• Hard 2 Recycle
  • Programs
    • Bee City USA Asheville >
      • Native Pollinator Plants and Nurseries
      • Pollination Celebration >
        • Pollinator Photo Contest
      • Pollinator Garden Certification
    • Rivers & Roads >
      • Adopt-a-Street
      • Clean Streams Day
      • Cleanup Supply Stations
      • Trash Trout
      • WNC Big Sweep
    • Education
    • Urban Forestry >
      • Adopt-a-Spot
      • Cool Green Asheville
      • Food Tree Project
      • RRI
      • Tree Nursery
      • Treasured Trees >
        • Treasured Trees Calendar
    • Waste Reduction >
      • Asheville Bag Monster
      • Composting Information
      • Flip Your Lid
      • Plastics Reduction Task Force
      • Recycling Information
      • Smash Don't Trash
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Experiential Internships
    • Youth Environmental Leadership Program >
      • YELP Staff & Alumni
      • How to Apply
    • Make a Donation
    • Wish List
    • Sponsorship
  • Upcoming Events
  • About
    • Job Openings
    • History
    • Staff/ Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Blog Roll
    • Latest News
    • Protect our Pollinators
    • Voice for the Trees
    • Mind Your Plastic May
    • Fall Leaves
ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS
  • Hard 2 Recycle
  • Programs
    • Bee City USA Asheville >
      • Native Pollinator Plants and Nurseries
      • Pollination Celebration >
        • Pollinator Photo Contest
      • Pollinator Garden Certification
    • Rivers & Roads >
      • Adopt-a-Street
      • Clean Streams Day
      • Cleanup Supply Stations
      • Trash Trout
      • WNC Big Sweep
    • Education
    • Urban Forestry >
      • Adopt-a-Spot
      • Cool Green Asheville
      • Food Tree Project
      • RRI
      • Tree Nursery
      • Treasured Trees >
        • Treasured Trees Calendar
    • Waste Reduction >
      • Asheville Bag Monster
      • Composting Information
      • Flip Your Lid
      • Plastics Reduction Task Force
      • Recycling Information
      • Smash Don't Trash
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Experiential Internships
    • Youth Environmental Leadership Program >
      • YELP Staff & Alumni
      • How to Apply
    • Make a Donation
    • Wish List
    • Sponsorship
  • Upcoming Events
  • About
    • Job Openings
    • History
    • Staff/ Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Blog Roll
    • Latest News
    • Protect our Pollinators
    • Voice for the Trees
    • Mind Your Plastic May
    • Fall Leaves
Picture
We are drowning in plastic.

From beauty products to grocery bags to water bottles to our daily cup of coffee, plastic is present in every aspect of our lives. Most of these items are designed to be used once and thrown away, usually heading to the landfill.

Some of the plastic that we think can be recycled, like drink lids, straws and utensils, end up in the landfill because they're either too difficult to recycle or there's no market for the end products. Even recyclable plastic such as water bottles are becoming harder to recycle.

The most effective approach to reducing our plastic waste is to REFUSE, REDUCE, and REUSE.

In January 2019, GreenWorks spearheaded the creation of the Plastics Reduction Task Force -- a group of motivated volunteers dedicated to reducing single-use plastic in our environment. 
​
Join the plastic-free movement and break free from the plastic ties that bind us.
Donate now for a plastic-free future
Mind Your Plastic May is meant to encourage and challenge us in our journey to live plastic free. These posts are created by GreenWorks staff, Plastic Reduction Task Force volunteers, and other plastic-free advocates in Buncombe County. If you've found these posts helpful and encouraging, please consider making a donation to support this work. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
Picture

Sun, Sand, Surf... and Zero-Waste Sunscreen

5/24/2019

0 Comments

 

It’s almost summertime… I don’t know about you, but when the days get warmer and the sun shines in abundance, I start dreaming of the beach. Thankfully, I hold some roots down on the coast of Virginia and Maryland, so the location is almost always the same and lodging is free. (Score!)  I also have two children and I’m known as the planner in my family, so the very next thing I do is make a list. And believe me
-- if you’re trying to reduce single-use plastic in your life and you’re getting ready to go on vacation, a list and proper planning can be the difference between eco-friendly and eco-destructive.

Plastic Free Vacation Kit
I highly recommend making a kit with all the reusable items you think you’ll need on your vacation — travel coffee mugs and water bottles, bamboo plates and silverware, reusable straws, a few shopping bags, a waterproof “ditty bag” or two for wet clothes, towels and bathing suits, and maybe some travel-friendly food-storage containers. (It’s a good idea to brainstorm with your partner or travel buddy to make sure you’ve got your bases covered.) Then stick everything in a laundry basket or other container you’ve got lying around. Just think of all the food- and drink-related plastic trash you kept out of the waste stream just by planning ahead. Swoon!
​

Pro-tip: Bring a travel-friendly container of the Dr. Bronners’ Castile Soap you got in bulk at one of our local grocery stores, fill up a water cooler or a few repurposed beverage containers, and grab a bucket or bin. Voila, you’ll have a ready-made washing station in the back of your car.

