yesterday when he was naughty.

Being a Mum is staring with horror as your baby picks up a peppercorn from the kitchen floor and starts to eat it. But letting it play out.

Being a Mum is realising you have a huge snot smear on the back of your work jacket and having no idea how it happened.

Being a Mum is the tragedy of cutting a tiny finger nail too close and a baby bleeding everywhere. And the health visitor knocking on the door that moment.

Being a Mum is the ability to make cupcakes, pastry and bread without the weighing scales.

Being a Mum is thinking you look cool, then going on a night out and realising you look like a Mum.

Being a Mum is being able to tell your twins identical teddies apart from the way they smell.

Being a Mum is not being phased by a bath poo.

Being a Mum is packing a case for a girly weekend and your toddler asking 'are you excited?'

Being a Mum is heading off on a weekend away and feeling very excited about what you are when you aren't a Mum........