Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too

Description

Like many people, Beth Terry didn't think an individual could have much impact on the environment. But while laid up after surgery, she read an article about the staggering amount of plastic polluting the oceans, and decided then and there to kick her plastic habit. In Plastic-Free, she shows you how you can too, providing personal anecdotes, stats about the environmental and health problems related to plastic, and individual solutions and tips on how to limit your plastic footprint. Presenting both beginner and advanced steps, Terry includes handy checklists and tables for easy reference, ways to get involved in larger community actions, and profiles of individuals-Plastic-Free Heroes-who have gone beyond personal solutions to create change on a larger scale.

Beth Terry started her crusade against plastic overconsumption three years ago when she started her blog, My Plastic-free Life (formerly called Fake Plastic Fish), which is now the number one blog on plastic-free living in the world. By day, she does accounting for a local Bay Area home care agency. By night, she blogs. She lives with her husband in Oakland, California.

Beth is the most knowledgeable person on plastic, particularly disposable plastic, that I know. Her journey to getting rid of disposable plastic is inspiring and amazing, but she also makes it doable for the rest of us. When I first met her, I lived my life pretty nontoxic, but I still used a lot of disposable plastic. Her efforts inspired me to eliminate disposable plastic too, and faced with choices, I always ask myself WWBD (or What Would Beth Do)? She is the standard by which I measure my greenness. --Jennifer Taggart, www.thesmartmama.com, author of Smart Mama s Green Guide: Simple Steps to Reduce Your Child s Toxic Chemical Exposure Beth Terry is one of the most inspiring people on the planet. Her wisdom about plastic-free living is a beacon of hope for what s possible. Everyone should read this book! --Stacy Malkan, cofounder, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author of Not Just a Pretty Face Inspiring. Empowering. And most of all, liberating! Finally, here s everything you need to know to live a healthy, safe, plastic-free life. Kudos to Beth Terry! She s definitely my plastic-free guru! --Diane MacEachern, author, Big Green Purse The use of plastic is enmeshed in our American way of life. Kicking any habit is tough, but kicking a habit that is invisible in its ubiquity is even more difficult. In this important and enjoyable book, Beth Terry walks the reader through her trials and travails and shows what the average person can do to rid themselves of plastic. Along the way, she creatively demonstrates that ridding one s life of plastic is not only good for the planet but also good for the health and the pocketbook of the American consumer. This book is inspirational and has helped me kick my plastic habit not only when shopping but throughout my daily life. --Congressman Steve Cohen, Tennessee The problem or the solution starts with each one of us. We can choose to live a life of mindless consumption, becoming consumed by our possessions, or we can choose to live an inspired life, always working to create harmony with our environment. In Plastic-Free, Beth Terry shares the story of her path to a life filled with less plastic and more harmony. Anyone who reads this book will be motivated to follow her lead. --Jack Johnson, musician, cofounder of the Ko-kua Hawai i Foundation I've been struggling to rid my home of plastics for years. This book makes it so much easier! --Linda Ronstadt, musician, Plastic Pollution Coalition member This is the tool that we've all been waiting for to ease the transition to going plastic-free. Time to wake up. Peace. --Rosanna Arquette, actor, Plastic Pollution Coalition member We're so addicted to plastic, it's hard to imagine doing without it. But Beth Terry dared to imagine, and with hard work, humor and lots of trial and error--turns out there's no easy way to make your own liquid hand soap--she broke the plastic habit. Her book is informative and inspirational--an ideal combination for anyone hoping to follow a less plastic path. --Susan Freinkel, author Plastic: A Toxic Love Story We re so addicted to plastic, it s hard to imagine doing without it. But Beth Terry dared to imagine, and with hard work, humor and lots of trial and error turns out there s no easy way to make your own liquid hand soap she broke the plastic habit. Her book is informative and inspirational an ideal combination for anyone hoping to follow a less plastic path. --Susan Freinkel, author Plastic: A Toxic Love Story Friendly, fun, and informative, Plastic-Free is a tutorial on how to cut plastics from your life. Beth empowers us to implement change in our own lives and save the world at the same time. Refuse disposable plastics! --Dianna Cohen, visual artist, creative director and cofounder, Plastic Pollution Coalition I ve been struggling to rid my home of plastics for years. This book makes it so much easier! --Linda Ronstadt, musician, Plastic Pollution Coalition member Plastic-Free tells a story that could inspire everyday behavior change for all of us. Small steps, leading to one big milestone: a planet free of plastic pollution. The power lies with each of us to take these steps. It is that simple. --Daniella Dimitrova Russo, cofounder and executive director, Plastic Pollution Coalition Tempted to bring your own reusable silverware to take-out joints but dread the eye-rolling it may generate? This book is for you. With sass and intelligence, the anti-plastic crusader Beth Terry guides readers toward the road less consumptive, offering practical advice and moral support while making a convincing case that individual actions to lighten our environmental impact do matter. --Elizabeth Royte, author, Garbage Land and Bottlemania This is the tool that we ve all been waiting for to ease the transition to going plastic-free. Time to wake up. Peace. --Rosanna Arquette, actor, Plastic Pollution Coalition member We could have such lovely things in our lives. Why do we settle for crap made from plastic? Beth Terry is the pioneer when it comes to building a life filled with the things that truly matter. --Colin Beavan, author, No Impact Man, and founder of the No Impact Project We re so addicted to plastic, it 's hard to imagine doing without it. But Beth Terry dared to imagine, and with hard work, humor and lots of trial and error turns out there 's no easy way to make your own liquid hand soap she broke the plastic habit. Her book is informative and inspirational an ideal combination for anyone hoping to follow a less plastic path. --Susan Freinkel, author Plastic: A Toxic Love Story