Zero-Waste Sunscreen
Now, on to sunscreen. While sunscreen should be a part of any beach vacation and may even be in your daily routine, so often it comes in the ubiquitous plastic bottle.  The aerosol spray version seems to be gaining in popularity… the metal part can be recycled, but the plastic spray nozzle cannot. Not only that, it usually contains a fraction of the amount, so really you’re spending more money to buy air.

Luckily, several options exist to buy truly zero-waste sunscreen that works. Here’s a link for 6 Plastic-Free, Reef Safe Alternatives to sunscreen in plastic bottles. And while we are focusing on plastic reduction, it’s important to note that many sunscreens have ingredients that are harmful to coral reefs and other aquatic habitats. “Swimmer pollution” in popular tourist areas can create an oily, iridescent sheen on the surface of the water that lingers after all the tourists go home. (Interested in more info on the topic of sunscreen pollution? Check out this blog post by MarineSafe.org)
Picture
Picture
​It’s also important to plan ahead in this department because although there are several zero-waste sunscreens out there, chances are they’re not going to be available at the gas station or WalMart on the way to the beach. (Guilty.) Typically, zero-waste sunscreen comes in a metal tin, a compostable tube, or a glass jar. Just be sure that if you get one in a compostable tube, you keep it dry in your waterproof ditty bag or it may disintegrate over the course of your vacation. If you opt for the metal tin, some companies even offer a program for sending back empties for a refill.

If you DIY, you can also make your own sunscreen! Recipes typically include zinc oxide, which has a 20+ SPF, along with other ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E that provide additional protection. Kathryn Kellogg from GoingZeroWaste, a self-proclaimed “child of the sun”, swears by her recipe for mineral sunscreen with a natural 30 SPF, but you can find many online.
Picture

Sun-Protective Clothing

Another great step? Use less! “But,” you say, “isn’t sun protection is important?” Yes definitely, but there are other ways to avoid sun overexposure. If you are going to be sitting on a beach long periods of time, try to take a break in the middle of the day and bring a hat and cover up that protects at least your upper body. Covering up with lightweight clothing and applying lotion to only the neck, face, feet and backs of hands can reduce the amount of the likely pricier-than-conventional zero-waste sunscreen you’ll need to apply, while also reducing sunscreen loads into the water by 90 percent. If you have children or are sun-sensitive (either naturally or because of a particular medication), you can invest in “sun clothes,” clothing items that are specifically designed to reduce UV exposure. A quick Google search pulls up a wide variety of fashionable options for everyone.
​

We hope you find these tips useful and have a fabulous, plastic-free beach vacation!

Sincerely,
Megan Travi
Development Associate
​Asheville GreenWorks

Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    AuthorS

    Staff from Asheville GreenWorks, volunteers from the Plastic Reduction Task Force, as well as other guest writers who are advocates and friends.

    Archives

    May 2020
    May 2019
    April 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed


​Asheville GreenWorks is a 501(c)3 non-profit environmental organization, governed by a Board of Directors. Established in 1973, GreenWorks mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize individuals and communities to take care of the places we love to live.
  • Hard 2 Recycle
  • Programs
    • Bee City USA Asheville >
      • Native Pollinator Plants and Nurseries
      • Pollination Celebration >
        • Pollinator Photo Contest
      • Pollinator Garden Certification
    • Rivers & Roads >
      • Adopt-a-Street
      • Clean Streams Day
      • Cleanup Supply Stations
      • Trash Trout
      • WNC Big Sweep
    • Education
    • Urban Forestry >
      • Adopt-a-Spot
      • Cool Green Asheville
      • Food Tree Project
      • RRI
      • Tree Nursery
      • Treasured Trees >
        • Treasured Trees Calendar
    • Waste Reduction >
      • Asheville Bag Monster
      • Composting Information
      • Flip Your Lid
      • Plastics Reduction Task Force
      • Recycling Information
      • Smash Don't Trash
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Experiential Internships
    • Youth Environmental Leadership Program >
      • YELP Staff & Alumni
      • How to Apply
    • Make a Donation
    • Wish List
    • Sponsorship
  • Upcoming Events
  • About
    • Job Openings
    • History
    • Staff/ Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Blog Roll
    • Latest News
    • Protect our Pollinators
    • Voice for the Trees
    • Mind Your Plastic May
    • Fall Leaves