My strategy for Greeny socks and the 10 plastic bags and 12 bottles of water

[NaturalDad]

Just thought I'd share my strategy for making less of a carbon footprint.

I have a backpack I take to and from work every day. I picked out the perfect one for myself last Christmas. So, for about a year now I've kept a liter stainless steal thermos filled with water attached to it at all times. More recently, I've started keeping 1 or 2 recyclable/reusable bags in it too. The backpack now has my iPod attached at all times, contains my cell phone (much further away from the family jewels) and charger, digital camera, sunglasses, etc. My wife likes to refer to it as my "man purse". It has nice little compartments for all of my "things".

My man purse now travels with me pretty much wherever I go (not just to and from work). If I leave the house, it rides in the car with me. It's nice to have it in the car when we go to the grocery because there's always a reusable bag there (one of our families biggest downfalls is neglecting to get the bags back to the car from the house). I've captured so many more pictures since I had my camera more handy too. None of the things I've mentioned really take up much space either. There's still plenty of room to take things to and from work, pack it for a small family hike, and even room to pack an overnight trip.

Thinking back to a year ago, I personally (not including my family) must have been going through at least 3 bottles each work day and close to 2 plastic bags a daily. Although I'm still using more of these than I'd like, I'm nowhere near the plastic consumer I was a year ago.

The key to making this change for me all started with my quest to find the "just right" backpack.

[alexthedragon]

I have over 30 bags now and I still forget once in a while.
Most of the time I ride back on my bike, sometimes it is raining, snowing etc... and it is always windy, so I get a serious punishment for my mistake. A bit hard to forget when that happens.

A great measure might be to have about 5 bags for each member of the household. Then there will always be about 2 ready, even if a few have to be cleaned or has been forgotten.

Apart from that there isn't much to do.

I keep my bags close to the door so the sight of them will remind me to take a couple of them with me, I also have a couple stashed in an other-wise useless front pocket on my rucksack for work.

I dig your path to the greener side of things, from 1 rucksack to no plastic. I am a serious quality junkie and I think everyone should be.... why buy 5 ****py rucksacks, when in life time you could own one quality one. If everyone thought like that then there will be no need for green!

[lunchboxwendy]

Hi NaturalDad, I carry a small backpack all the time too. I'm a woman so not really a surprise that I would carry a bag. But I recently added a set of silverware wrapped in a bandana to my bag. I use it way more than I ever thought I would. I went to the thrift store where silverware is 10 cents a piece and picked out the lightest, slimmest fork, spoon and knife I could find. I wrap them up in a bandana and leave them at the bottom of the bag. They never get in the way. Now I don't have to take napkins or plastic utensils if I end up picking up food while I'm out. I'm also in a running club and we have monthly socials. They always use disposable stuff at them so I started bringing my own utensils, plate and wine glass. Everyone asks me about it and thinks it's such a great idea. No one else has started bringing their own yet but hopefully they will soon. I have a reusable plastic plate that has a notch cut out of the corner to rest a wine glass in so it allows me to eat and drink and mingle at the same time!

[val]

What great ideas! I keep the goods where I find myself most - my desk, my car, etc.

Glass straws, reusable utensils, reusable bags. The basics.

If you don't carry a backpack where you have everything with you, the next best idea is to examine your routine and place items accordingly. This way you'll find what you need when you're most likely to find them.

I now take a written list (or use the app on my iphone) nearly every time I shop and put reusable bags at the top. I take them from the trunk and place them on the front seat before I leave. That helps tremendously in remembering to bring them with me.

It's all about practice over perfection.