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. :(

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".  

I put out a challenge to island neighbours to walk the shoreline and collect all the junk they could find.  Several took up the charge and made a difference in their area.  There was a surfeit of styrofoam of all types along the shore.  Much of it was broken up in to smaller pieces that could be mistaken as food by fish.   The photos above were shared by friends and neighbours who participated and recorded their finds to share with others.  

The next question was what to do with it?  In our area, Island Return It will take styrofoam if it is dry (not water logged).  There are a multitude of different types of "foam" and not all is recyclable, so you need to bone up on your recyclable materials.  I wanted to know the end result of styrofoam recycling and found some interesting Youtube stories on the process which can be large scale, or very small.  It was good to know that it is very successfully recycled - but then it's back again in another form! 

We need to protect our oceans and every bit of garbage we pull off the beach helps.  Most garbage ends up ashore, however briefly, within one week of entering the waters.  If we continually monitor our beaches and collect the garbage, we will save it from enlarging the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and save a few fish along the way.  We are all connected. 

I encourage anyone who has waterfront property to take a stroll every few days on the high tide line - you will be amazed what you collect.  If you are not on the waterfront, then visit your favorite beach and take a stroll.  The walks will benefit us all and recycling the found materials will help the oceans and all marine life.   

#beachwalks #hightide #collecting #recycling #styrofoam #singleuseplastic