My inspiration for this, oddly enough, was a restaurant. A special little place Brianna and I found in Columbia called Main Squeeze. They are a veg/sometimes Vegan place practicing sustainability. Wow. Let that sink in; a business using sustainable, organic products & business practices. I know, right!
Now, this cool little eatery has clean {of course} plastic tubs for your left overs to go into - you get them off the shelf of a cute cabinet along with your silverware. These tubs used to be full of Organic Sour Cream etc. What a fab idea! Yeh, it's still plastic {see previous post here} but mucho better than Stryofoam I think everyone will agree. You can also purchase a stainless Tiffin there.
Anyway, when in Rome...
So the next time Bri and I ate at Main Squeeze I took my little pillowcase tote bag that I'd won from Very Mary, which is very cool btw, and filled it with my own reusable tub - because I knew I'd have leftovers! - a reusable cool plastic straw {I'd love to get glass ones someday!}, an empty Quinoa packet to put the straw in after use so it doesn't drip my Vitality fresh juice on anything, and a cloth napkin.
I also plan to add a small cloth towel so that I don't have to use paper to dry my hands after restroom hand-washing.
We don't go out to eat often but this little "kit" would be so easy to take to any restaurant where you know you'll be taking home portions of your meal. One difference I'll make soon is to use stainless containers instead of plastic {altho' I LOVE my Hello Kitty sandwich keeper - yes, I'm 5} and I'm going to sew that Quinoa bag into something smaller that fits my straw better. And if you routinely get your drink refilled to take with, just add a stainless bottle or sealed cup to the kit and you'll be set! Now if I could just get Sonic to fill my own bottle/cup when I purchase my once-a-week Vanilla Coke I'd be a happy camper! {hear that SONIC - I mean Styrofoam? Really?}
Some other ways to be more earth-friendly when you eat out:
Just say no to the bag they put your sandwich in at Subway. Especially if you are eating-in, there is absolutely no reason for it. Just tell them you don't want your sandwich bagged. And if you do end up with a few reuse them as produce bags at the grocery store.
And reuse your produce bags from the grocery. It's not like they get dirty. If they get wet from greens that get misted just allow them to dry before reusing.
Bring your own straw - it's a small thing but can you imagine how many straws people throw out each year? I've not searched it but I'm sure it's a ton!
Tuck a small towel in your purse - even a washcloth - and use it to dry your hands instead of the paper towels or air dryer in the bathrooms. Make a cute little zipper pouch for it. {or even one w/o a zipper lol}
At places that put your meal in a paper bag - when feasible just say no. When not feasable {Like with french fries that need more containment} reuse it for lunches, or another use later. Try to get at least 3 uses from an item before tossing into the trash/recycle pile.
What other strategies can you think of in working towards less packaging in our lives?
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