Plastic Activist Shifts $1114 to Green Goods

Beth Terry is best known for taking a stand against plastic over at her inspired blog Fake Plastic Fish. But living plastic-free is not the only way this Bay Area accountant and activist makes a difference. She's shifted her spending to organic produce and natural products like toothpaste and laundry powder, too. She bought a bicycle instead of a car, and gives gifts like fair trade organic chocolate.

 

Beth took the One in a Million Challenge last year, as you can see from her balance sheet below. But the spending shifts she's made weren't temporary. They're a way of life that I hope will inspire you to do the same!

 

Total ................................................................. $1114.59 

   

    **NOTE:  "None of this includes cash spent at the Farmer’s Market or elsewhere. These are just credit card expenditures." Wondering how Beth made these shifts and avoided plastic? She bought laundry powder in a recyclable carboard box, rather than liquid laundry detergent in a plastic jug. She uses cotton mesh baggies to collect produce, rather than plastic bags. She also buys milk in a cardboard carton rather than a plastic bottle. (BTW, ACV stands for apple cider vinegar. TJ stands for Trader Joe's, though Beth has recently shifted to Tom's because the aluminum toothpaste tube is recyclable. In the last year, Beth also shifted from detergent powder to Laundry Tree soap nuts.)

 

 

Feeling inspired? Please join Beth and the almost 5,000 other consumers who have already taken the One in a Million Challenge! It's easy -- Fill out this balance sheet, keeping track of the shifts you make over time until you have shifted $1,000. Then send us your sheet, along with a picture so we can add your lovely face to our growing wall of One in a Million members. We'll feature you in Big Green Purse, so you can help inspire others - though we hope you'll urge your friends and family to take the challenge, too.

 

Comments

[ChrisLWagner]

Love this. I bought mason jars and use them instead of tupperware. They work great and keep things fresh for a long time. If you have a dog or cat, they can go green too. I don't mean to sell you, but I have an eco friendly pet products store at http://www.waggysecopetproducts.com. Thanks!

[Diane MacEachern]

Renaissance Costumes - let's cut her a tiny bit of slack, shall we? First of all, she allows for durable plastic like the kind that might have been used in her bike's manufacture. She's not going to be throwing that away for years and years and years. Second, her overall effort to reduce plastic consumption far outweighs the bit used on this bicycle. I think her story is inspiring!

[Make Green Come True]

This is a great article! It's really interesting to see how much of a shift one can make toward green goods!

[RecycleBill]

Beth is an inspiration to us all. I hate plastics but have to admit it is very hard to live without plastics in today's world. Beth has set a shining example.

[Lawrence Gilstrap]

She could be a real inspiration to those who also plan to go green. I've seen these homemade cleaning products across the net, like toothpaste and dishwashing liquids. People could save more with those.