Plastic Free July To #PlasticFreeLife: How To Make The Switch?

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July is ending ― and so is #PlasticFreeJuly!

But keeping the urgency in mind, #PlasticFreeJuly is not what we need anymore. We are gonna need something much more reliable and sustainable than that ― #PlasticFreeLife!

Now, living a plastic-free life is a far-fetched dream. We all are caught up in this vicious cycle of using plastics, despite being fully aware of the fact that it is harmful to our nature. With each passing day, we are getting trapped in this labyrinth, finding it hard to quit the habit of using plastics.

Sudden boycott of plastic will lead to chaos in our daily life. However noble the cause is, one cannot abruptly give up plastic. Nevertheless, it’s never too late to try; here are some of the steps you can follow to slow down the use of plastic in your daily life.

Hope this helps!

Replace plastic shopping bags with reusable ones

Reusable shopping bags are a great way to start with. You definitely visit the market once or twice a week. Instead of relying on bags to be provided by the shopkeeper, carry your own. Don’t restrict reusable bags to groceries shopping; you can carry them anywhere.

Avoid bottled water

Whenever you step out, don’t forget to carry your water bottle. Buying a plastic bottle is a very good option, but are they good?

Plastic may leach certain chemicals into the water, making it harmful for consumption. Keep a stainless steel bottle handy, and refill it wherever you happen to be. Plastic bottles are not safe for the water, but it is not reusable as well. Switching to stainless steel bottles is a great initiative.

Keep reusable utensils and glass drinking straws handy

Travelling is part and parcel of life. Your travels not just cost you, but to the environment as well. So next time when you go on a family vacation, do not forget to pack reusable utensils and glass straws. This will eventually cut out plastic waste.

Ice cream cones are a treat

Hoarding ice cream tubs in your fridge not only leads to overconsumption of ice creams but also the use of plastic. Try out the ice cream cones next time you step out; true delight indeed! Switching to ice cream cones can save both your health and the environment from those plastic tubs.

Reduce the intake of beverages packaged in plastic bottles

Remember your favourite cold drink comes packaged in plastic bottles. The more you buy, the more harm it causes to the environment. Fresh fruits or juices can always be a better option.

Let go of frozen convenience foods

Little lifestyle changes can make big moves. You purchase a lot of frozen food from the supermarket for your convenience, but is it convenient in the long run? Frozen foods are packaged in plastic containers and are always a bad choice for your health and our environment.

Purchase fresh bread wrapped in paper bags

Bread is the staple food of every household. Instead of buying bread that is packaged in plastics, try purchasing the ones that come in paper wrapping. The latter is fresher and tastier.

Try wined bottles with natural corks

‘I hate wine’, said no one ever! Well, does this mean you hate the environment?

Definitely not! While buying wine bottles, always ask for bottles that have natural disposable corks and not the plastic ones.

Give up liquid soap for bar soap

Bar soaps come in cardboard packaging, whereas liquid soaps come in plastic bottles. Bar soaps are completely hygienic to use as they wash each time you use them.

Use biodegradable feminine products

Sanitary napkins mount up to extensive waste each year. Instead, switch your sanitary pads with linen clothes that are soft and hygienic to use. You can also use menstrual cups or period panties as they are quite durable too.

Multi-faceted pros of plastic-free living

1. Positive impact on your planet

When you use less plastic, you make the environment healthy and safe for your future generations. As the number of people who make these changes increases, the environment will be safer and cleaner.

2. A good example for those who look up to you.

People around you notice you and learn from your actions. When you quit plastic, it motivates others to do the same.

3. You become an inspiration for others

It is true that one person cannot make a change. Yet, when that one person religiously tries to avoid plastic, his/ her actions motivate others to do the same.

4. You join hands with others trying to protect the environment

By choosing a plastic-free life, you come closer to those who live the same way. You also get to connect with people across the globe who are doing their best to protect the environment.

5. Enhanced health and vitality

Living plastic-free is directly proportional to eating healthy. Quitting plastic brings you closer to your health by opting for fresh fruits and juices.

You don’t need to take drastic steps; it’s the little steps that count. These small yet significant lifestyle changes will take you closer to the environment and a step nearer to a sustainable way of living.

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Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other types of aggression. To these descriptions, one can also add the Kantian notion of the wrongness of using another human being as means to an end rather than as ends in themselves. Some sources describe abuse as “socially constructed”, which means there may be more or less recognition of the suffering of a victim at different times and societies.

Types of abuse

Abuse can be of different types- physical, emotional (mental, verbal, psychological), sexual (rape, assault, harassment, molestation, pornography production, and possession) neglect (physical neglect, educational neglect, financial or material neglect).

Here are 12 things you must not say to any abuse survivor

You could have avoided it.

Believe me, if they could have prevented it they would have. No one will abuse themselves.

Here is why it would never happen to me.

No one wishes to become a statistic. You cannot put the blame of on the victim making what happened their fault.

God is punishing you for some misdeed by allowing this to happen or It was God’s will

God doesn’t wish to hurt His people.

I don’t believe you.

Respondents being disbelieved is a survivor’s greatest fear and the biggest reason why many cases of abuse go unreported. The least one can do to support abuse survivors is to believe the victim.

Maybe you just need attention.

No matter how strange it sounds, the abuse is not fabricated, unless the victim is proved to have self-harmed.

Don’t talk about it.

It’s upsetting to talk about it but that is the only way to sort through it. Not talking about it won’t make it go away.

Other people have it worse off than you.

This does not cancel or make the abuse any less. Abuse levels cannot be compared from victim to victim and the reactions are not dependent on the number of abuse sufferers. Everyone has a different reaction or tolerance threshold.

Get over it or Learn to move on.

Every survivor wishes to forget it and move on but we need to support them as they struggle

to find their way again.

Put what happened out of your minds.

Easier said than done. Some may suffer from it for days while others may remember it for a lifetime. Both are valid.

It’s no big deal

Abuse is a challenge to heal from. It haunts much after it happens in the form of PTSD, flashbacks, and dreams and can make everyday living a difficult task.

Well, it’s been months, aren’t you over it yet.

Survivors of abuse may not be ready to go back to life as it was. In fact, they may never be ready and may have to create a new life for themselves as they learn to be safe and trust again.

Oh yeah, I know a bunch of people it has happened to.

Of course, it happens to many others but that fact cannot invalidate another’s experience or trauma. Don’t belittle them by making them another number.

Also Read Dear Women, Do You Know the Sexual Harassment Laws?