I’ve had a good few days since sunday, but on the green side it hasn’t been the best of times.  I’m always conscious these days about my plastic and disposables consumption, and I try to stay within the boundaries I’ve set for myself.  That’s not always possible, and these few days have shown me where I really need to make some changes.

Sunday I went to the New York Renaissance Faire for our 12th anniversary.  We had a nice time, despite the monetary drain for going to an entertainment venue.  I tried to go light, taking only what fit in my belt pouches and one bag I bought from Moresca this year, empty in case we made any purchases and wanted to avoid a plastic bag.  We bough lunch, which came with pre-packaged plastic-wrapped plasticware.  What a waste.  The pork we bought was far too much on the spicy side for our taste buds, and I found I desperately needed a drink.  The only things available at the stand we were eating near seemed to be plastic bottled water.  *sigh*.  I hate buying plastic bottled water.  But I hadn’t brought a reusable water bottle, and my mouth was burning and I still had half a plate of pork to eat so I was stuck.  On the good side though, the pork was on a non-plastic plate, and for dessert we had sorbet, where the hollowed out orange is used as a container for the sorbet.  I’ll assume the orange was used to make the sorbet or some other food.  I’d like to believe it wasn’t just chucked to make the sorbet holder.

Monday and Tuesday I attended all day training for work.  The training itself was useful, and I do like the opportunity to learn.  The training was at one of my company’s conference centers, which provide snacks and drinks for attendees as well as lunch in the cafeteria.  Again, I had no reusable containers to make life greener, so I had to go with what was available.  Styrofoam coffee cups, plastic bottled beverages, styrofoam plates in the cafeteria and at the snack table if I wanted it to go.  Given the choices available, I just didn’t drink except on breaks at the fountain, and I ate in the cafeteria in order to get washable dishes.  I still ended up with some styrofoam/plastic to deal with, mostly for the dessert plates.  I’m a cookie junkie, and I still had money left in my food allowance.

I want to reduce my plastic footprint.  I want to do better for the environment.  What’s amazing is how far out of your way you have to go in order to do that, which I think is why most people don’t even think about it. It’s society set on autopilot, not even aware that there’s an issue with what they’re doing.  Spurs me on even further.

So, I’m going to make some changes.  First, some reusable flatware I can stick in my purse and carry everywhere.  I’m looking at these ones from To-Go Ware, because they’d be lighter than carrying around old silverware.  Second, I lost the lid to my Flylady water bottle, and as soon as they’re back in stock I’m buying another one (which will hopefully mean I’ll find the lid to the old one!).  These bottles are a freaking miracle.  I’ve owned others, both single and double wall, and they don’t hold a candle to the Flylady bottle.  Once I’ve got that bottle in hand, it’s going in my purse permanently.  If I’m going to reduce my plastic, I’ve got to give myself the right tools for the job.  Most vendors aren’t quite as forward thinking as I am about plastic reduction, and leaving myself at the mercy of what’s available where I go is just setting myself up for failure.

What do you do in order to avoid using plastic when you’re out and about?