Absolutely, YES!

I hear the same thing over and over.  “What I do doesn’t make a difference, there are so many people/government bodies/businesses/others that waste more than me, so why bother?”

And then I hear the reply, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”.

It’s not enough to want a better planet if that isn’t going to inspire you to not only think differently but also to ACT differently.

That is why Plastic Free July works.  It gets you to do something different.  It’s as small or as big a challenge as you think you can manage.  Many go into it thinking it will be easy.  I love these people. I was one of them.  The ones that think it will be easy are usually the ones most profoundly changed by it.  We find out that once you are truly aware of the issue on a personal level there is no going back.  You come face to face with the reality of just how much plastic waste is embedded in our everyday lives.  The blindfold of the daily routine is removed and you get to start seeing the world clearly via the multitude of decisions that we have to remake to succeed at the challenge.

You do it as a community.  At this stage, it is a global community with individuals in more than 130 countries participating last year.  If you have questions, there will be answers.  If you have struggles, there will be support.  If you succeed, we will all cheer you on and delight in what you have achieved.  It is no small feat.

You’re family or housemates don’t have to be on board for you to join the challenge.  This is about the choices you make.  Encourage, support and share your experiences; be a role model of the change.  You never know who you will inspire!

With the media sharing more and more about the problems in the world around waste and unnecessary plastics, this is an actual solution.  It is a guide to get you started on a meaningful journey to solving the problem.  When enough people are involved, aware and conscious of just what is going on with our disposable culture and how to address it, the effect will be amazing.  But in the meantime, the changes you are making are leading to a real quality of life that is missing with a disposable lifestyle.  You can try telling me that you love drinking out of a disposable plastic straw, and I will smile at you whilst I savour sipping from the glass without a straw knowing that tomorrow someone else will be able to enjoy the same experience. Whilst 50 plus years from now someone else will still be trying to figure out why you thought that straw was so instrumental to your happiness.

Alone we still make a difference.

It’s only one day, one week, one month… how hard could it be?

Find out more about the challenge and join us by registering via http://www.plasticfreejuly.org/

If you have done the challenge before, share your experiences below to inspire newbies to give it a go!

How do you make others change their ways to less wasteful living?

The simple answer is: You can’t.

You can’t make others change their ways.  You can encourage, guide, support, educate but you can’t force sustainable change on others.

We all come to these ideas with our own baggage of previous experiences, beliefs, levels and sources of knowledge, priorities and capabilities.  We all have our ways of doing things and habits that are more or less difficult to change.  Some of us are just thinking about things, some are preparing themselves for change, others are making changes slow and steady or all at once, and yet others are maintaining their momentum.  You must always be respectful of where people are.

However….

There are things that you can do to motivate others to get on board with a life with less waste.

5 Easy Tips to Motivate Change:

1. Be a good role model – seeing you make waste less living look as enjoyable and satisfying as it is will intrigue others to find out more!
2. Don’t give detailed explanations of why you do what you do, but feel free to give a quick statement if someone is curious.  “I’m trying to reduce my waste” is enough for now, you will be asked for more if the person is contemplating the issue.
3. Make it as easy as possible for others to make the change – have the shopping bags readily available, send them to the shops with one container to be refilled by a retailer you know will guide them through, or have containers for leftovers ready to go (hide the cling wrap!).
4. Just try addressing one source of waste at a time so that the change doesn’t feel onerous.  Maybe it is taking a reusable drink bottle rather than buying bottled drinks.  Maybe it is making packed lunches using containers rather than cling wrap.  Maybe it is remembering the shopping bags when you are out and about. One change at a time until it becomes a habit.
5. Always be supportive of any attempts in the right direction.  We all want to feel good about ourselves.  Berating someone when they make mistakes will likely demotivate them so stick with the positive reinforcement and be grateful for whatever change they are trying to make for the better.

I love this time of year!  I get to feel great about doing something for the planet and challenge myself to learn new things.

Have you joined Plastic Free July yet?

It really is very simple.  Just pledge to give up disposable plastic bags, water bottles, straws and take away coffee cups.  You can do it for a day, a week or the whole month.  If your a bit more along the plastic free journey you might consider giving up disposable plastic packaging too.

You probably don’t need to go out and buy anything as most of us have all the tools we need right now.  Just say no to straws when you order out, remember to take your reusable shopping and produce bags with you, and keep your BYO coffee cup nearby if you like a take away cuppa.

I’ve been doing Plastic Free July since 2013 and every year I stretch myself to reduce one more thing.  My family aren’t as wasteless as me but that doesn’t mean I can’t still give it a go.  I can make decisions that are good for me and encourage them to make changes but I never want them to feel pressured into something.  Plastic Free July isn’t just about waste, it’s also about enjoying life.  I love that because of this challenge I now know how to make my own yoghurt, bread, soft cheese, pasta, granola and a bunch of other things.  I love that I have found a community of others who are doing good things for the environment (rather than just talking about how bad things are getting).  I love that I can shop quickly and easily, just buy what I need and spend more time enjoying life rather than dealing with stuff.  I love all that I have gained by getting rid of the rubbish in my life.

Over the month of July we will be giving you lots of suggestions via Instagram and Facebook on simple changes that you can make, but we would love to hear from you.  What are your disposable plastic dilemmas?  What are your disposable plastic solutions?

To make it just a bit easier and give you a little incentive to try reducing your plastic packaging – how about a 5% discount on any items bought during July where you have refilled your own container!  As always you can drop off your containers and we will do your shopping for you if you prefer.  It doesn’t get much easier to do the right thing!!

I dream of a day when no one’s green bin is full to the brim on rubbish collection day!