With plastic-free July in the rearview mirror, we're looking forward to introducing our next monthly challenge! But first, we wanted to share some things we learned (or re-learned!) throughout this challenge in the month of July:
1. We were so happy to see local businesses doing their part to reduce their plastic consumption & distribution this month. We encountered very little plastic while shopping at our local farmers markets, which allowed us to purchase most of our food necessities fresh from the farm, with no unnecessary plastic wrapping, stickers, or bags making their way into our home or business. It's also wonderful getting a chance to talk with your local farmers and really understanding where your food is coming from; we recommend shopping weekly at the market to get the most out of your food-acquiring endeavours.
2. We sent out quite a few emails to companies we normally shop through to see if they would consider switching their practices to a more plastic-free modality. The response was that many of them are actively working towards finding plastic-free packaging solutions that work for their individual products, and others explained the reasoning behind their decision to use plastic, which helped us better understand why utilizing plastic may be deemed necessary in certain situations. At Vancouver Island's Own, we've adopted the mindset of being the change we wish to see in the world, and bearing that in mind, know that it never hurts to contact your local (or non-local) grocery stores, bakeries, butchers, coffee shops, and other businesses to see what they are doing to reduce their plastic output and make the world a better place.
3. We fell in love with our local zero-waste stores all over again. If you're looking to stock up on organic personal care products or natural household cleaners, we recommend visiting West Coast Refill. If you're searching for local package-free groceries like dairy, meat, baking supplies, spices, coffee, and fresh produce, head on over to the Zero-Waste Emporium, where you can refill your own containers from home on almost anything you could possibly need to stock your house with essential goodies! Of course, you can always bring in your own containers to your local coffee shop, butcher, bakery, or grocery store, and ask if they will refill it for you instead of providing you with a new bag, box, or container. Almost all of the time, they will say yes!
We'd like to extend a huge thank you to all the local businesses who are doing their part, every day, to reduce their environmental impact and provide Victoria, BC with so many beautiful, nutritious, and unique plastic-free products that people (and small businesses like ourselves) can enjoy.
Now, to introduce our next monthly challenge:
LITTER-FREE AUGUST!
We all know how prevalent littering is. This completely baffles us, seeing as how we have so much information available on how to correctly recycle, reuse, and properly dispose of waste products in our local communities. We have a hard time understanding how someone in this day and age could simply toss their trash on the ground, flick their cigarette butt out the window, or spit their gum into the grass when they know full well the harmful impacts this kind of behaviour has on both our neighbourhoods and the planet.
That is why for the month of August, we have decided to clean up our communities by doing a bi-weekly litter cleanup! Twice a week, we will be going on a one-hour walk around our neighbourhood of Fairfield as well as the surrounding areas (Beacon Hill Park, Dallas Road, Gonzales Beach, etc) to pick up each and every piece of litter we can find. This litter will then be recycled, composted, and disposed of appropriately, and we can breathe easy knowing that we are helping out not just Mother Earth, but our local community as well.
We encourage you all to take part and spend some time breathing in some fresh air while cleaning up your local neighbourhood as well! We'd love to see how much trash you save from the ground during the month of August, so please post your litter-free accomplishments on instagram and tag us at @vancouverislandsown with the hashtag #litterfree
We look forward to cleaning up our communities together!
Vancouver Island’s Own is a family-owned and operated business specializing in gourmet, vegan, and organic granola & trail mix, handmade with love in Victoria, BC. We believe in encouraging others to explore and connect with the environment in order to ensure our collective well-being.
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