I thought I'd start off the year going over all the things that I've previously reviewed or recommended.

In October 2022 I told you about the Cookina Reuseable Baking Mat - still using the same one with excellent results.  That's a lot of foil and parchment paper saved!

Also in October 2022 - Nature Bee cleaning tabs - still happy with them and still using them.  

November 2021 - recycled fabric gift bags - still doing and still LOVE!  Everyone gives me the bags back and my Christmas wrapping is done beautifully in 5 seconds! 

April 2021 - homemade deodorant - partial fail.  Suddenly Arrowroot, one of the key ingredients became hard to find.  I ended up two great companies making deodorant in plastic free containers.  Dom's had a Vanilla Mint which I love and another brand Routine - sexy sadie with ylang ylang, vanilla & cinnamon.  I found both of those at One Love Refill & Fashion aka Bare Refillery in White Rock. 

February 2021 - The Butcher - Fraser Orr's Butcher & Deli - still no plastic and wrapped in paper.
The Farmer's Daughter - the cheese storage bags last such a long time so you are saved from sooo much plastic.   Still using them, still loving them.  

June 2020 - I'm still using refillable shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, body lotion, hand lotion etc. all from Ecotopia Naturals in Sidney.

June 2020 - Brita to Soma - not using either now as my new fridge has water.  Filter replacement is every 6 months or so.  No matter which way there was plastic in the filter...hopefully the built in is the better, lesser choice. 

Dental products - I've gone back to the regular but Oral B came out recently with a refillable container for their dental floss with a huge roll so much less plastic waste.  

That's all of them.  Don't give up - keep trying.  Tap those condiment bottles and choose glass whenever you can, keep shopping nude and slowly we'll get there, but we can try for more quickly!  

I’ve been testing out a few new things things year with excellent results.   The first is a reusable parchment paper of sorts for cooking.  It’s the Cookina Reusable Baking Mat.  It’s non-stick and replaces foils and parchment papers.  You can cut it to fit your favourite baking trays or pans and it’s even microwave and dishwasher safe.  It is for baking, not the BBQ though.  I found mine at Thrifty Foods for $14.99 and have been using it happily for 6 months.  

My next great finds are available at Ecotopia Naturals for $4 and made by Nature Bee, locally in Saanichton, BC!  They are paper wrapped cleaning tabs that dissolve in water.  There are several scents of Foaming Hand Soap, Multi-purpose Spray Cleaners and just out… a Bathroom Cleaner.

Hope you'll give these products a try, if you haven't already! :) And share the info with your friends.
#yyj #ditchtheplastic #nomoreplastic #bakingnonstick #plasticfreecleaners

p.s. - I've turned off commenting as I was getting spammed. :(

As we just get started on our holiday shopping I'm going to put out a reminder to think upcycled and recycled wrapping.  There are beautiful cloth gift wrappings out there that can be re-used year after year.  Many are made from upcycled fabrics - an added bonus!  

If you can shop local for gifts, you may find some beautiful hand made works, no plastic wrappings and you will be supporting local artists and shops.  #mindfulshopping 

I'm always on the lookout for something new, plastic free or a new recipe to try to replace something wrapped in plastic.  I've let my guard down every once in a while, English cucumbers being a good example.  I've heard there is a biodegradable wrap alternative coming, soon I hope! 

From the plethora of recipes out there to try...I did have success first time with this one for deodorant.  We know how many can be bad just with their ingredients, but so many are also encased in plastic.  So, when my last Tom's ran out, I pulled out this recipe...and voila!  Super easy.  Arrowroot powder seems to be the hardest to come across for making the next batch - but I've got a couple of months to go.  So save the old container of the push up style and reuse it for a homemade batch. 
Thank you to whomever posted it originally - I deleted all the ad stuff, so it's just an easy pdf for you.  
Deodorant Recipe 

As to what's working...I love the Soap Refill Centre at Ecotopia Naturals in Sidney, BC.  I now refill my shampoo, conditioner, dish detergent, dishwasher detergent and body lotion.  They also carry the TruEarth Laundry Strips.   A lovely warm your heart new find at Ecotopia are the Salish Sea Soap Pebbles by Soap for Hope Canada.  Proceeds go to help families in need.  <3 

Keep up the Nude Shopping, it's the best we can do and buy local! 
#homemade #deodorant #soap #salishsea 

Increasingly, it is getting harder at your local grocer to be plastic free and when COVID arrived, pretty much impossible! But the positive side of that is I am finding small local businesses that offer plastic free options with a smile. 😀

If you haven’t already visited, I would like to introduce you to Fraser Orr’s Butcher & Deli in Saanichton, BC. A beautiful selection of meat with no plastic, wrapped only in butcher paper if you ask and chicken galore. My fave is the asparagus wrapped chicken breast, no coatings, just lovely tender chicken, asparagus and provolone.

