Summer is a season full of fun, adventure, travel, picnics, concerts, vacation, camping, hiking, wilderness exploring, hunting, fishing, stargazing, gardening, agricultural research and development, farming, small and large scale construction, and the list goes on. Summer may be full of fun, but it’s also incredibly full of garbage. Is it possible to have a fun, memorable summer and not add excessive amounts of garbage to our planet? It’s possible, and I want to empower you with 3 tips on how you can waste less this summer!
Zero waste may not be achievable in every situation, and that’s ok. What we aim for is to waste less. So let’s get right into it.
Tip #1 – Plastic Free Water Play
When it comes to summertime, water play is the #1 activity kids want. Unfortunately, most water play involves plastic, and plenty of it! Here are the most common plastic water play items:
- Floaties
- Balloons
- Squirt guns
- Children’s pools
- Toys
- Foam noodles
The list is much longer, but with my experience and some research, these are the most common and highest purchased summer water play items that the industries sell you, I mean, they tell you that you neeeeeed them in order to have an awesome summer.
If this were true, millions of people in our past, and even now, would never have an awesome summer. But I refuse to believe that without plastic, we can’t have fun. Here are some great alternatives to plastic water play items:
Instead of using water balloons, try to find alternatives like buckets of water, or if you’re crafty, making balls out of materials that absorb water is a super fun way to have a “water-blob war”!
Instead of buying items brand new, such as floaties, squirt guns, pool toys, try to find pre-owned items, or at least purchase items that are made 100% out of recycled materials. Make things up, get creative, your kids don’t need the newest and best toys, not at the expense of the pollution those items are causing.
The point is, to make change, we need to do something different. Think about water play differently. Whatever you buy or use, avoid brand new items (shopping tells industries what to make, and just feeds their pocket $$$$, leaving us with the mess).
Tip #2 – Travel With Less, and Waste Less
What are your “minimal waste” tips for travel?
We don’t need as much as we have. Work to eliminate baggage and supplies you don’t need.
A while back I went on vacation with my son who was 6 at the time, and we went to see my baby sister’s wedding (ok she’s not a baby anymore!). We went camping in a tent, it was a fun and HOT week! But, I packed waaaaay too much!
I haven’t gone camping in so long, I didn’t know what I needed. I wish I took more pictures, because I tried my best to find ways to avoid excessive plastics, and be as efficient as possible with supplies. I know, I just told you I packed too much!
Instead of bringing flashlights with several batteries, I knew I’d have electricity so I brought my clip lamp that plugs in. It was by far one of my most used items on the trip!
We brought real dishes and a small tub for washing. We did not bring disposable utensils and dishes, and we didn’t even notice a struggle.
We brought an insulated coffee mug for cold and hot drinks, and instead of using plastic single use water bottles, I brought two big reusable water bottles, and we simply refilled them whenever we needed to. It was pretty basic and simple. The only struggle with that was having access to clean water, and making sure we had enough for the day and night. But that was not too challenging.
Tip #3 – Bring Your Own Forks
Summer is a great time for outdoor parties, picnics, and adventures, am I right? We love to explore the world, create new experiences and memories. Eating out, ice cream stops, and cold coffee, it’s a lot of fun and truthfully I really enjoy all of these!
How do you remember picnics and parties? Do you remember there being disposable dishes and utensils, table cloths, and disposable containers for food? I remember bringing our food in Tupperware. But I also remember paper plates and plastic cups, utensils, and those table covers made out of that thin, cheap plastic.
The problem with all of this is that it comes with a lot of baggage, and I’m talking about trash bags. Oh, and litter, too, so I guess not just bags of trash, there is a lot of intentional and unintentional litter from these specific endeavors.
But how do we avoid creating so much waste, and is it possible to have our fun summer activities WITHOUT creating a lot of waste?
The answer is yes! It’s very possible!! If you want to read more, you can read this article from the Wild Minimalist sharing how to strategize and plan for a summer that is waste-free (we all should know that zero waste is nearly impossible, but we can aim for it, right?).
Conclusion
Here is how it all comes together. Each tip I just shared with you can be accomplished in roughly the same way, using 3 simple tips to shape the way you enjoy your summer (and hopefully the rest of your life!).
Step #1: Stop thinking it’s impossible to waste less!
Yes, step #1 is to change your mind and perspective. It is possible to achieve these goals, so try thinking differently, here are a few questions to ask yourself.
- Do I need this?
- Is there a better alternative?
- Can I use something I already have?
Step #2: Be creative in your solutions!
Instead of doing what you normally do, thing of creative ways to avoid buying or using your typical plastic items, and just do something else! I know everyone loves water balloon fights, balloons for birthdays, parties, and events, but there are better options. Here’s another one, go to a thrift shop and purchase your “picnic basket” of dishes and utensils, and stop buying disposable plastic forks! Bring your own forks! They’re so easy to wash!
Step #3: Keep it up!
When you walk into a restaurant, or find yourself in a pinch and just have to buy the thing in plastic, or end up at a party with a lot of plastic items, do your best to avoid using it, but don’t beat yourself up about using it and don’t judge others for using it, just keep doing your part to be a good steward of our planet. If you need more tips on how you can make simple changes in your life to minimize the amount of waste you create, you can check out this post! Your actions inspire others, so whatever you do, keep moving towards better stewardship, waste less, and have fun doing it.
Drop your low-waste summer ideas in the comments so we can all enjoy your awesome tips!
Until next time,
HosannaJill
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