Changing face Of Blogging
I started in 2006 when there were far fewer plastic free options and finding alternatives was time consuming. Facebook and Twitter started later that year. Amazon had been going for 8 years and online shopping was still a fairly new phenomenon. Even Google was still young. The blog seemed the best and only viable way to record and promote the products that I had found.
Since then of course the range of products available has skyrocketed and online shopping is well established. Facebook and Twitter can convey information far more quickly and attention spans are so diminished that reading a blog post is far too exhausting. As for writing one ….. well I don’t any more.
Found My Favourites
I now have a few favourite sources that pretty much cater to all my plastic-free needs. Most of them are on line.
Outdated
So many of these posts will be out of date. The plasticfree world is moving quickly and new products are coming on the market all the time. The science changes. Recycling gets better but plastic pollution is far worse than we thought.
And yes I do make mistakes. The science of plastic is complex and I am still not entirely sure how you define a chemical.
So I apologise if some posts are scrappy, poorly researched whiffle, if they are wrong or out of date. Take them as a starting point.
Updating Posts
Hardly seems worth it. Many of the products it took me so long to find can now easily be found in a variety of places online. I’m leaving them up as a record of availability but do your own research.
Still Learning
When I started boycotting plastic back in 2006 I had no idea how pervasive it was. While I was obviously aware that a lot of items were packaged in plastic I didn’t know how many seemingly innocent products contained plastic. Toothpaste for example. Packed in plastic yes I can see that. Contains plastic micro beads. WTF?!!! Glue? Rubbers? Silicone coated greaseproof paper?
Actually learning about plastic was and still is a huge task.
Make Your Own – at your own risk
Back in the day I often had to make alternatives. Yes I can now make face cream but I am self taught and certainly no expert.
Talking of which: The information in this blog is for guidance only. None of the recipes or tips in this blog have not been tested on anyone other than me and my husband. I strongly advise you do your own research and proceed very carefully.
Be aware of the risks of listening to someone who
a) doesn’t have any training in this field,
b) most of what they know comes from Google,
That’s me I mean.
Posts may be incomplete, out of date and possibly wrong! Please read on to find out why…
How The Blog Is Written
I started blogging to record my progress, record my recipes and ultimately help others benefit from my experiences. Because that’s what they are, experiences.
. That I carved some time out of a working day to record my achievement doesn’t make me a writer. My writing is often rushed. Early parts of the blog were written, sweating my face off, in deepest darkest Borneo back in the day when you had to visit an Internet cafe to get on line.
As I boycott, I learn more and when I find time I update the blog. But it is very much a work in progress. Please feel free to learn from my mistakes but be aware that I too am acquiring knowledge as I go. And that I am an amateur with limited time.
Why is that post so rubbish… and the next one so good?
The plastic free sourcing and post writing process goes as follows
Need to clean the bathroom tiles but everything comes in plastic
Internets says I can use bicarbonate of soda.
No idea what bicarb is but I find I can get it plasticfree from Wilcos
Yes I can clean the bathroom tiles with bicarb
Write a post about cleaning bathroom tiles with bicarb
Finally find time to research bicarb.
Quickly update cleaning tiles post which means it’s is now rather badly put together.
Later find some more time to write up my research on bicarb properly in a separate post.
Uneasy because I am now not sure those bicarb mines are so ecofriendly.
Start doing more research into other alternatives to clean tiles.
Honestly it’s endless. But this accounts for why some posts are very basic, others seem rather cobbled together, some sound doubtful and a few that I am really rather proud of.
Danger In Googleland
Much of my research is done online and the internet is a place full of foolishness. While I try to filter out the more ridiculous claims for alternative products some are very convincing. Many claimed that coconut oil had a built in sun protection factor. It doesn’t.
Take A Chance
And sometimes it doesn’t matter how much research I do it seems there is no clear answer. Is bicarb too rough for teeth? Everyone has an opinion and they are quite contrary. In cases like this it may be that I am happy to take the risk with my home made tooth powder to live plastic free but I strongly advise that you do your own research before making that decision.
The Knowledge
Going plastic free means you need to know so much more about the basic stuff that you use, what it is, where is it from and even some science – urk!
So here are links to information about science, green issues and other related subjects that impact on the plastic debate. Plus a look at the alternative products being touted and thoughts on how better they actually are. Read more here…
N.B.
I have no wish to add to the massive amounts of misinformation out there. Please note I am no chemist, I know nothing of the sciences. Much of the information here has been gleaned from the unreliable Google Mines and filtered through my total ignorance. I think it’s correct. If It’s not please do tell me.