Next, I would like to introduce you to The Farmer’s Daughter. This lovely little fromagerie, Bistro and wine bar is located in Sidney, BC. A bit of a dilemma with the cheese in their case, it is all wrapped in plastic to keep the flavours from spreading. They have a special cheese wrap, but there is some plastic involved. Solution, they sell cheese storage bags that are re-useable and are happy of course to place your cheese in these. The bags (in a package of 15) sell for $16.99.

While changing to plastic free may be a challenge at times, when you search for solutions, you meet wonderful people who encourage rather than dampen the plastic free enthusiasm.  Last year I watched a YouTube launched by our own UVIC as part of Ideafest 2020. The data is staggering that we must break our plastic addiction.

It's fantastic to see the bulk food options have returned almost fully at most grocers and glass milk bottles are making a comeback, so if we all get on board with that, maybe it will help drop the price. 
Every little thing we do makes a difference and as a community, we make a huge difference.  In less than 6 months we saw Tru Earth laundry strips go from online only, to Ecotopia, to Home Hardware and then Fairways.  Big steps to get it out to the general public when there is demand.  Now when will English cucumbers be free of plastic?

#butcher #fromagerie #FraserOrr #FarmersDaughter #buylocal #ditchtheplastic #freetheenglishcucumber

Through support from Piers Island Association and grant funding from CRD, we were able to put together and film this presentation about how every consumer has the power to #ditchtheplastic 
I was able to buy the products that I'd found and use them as draw prizes for our audience, which was present with masks (only 6 people) or there via Zoom.  I apologize in advance for my Ums, which were many...but I hope you come away with inspiration to try and change the way you buy.  I had to  remind myself today...when buying green relish - choose the glass, not the plastic!  

Thank you for watching, please hunt out these fantastic refill stations in your area and spread the word to "ditch the plastic".  

Another great find at Ecotopia Naturals in Sidney. Miiko Skin products are refillable, yes!  They are also 100% Fair-Trade, Non-Toxic, Cruelty free and Gluten Free and made locally.  What could be better.  The 4 oz bottle is $27 and to refill the bottle is $24.  All Miiko products are $3 less to refill the bottle.  You must use the same bottle and it needs to be cleaned before refill, except for serums.  
There are quite a few skin care products including sunscreen - the link will take you to the Ecotopia product page.  

I was using a bar soap, but this is just so much nicer for the face.  And they are in glass dispensers.  
#refillable #skincare #glass #shoplocal #yyj  #buylocal

Well, I finally took the plunge and changed from Brita to Soma. What was the big deciding factor? Well, there were two!
1. My old Brita was not BPA free
2. No one wanted to recycle my Brita filter, so...

When I went looking for something new, I found Soma, with compostable filters that last 2 months. BPA free and a cool design with excellent taste ratings were sellers for me. Unfortunately www.drinksoma.com does not ship to Canada so you can not get regular filter shipments for free, so thank you Amazon.ca, I purchased the 6 cup size as my fridge always seems to full and it did come with a filter. I wasn’t sure, so I purchased an additional 2 pack, so I’m set for a while! Very happy with the look, the floating fill hole and great tasting water. 👍👍

I've been posting new products as I find them on the New Finds page and I wanted to update on a couple of them because there is some good and some bad, or rather...disappointing.  

First up - the good news - Tru Earth Laundry Strips.  I've bought my second package and will continue to use them.  No more lugging laundry soap, hooray!  Ecotopia in Sidney sells them by the package or you can buy from the company direct on a auto-supply basis for a cost savings for families.  I don't do that much laundry, so I would rather buy as I need, #supportlocal even though I pay a little more. 

I'm still using the silk dental floss - it's been wonderful.  And my fave bar soaps from SoapWorks are olive and the cucumber/calendula.  

​#newproducts #barsoap #refillstations #toothpaste 

I started this post in January 2020 and since COVID-19, home baking has sky rocketed to the point that in early March flour and yeast became extinct species, eggs and butter were rationed and still the shelves are often bare of flour and yeast.  It feels like a big score when you find some.  

The two things that I find myself needing to remember, is that while I am still committed to ditching the plastic, I am also very thankful to the farmers and the various companies that provide baked goods.   Hopefully post COVID-19 we will be able to purchase without plastic.  

In the meantime, I want to share with you two recipes that have proven winners over and over and are super easy,  I am a lazy baker, so they are Pauline Proofed!  The recipes have been adjusted to work in an 8 cup Cuisinart Food Processor.  I told you...easy! :)

I finally got to finishing this post, as I'm waiting for my bread to rise and just popped in the oven.  I was really lazy today and did no pinching...it rose much higher today and I've got gaps!  So...maybe pinch! 

#lazybaker #homemade #baguette #energybars #chocolatefix #nutlover