We live in the Throwaway Age. The ‘plastic explosion’ of the 50s and 60s has produced a very plastic dependent society.
I mean, I’m not afraid to admit that plastics have modernized our lives in profound ways. A miracle invention! It’s convenient, presumably very hygienic, extremely durable, and best of all – it’s dirt cheap.
There are good and necessary uses for plastic for sure; things like medical supplies, safety gear, essential infrastructure, prosthetics, sterile equipment, airbags, etc. But most plastic goes into unnecessary and unsafe uses: mass-produced single-use disposables, fast fashion, excess packaging, etc.
In fact, plastic is in a LOT of places you wouldn’t expect.
Including places you and I would never typically look, like the stomachs of seabirds and the blood vessels of babies.
Plastics are already plaguing our oceans, our food chain, and ourselves.
And the waste we can see is only a fraction of what we don’t see.
Plastic makes big corporations a lot of money, so they’ve spent decades convincing us that it’s normal and good. They’re hoping that we’ll continue to be too busy to look past convenience at what the overconsumption of plastic is doing to the world around us.
Especially in America, it’s easier to make the bad decision and spend your hard-earned money on products that only end up making the world worse. And it’s hard to break out of that cycle.
After seeing the error in my waste-filled ways, I started slowly making changes my life, but I found myself running all over town for half solutions and depending more on online purchases that left me with a carbon footprint regret.
I wished for a local store where I could refill the bottles and containers I was currently using, support local makers, find low-waste personal care and grocery solutions all in one place, and most importantly: not feel so darn guilty about the waste I was producing every. single. time. I went to the store.
So that’s why I decided to join the Zero Waste movement and ultimately open this store.
“Zero waste“ is a tough phrase, because it seems very idealistic. But it’s supposed to be! Pursuing a life of no waste means hoping for (and working towards) a world where waste isn’t unavoidable, where waste is recognized as a design flaw, and where a circular economy makes it easier for every single person to go through life without needing to constantly worry about the impact of their choices on the environment.
I also learned to use the phrase “low waste,” because I like how it leaves room for imperfection and makes an eco-friendly lifestyle more accessible to the everyday consumer (you and me). Both zero waste and low waste represent the movement to making personal swaps while fighting for systematic change in waste management.
In 2018, I made my dream of accessible anti-consumerism a reality, and Life Unplastic was born. Although it’s gone through different stages throughout the years, the shop has always been a low-waste sanctuary for devoted tree-huggers and skeptics alike. Upon establishment, I vowed to make a place that would always be judgement free, accessible, and affordable, so that anyone wanting to feel better about their purchases could have an easy jumping-off point.
I curate an evolving menu of normal, everyday products that can help loosen our negative impact on the environment. They’re effective and convenient, without sacrificing our values of safety, ethics, and reduction of waste.
I primarily look for products that check the single-use plastic free box, but they all check some other boxes too! Like palm oil free, fair trade, cruelty free, vegan, and/or organic.
Above all, know this: striving for zero waste is an imperfect process, but an opportunity to be a part of the solution and end this vicious age of overconsumption.
Once you “quit plastic” (however that takes shape for you) other things start to happen.
You may find yourself saving money, feeling free from materialism, becoming more connected to nature, or joining (and eagerly participating in) a community with a common bond.
I know because that’s what happened to me.
Thank you for reading and your support, I hope to see you in the shop soon, beginning your journey to plastic independence.
Vive la révolution!
With gratitude,
Joy Hughes
Owner, Life Unplastic
