I see a dead seal on the beach
The old man says he's already saved it three times this week
Guess it just wants to die
I would wanna die too
With people putting oil into my air
But to be fair, I've done my share.
 
                        --Courtney Barnett

I moved in with my partner and his teenage son in March 2020, two days before the world as we knew it shut down. 

A few months later, I got pregnant with my daughter, who was born in April 2021.

Those early newborn days and weeks and months with no support or in-person community were utterly exhausting. My baby had colic and acid reflux. She cried roughly nine hours a day. I cried right along with her.

I couldn't produce enough milk to breastfeed exclusively, so we relied on formula. When the constant boiling and mixing and cooling got overwhelming, we switched to a pre-mixed formula housed in tiny plastic containers. My daughter loved that formula and so did I. We could just pop it open and feed her without trudging down the stairs, turning on the stove, boiling the water, mixing in formula, letting it cool in the fridge, washing the bottles, etc. It wasn't merely about convenience; it was sincerely about survival.

Having lived as a single woman for most of my thirties, I wasn't used to putting out more than one small bag of garbage out per week. I was shocked and horrified by the amount of garbage and recycling a family of four produces in one week. Our recycling bin overflowed with formula containers and shampoo bottles, pizza boxes and yogurt tubs. Oh, and approximately ten million strawberry clamshells.*

Less than 10% of the plastic we toss into our blue bins actually get recycled. The rest of it ends up in landfills, in waterways and washed up on beaches. It is estimated that by 2050, the oceans will contain more plastic waste (by weight) than fish. Knowing this, I felt horrifically guilty, but I also wasn't capable to cutting down on our consumption of wondrous, super convenient plastic while taking bleary-eyed care of an infant. (I often wonder if a giant tortoise in the Galapagos ever swims past one of the old, empty bottles of formula I casually discarded at 4AM.)

Now that my daughter is older, I still reach for plastic conveniences, but I've also made the switch to more sustainable choices that are better for the planet, my body, and for my family. I can't undo the damage I've already done, but I can make smarter choices about my consumption going forward and encourage others to consider doing the same.

After some trial and error, I've curated some of my favourite high-quality, sustainable, Canadian-made and women-owned products in one online boutique. 

Easy Being Green isn't just about living a more sustainable life. It's also about supporting small, woman-owned and 100% Canadian businesses.

Thank you for supporting mine. 

I sincerely hope you'll find some new favourites here and keep coming back for more. Every piece of plastic we keep out of landfills and waterways counts.

Sofi

*Whyyyyyy aren't strawberry and blueberry and raspberry and blackberry clamshells made out of biopolymer yet? Someone please explain this to me like I'm five.