2009 Plastic Free Accomplishments, By the Numbers...

With my mom visiting, my son's birthday party, a new addition to our home (our new puppy Leo), and a huge proposal due at work, it's no wonder I didn't get around to listing my 2010 plastic free goals and 2009 accomplishments. I'll save my goals for future postings, as I'll have a new one each month. But here are my accomplishments so far, by the numbers:

2009 Plastic Free Accomplishments

0 - plastic garbage bags in my kitchen (instead, I use a stainless steel garbage can with *yikes* a removable plastic liner...hey it's still better than using the bags!)

3 months (and counting) - months in which I have not purchased paper towels

6 - washable, reusable towels I purchased to replace paper towels

8 - cloth napkins I own (no more paper napkins!)

10+ - resusable grocery bags I own

36 - number of tampons in the box of Tampax with the biodegradable applicator (I switched to this brand from a Playtex version with a plastic applicator)

55/68 - day/evening temperatures my thermostat is set to for energy efficiency (and cost savings, too!)

There are also some things I accomplished that can't really be quantified, such as:

• Using powered dishwasher soap (packaged in a cardboard box) instead of dishwasher tabs - While I miss the ease of the dishwasher tabs, there really is no difference in how clean the dishes get. I also use the powered soap when I hand wash my dishes, and it works well...my only complaint is that this makes my hands so dry and rough...can anyone suggest where I can find a good pair of eco-friendly cleaning gloves?
• Using powered laundry detergent (packaged in a cardboard box) instead of liquid laundry soap in plastic bottles - Here's one decision I totally regret! When my family switched to liquid laundry soap in the late 1980s/early 1990s, I thought the days of seeing dandruff-like remnents of laundry detergent on my clothes were over. Boy was I wrong! The powered detergent/cardboard box sounds like a great idea, but unless someone can recommend an eco-friendly, affordable brand that doesn't leave detergent flakes behind, I'm going back to the liquid soap I trust and love.
• Using Bar Soap and Deoderant - This is one of my best decisions so far! Bar soap is way less expensive than body wash, and you don't have to keep buying poufs! I also believe it lasts longer, too! I'm also in love with the bar of deoderant I bought from Lush...I joke around and say I smell a little bit like nature, but I swear it's provided me the better protection than any other deoderant I've ever used.

Well, that's all I can think of right now, but I'd love to hear what others have done / plan to do as well. Please post a comment :)