plastic

plastic freaks me out.
sometimes i wonder if i'm going overboard, trying to avoid it in any way possible.
we don't have plastic sippy cups, try not to use plastic plates, rarely use ziplocks, avoid food packaged in plastic when possible...
then i read an article like THIS (on yahoo news, mind you.  not some "crazy, leftist" publication) & i feel totally justified in my judgements.

reading such articles bolsters me towards going as plastic-free as possible.  it's not a hippie-thing anymore (though what's wrong with the hippies??!  ha!), it's a SERIOUS matter of health.

getting rid of all plastic can be totally overwhelming, if not virtually impossible, but there are a few things you can do to get the ball rolling.  & yes, this is going to cost us $.  i choose to think of it as saving us future money in doctor & hospital bills from getting god-knows-what kind of disease from this BPA crap.

1.  get rid of plastic "tupperware" stuff.  i know some of it says "bpa free" & that's got to be better than the other stuff, but it's my personal belief that BPA is just one of the chemicals in plastic that are dangerous to our health, so it's probably better to just get rid of it all together.  alternatives include glass containers (you can buy bulk sets @ targ for not too much $).  also you can do a "two for!" & buy food in glass containers (spaghetti sauce, jelly...), then use these as substitues for your tupperware.

2.  get rid of plastic cups & plates.  this is a special "OUCH" for those of us with kiddos.  & yes, it stinks like nobody's business when they drop a glass cup & it shatters all over the floor.  it's a real pain to clean up, but since we use jelly jars, i never really care about the loss of the cup.  & i have to say it happens WAY less than i thought it would.  we use all kinds of spaghetti & applesauce jars for cups.  you can also use mason jars.  lots of condiments come in little glass jars, perfect for kiddos.

3.  get a stainless water bottle.  the plastic in disposable water bottles is thought to be one of the worst for your health.  it's seriously bad.  filling up your stainless water bottle & taking it with you is one of the best investments you can make in your health as well as your pocket book actually!  those $2 water bottles add up like crazy (trust me.  i just bought a few on my trip last weekend.  unfortunately, i don't always practice what i preach :) )  another bonus to this "hydration approach" is the health of the planet - think about all the plastic bottles you'll be saving from the landfills.

okay, those are my top 3 ideas to inspire all of us.  i'm still mulling over things like the best way to get rid of ziplocks for good & the easiest substitute for the plastic veggie & fruit grocery store bags.  so i'll get back to you, okay?  :)