Going Plastic Free in July has been an interesting and eye opening experience for many of us, so I thought it would be really valuable to have all our stories in one place so we can recognise the similarities in the difficulties we face when attempting a plastic free lifestyle and share solutions and ideas to overcome them.
What will follow is a series of six episodes, a collection of real stories from around the country to document the experiences of those who have risen to the challenge and what they have discovered as difficulties and solutions, specific to where they live, because our solutions vary quite a lot depending on whether we live rurally or in a big city. So we have episodes from rural living in the Klein Karoo, from inner city living in Cape Town, from a working class suburb in Port Elizabeth, from a small town on the Garden Route and then more from the suburbs of Cape Town.
The bottom line though and a common thread that runs through all our stories is that it hasn’t been easy! The onslaught of plastic at every turn seriously limits one’s choices and it’s going to take a lot of us using our consumer power to demand more plastic free options. But taking the month long challenge was also about nurturing new habits and new possibilities and it has been incredibly heartening to see the interest in Plastic Free July throughout South Africa, the time is so ripe for action and positive change, really and truly we can do this thing – we can collectively create a future we can all believe in, one where the well being of people and all life on the planet comes first.
Sharing our stories is powerful, we are not alone, we inspire each other and we can take back our power as consumers to create healthy communities and a healthy planet. Join us on this plastic free challenge storytelling journey… (subscribe to the blog to make sure you receive all the episodes over the next month)
[Did you know… you can specifically search for places that are recycling or using eco packaging on Eco Atlas? And here are some other plastic free wins you should definitely check out – GreenHome, StreamStraws, FreshBag, The Candylwood Store and more…]
Celebrating the Change Makers…Eco Atlas Discounts for Going Plastic Free
Did your business take up the Plastic Free July challenge this year? Tell us how it went in the comments below and you could receive a 50% discount on your Eco Atlas company listing, which you could use for your own business or you could identify a small business that deserves the recognition for their eco and empowerment practices.