Tips If You Are Feeling A Bit Of 'Ethical Fatigue'

By Shay LawrenceAugust 01, 2018

You’ve been plastic free for a month now; we can already hear the planet applauding! But now it’s August, your plastic free journey is far from over. We know how tough it is to go plastic free in society today, but giving up now would be a waste of a challenge!

Keeping the habits and lessons you’ve learnt during July is vital to continuing a sustainable existence on our planet. Now you’ve had a month without plastic, the rest is easy! (ish). Here are our 5 recommendations to carry everything on through August and beyond!

Take it slow

We said it once, and we’ll say it again… living plastic free in society today is a touch hard; but you already know that. Easing into it means each plastic-free swap will become like second nature.

TIP 1: Take your top 3 plastic-saving habits into August with you. It may be reusable carry bags, classy CaliWoods straws, Stainless Pegs, and always remembering your Tumbler. Let these habits stick, and only add to them once they are no longer a big deal. Add another plastic free change bi-weekly, or even monthly; change at a pace that suits you and your lifestyle.

Reduce Your Waste: Recycling Bin

Continue talking

If you’ve been to the supermarket recently, you’ll have noticed the change in conversation and behaviour. Customers are walking out of the shops carrying their milk under one arm, bread in the other, and balancing oranges with their toes (well, not quite). Reusable bags are the new ‘cool’ thing, and the conversations at the checkout are filled with positive energy when you hear the words “no bag please”. Just 6 months ago, the cashiers gave reusable bag users the evils. Now that supermarkets have opened the plastic conversation, change is occurring. Just because you’re one person, doesn’t mean your conversations don’t matter too. Keep talking, get your friends involved; it brings more change than you think.

TIP 2: Talk to people at work and in your family. Ask them if they took part in plastic free July, how they are finding the swap to reusable bags, and if they have felt the societal change too. Every time we share info, more people are positively impacted.

Give yourself a break

There’s no point beating yourself up every time you screw up. During July, we all made plastic mistakes; nobody is perfect. If you’re reading this blog post, you’re already making change, and that’s incredible. When you feel ‘eco-fatigue’ get you down, or you start thinking of yourself poorly because you forgot to ask for no straw… breathe deeply. Let these mistakes teach you lessons for next time; don’t let them make you stop.

TIP 3: Next time you make a plastic blunder, do something you know you can conquer. Take your coffee mug out to grab a hot drink, or open your pantry and remind yourself about how far you’ve come. Or go lie in the bush in ya hammock...

Don’t over DIY

Going plastic free can involve making products from scratch to avoid the plastic packaging. If you have the time, and enjoy getting messy with zero-waste experiments, go for it! But don’t let yourself get bogged down by DIY projects. The “I can make that myself!” mentality is awesome, but if it’s not a priority, or time is scarce, it never gets done. Let someone else who has expertise in making eco-products, do the work for you.

Most products, like cleaning products, and delicious snacks, can be found at bulk bin stores. Things like beauty products can be found in small online shops who create the products themselves in reusable containers. Use their skills, giveback to your local community, and allow yourself to spend time doing something else you love instead.

TIP 4: If you trial making something, and it turns into a disaster, try again once more, then leave it. Find someone who can make it for you in exchange for something you can do for them, or search for a local supplier.

Seek knowledge

Perhaps you’ve kept up to date with our blog and tips, watched a few documentaries, and read a book about plastic free living whilst you’ve attacked Plastic Free July. Don’t stop there! Being open to fresh information, research, and tips, will keep you passionate and plastic-free-thriving.

TIP 5: Every month, gather a group of friends to watch an educational documentary. Make a night of it!