I have updated to a bamboo toothbrush & will be getting a wet shaver with an old fashioned razor blade this week getting rid of my plastic razors. It shaves closer & better than new razors, of course it ain’t cheap but plastic everywhere in our world is a simple choice.

Our sim cards are plastic & are disposable. Yet another plastic. I have been thinking about pens lately & that they are plastic. That is why I have bought refillable pens instead of the traditional one use. So, I am trying to better my habits.

I am also looking for shaving soap that doesn’t make me smell like a man, something that works when you wet shave. I am not a fan of aersol cans under pressure. I have found a great salt shampoo that does the job without releasing yucky stuff into the water system.

I am also trying to wash my hair less making sure it’s dirty when I do & using dry shampoo more regularly. I want to find a facial soap without parabens & toxins that washes my face without drying it out too much. Giving up plastic daily is hard but I think I can do it.

so, we are now in Southern Norway & the sun doesn’t go down until 7pm at night. What’s on the ground, ice, snow & lots of sand. Spring. makes me miss Seattle & the 2 hour drives outside of the city to snow shoe. now, i can just walk out to my backyard & snow-ice.

last year i bought a pair of Birkenstocks in March & wasn’t able to wear them until late June. that’s when it stopped raining. weather has never really bothered me. Gray, bright it usually doesn’t do anything to my mood but walking on pure black ice a few weeks ago was not Fun.

it’s also the kind of ice you don’t see till your walking & begin slipping. a very unnerving feeling. there’s a saying in Norway that it’s not bad weather just bad clothes. something i agree with. however, on our walk today people were flocking to benches facing the sun. oh & it’s 30 degrees out plus minus a degree.

this week is supposed to be filled with rain & slush but it’s not supposed to freeze at night. i won’t believe that till i see it.

i swear by carrying my own bag where i go & if i can avoid it i never get plastic when i shop for clothes or other merchandise. i really try to shop in stores where they have paper bags or allow you to buy in bulk without using a bag. plastic containers for shampoo, toothbrush, my glasses. they have bamboo toothbrushes but the head is still plastic. so, not quite environmental enough to switch to bamboo.

here’s a short list of all things that i have that are plastic; toothbrush, shampoo, toothpaste, facial toner, glasses, my bag is recycled plastic. our cleaners for around the house. something that i find annoying. all the cords for cellphones, laptops, & computers are wrapped in plastic. my sneakers are plastic & i have recycled plastic clothing that i love because it’s quality stuff.

so, how does one use less plastic?? that’s the big question as it’s filling up our oceans, showing up on a streets the plastic cup i saw this morning rolling down the street. our garbage bags are plastic, so what’s the alternative to that? where we lived before they took our yardwaste & the city recycled it, where we live now they don’t.

i think to start using less plastic start with the basics, like when you go food shopping & shop local owned grocery stores where they focus on not using it. buy tons of shampooo, sounds ironic doesn’t it. but buying more in plastic means you have more shampoo & hardly have to buy a new bottle every month. i buy shampoo maybe less than 3 times a year & i have a shampoo bar of soap for travel or a trip to the mountains. good luck.